178 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



smaller trees were planted to replace failures. In the best part 

 of Plantation A many of the oaks are 12 to 15 feet in height. 



It is possible that some other kind of tree, for example, birch, 

 might possess all the other good qualities of larch as a nurse, 

 but hitherto larch stands alone in the value of the early thinnings. 

 Between European and Japanese larch, I am inclined to prefer 

 European, on account of its less heavy shade and less spreading 

 habit. Possibly some other species of the same family may 

 give even better results than the European larch. 



The Kurile larch seems to be of upright habit and of rapid 

 growth when young — my experiments with it as a nurse are too 

 recent to give any guide to expectation. 



One feature is noticeable in all the plantations described, the 

 very trifling extent of damage done by the larch canker and aphis. 

 Disease is very prevalent in the locality, and plantations with 

 a large proportion of larch are as a rule much afifected. With 

 800 larch to the acre in a much larger number of oak and beech, 

 the canker does not seem to be able to make any headway 

 against the vigorous growth of the young trees up to the age of 

 ten or eleven years. It is to be found on dead branches, but 

 seldom on the stems, and this in spite of fairly severe pruning 

 of the side branches. 



It remains to be said that the plantations described were 

 made by the advice of the late Professor Fisher, who in 1907 

 drew up a working-plan for the woods at Keir. His recom- 

 mendations have been thoroughly justified by the result, both 

 in the good growth of the oak and beech, and in the considerable 

 return from the early thinnings of larch. The war has had the 

 effect of making a good market for small pit-props, but even 

 if there were no market in this direction much useful fencing 

 material would be obtained from the larch. The plantations 

 are intended primarily for the production of first-class oak timber. 

 The soil is, as a rule, much more suitable for the growth of hard- 

 woods than of conifers. Experience has shown that European 

 larch is very subject to disease when grown as a crop in this 

 locality, and when it is grown in mixture with other conifers 

 it often shows signs of heart-rot at about twenty-five years 

 old, perhaps on account of its too rapid growth in youth. 

 Admittedly a heavier crop could be obtained on a shorter 

 rotation by growing conifers instead of hardwoods, but experience 

 with these is not encouraging, except perhaps on a very short 



