144 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



of the young forest in its early stages almost stopped, and the 

 trees uniformly sickly and under-sized, on account of the 

 crowding." Does it not seem a foolish proceeding to go to 

 the labour and expense of reproducing by artificial means, 

 over a whole area, an unfortunate state of things which is 

 found to be inevitable in certain parts of the natural forest 

 where young trees happen to be of an even size ? 



Sitka Spruce. 



I have not had for so long a period a first-hand experience 

 of Sitka, but have every reason to expect that what applies to 

 Douglas and Japanese larch will, to some extent, apply to this 

 no less quick growing tree. Where we have young Sitka grow- 

 ing pure at 3 to 4 feet, there is certainly a definite restriction 

 of branch-growth, but it looks as if the time were not far distant 

 when the same problem will arise, viz. : — What is to be done 

 with trees growing with equal vigour when they begin to interfere 

 with each other's root-room, and before there can be sufficient 

 value in the thinnings to pay for their removal? 



Is not the only remedy for too close (pure) planting of all 

 the quicker growing conifers to use the bill-hook without loss 

 of time, and that pretty freely ? And should we cut over what 

 the German foresters call the "wolves," i.e. the taller and more 

 developed plants, leaving the more evenly grown, or should we 

 act on the principle of leaving the strongest and cutting over 

 the less developed ? 



In conclusion, recent observation informs us that individual 

 trees, at any rate of the Japanese and Douglas species, on 

 favourable soils can acquire marketable value after being 

 planted 15 to 18 years. To obtain the greatest possible 

 amount of cubic feet of such timber over a given area within 

 that period, I advocate the following scale of planting 

 distances : — 



For Sitka spruce (pure) • • • 5| ^ eet - 

 ,, Japanese larch ,, ... . 6 ,, 



„ Douglas fir „ 7 



I admit that this will involve more than usual care in 

 " beating up," and that a certain amount of branch shortening 

 will be necessary in the earlier years until a canopy is formed, 

 but the expense for these operations will not approach the cost 



