26 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



4-year-old plants has been heavy compared with areas planted 

 with home-raised plants. Very few deaths occur in the planta- 

 tions made with plants from the home nurseries. Voles or 

 shrews are doing great damage to the plantations, and it is 

 found that beech and sycamore suffer the most. A great many 

 of the plants are barked completely round, and some are cut 

 through. Rabbits are also troublesome on the moor, but no 

 attacks of insect pesls have been experienced. The total number 

 of trees planted up to 31st May 1908 was 1,540,535. 



Matichester. — The catchment area of the Manchester Corpora- 

 tion Waterworks is situated at Thirlmere, in Cumberland, and 

 covers about 11,000 acres, at elevations varying from 500 to 3000 

 feet. The Corporation have consulted Professor Fisher, of Oxford 

 University, who has drawn up a scheme for systematic planting, 

 and they have also engaged a competent woodman to carry out 

 the work. According to evidence given before the Coast Erosion 

 Commission by Sir Bosdin T. Leach, chairman of the Water- 

 works Committee, planting has already been done, or is in 

 progress, on some 388 acres, while the planting of a further 320 

 acres has been arranged. About twenty men are employed in 

 the planting season, approximately 120 acres being dealt with 

 annually. Large numbers of plants are purchased, but many 

 are also grown in the nursery, which at present covers \\ acres, 

 but is about to be enlarged by the addition of 3 acres. Some 

 further particulars as to the work at Thirlmere are given in the 

 Quarterly fournal of Forestry (January 1909), from which it 

 appears that the cost of planting is estimated at ;^6 per acre for 

 100 acres a year; fencing at 12s. per acre at first, afterwards 

 diminishing to nothing. The maintenance of nurseries and 

 miscellaneous expenses are put at ^400. The figure of ^6 for 

 planting is considered rather high, but is due to the prevalence 

 of coarse grass and the necessity for using 4-year-old plants. 



Btrmifigham. — The entire area of the watershed of the 

 Birmingham Corporation Waterworks is 45,562 acres, a small 

 proportion of which remains to be purchased. This area in- 

 cludes a large extent of lands held subject to common rights, 

 only 4925 acres being on a freehold or long leasehold tenure, 

 The area actually planted is 4io| acres, situated in the Elan 

 Valley, near Rhayader, and the work was carried out by 

 contractors, who employed their own skilled men to do the 

 work. Maintenance for two years was included in the con- 



