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The following remarks on the woods and plantations on the 
Falkland estate have been kindly supplied by the forester, Mr 
Henry Smith :—‘ The woodlands on the Falkland estates in 
Fife are chiefly situated on the northern slopes of the Lomond 
hills. The plantations in the vicinity of the mansion consist of 
the usual variety of hardwood trees. The most notable of these 
are the beautiful avenue of aged limes and the old beeches on 
the north approach. In the House Park and Mospie Den there 
are numerous specimens of conifers in a vigorous condition and 
growing freely. The plantations on the slopes of East Lomond 
hill are chiefly larch, spruce, and Scots fir, with a mixture of 
beech, ash, sycamore, oak, and elm in the lower portions. 
The larch make healthy growth, although much exposed at the 
highest parts at an altitude of about a thousand feet above sea- 
level. These woods are very picturesque, and form a beautiful 
feature in the landscape. The chief portion of the woodlands, 
however, are towards the west—on the Black and Green Hills, 
which are extensively planted with excellent larch, Scots fir, 
and spruce, with a mixture of hardwoods in suitable places. 
The larch grown in this wood with a northern aspect is of large 
dimensions, very healthy and sound at the heart, and only shows 
the slightest symptoms of ‘blister.’ They excel in quality any 
larch grown on the low ground on heavier soil. Beyond this 
plantation is the ‘Brax Wood,’ composed of Norway spruce, 
which grows at an altitude of 1114 feet, and surpasses any 
spruce grown elsewhere on the estate. It is perfectly sound, 
and constitutes a very heavy crop. 
“The common rhododendron, Rhododendron ponticum, was 
introduced about forty years ago on the ‘ Black Hill, where, 
like the larch, it grows vigorously on the light sandy soil, and 
propagates itself freely from seed, from which a supply of nice 
plants is obtained for other parts of the estate. 
“ Another notable portion of the woodlands is the remains of 
the royal oak forest at Drumdrill, which extends to about 40 
acres. The fine oaks are growing vigorously from the stools of 
the original trees at about 50 feet apart, with oak and hazel as 
underwood. 
“The woods on the Lomonds extend in all to about 600 acres, 
and are from sixty to seventy years of age, and are all in 
excellent health. A large portion of the woods on the lower 
parts of the estate are a mixture of the usual forest trees. The 
larch makes rapid growth, but is showing signs of decay after 
twenty-five to thirty years’ growth. The chief ailments are dry 
rot at the butt and blister on the bark of the stem. The Douglas 
fir, Abies Douglasii, has been extensively planted for the last 
twenty years on the best ground, at about 25 feet apart. 
