PLANTING OF SANDHILLS ON SEA-COAST AT HOLKHAM, 351 
only partly planted previous to 1875, is a very thrifty young 
plantation, not only being a shelter for the adjoining pasture, 
but forming a grand and peculiar feature in the landscape, 
and the trees doing much better than the most sanguine could 
expect. 
Mr Munro, the Earl of Leicester’s intelligent forester, writes to 
me about this division of the hills, and says: “When he came 
to Holkham in 1877, the trees in many cases were very good, but 
the tops of the Pinws Laricio were very much cut with the northerly 
winds and blowing sands. He at once commenced planting the 
tops of the hills, principally with P. austriaca and a sprinking of 
P. maritima. When these got hold and began to get up, the 
Laricio, which were cut by wind, began to improve, and by 1882 
a very decided improvement was visible. ‘Since then, seeing the 
progress the plantations made, he went on extending them, until 
the area planted is now double what it was in 1882.” 
The proportions in which the plants are used are— 
Pinus Laricio, 50 per cent., planted 8 yards apart. 
Ma is Or K . 
5  austriaca, 25 ss me 5 to 7 yards apart. 
” sylvestris, 20 ” ” ” ” 
» maritima, 5 ee 2 nfs ‘ 
Let it be distinctly understood that the plantations are ornamental, 
and are not planted for profit, hence the distance between the trees, 
giving plenty room for developing their laterals. The austriaca and 
maritima, being on the higher and more exposed situations, and 
fully exposed to every storm from the German Ocean, are planted 5 to 
7 yards apart, as they cannot possibly make the same growth as the 
Laricio, which are more sheltered. The Laricio are now in many 
cases 30 to 35 feet high, their lateral branches covering an area equal 
to a circle of 8 yards in diameter, and are full of health. The 
Scots fir and austriaca are making a proportionate growth. When 
at Holkham last spring, Mr Munro had just finished planting a large 
area of the West Sandhills, and, notwithstanding the previous cold . 
and unpropitious winter and spring, I only saw a single dead plant, 
which reflects great credit on Mr Munro’s management. 
Altogether this is a most interesting item in forestry, but I am 
not aware of any notice of this or similar undertakings having been 
mentioned in any British work on forestry. Professor Wagner, 
however, writing to the Prussian Minister of Agriculture, and 
