38 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The larch is now 24 years old, the number per acre being 600, 

 and the height of Abtes grandis ranges from 3J feet to 8 feet. 

 On the whole satisfactory results have been attained from all 

 the species, but particularly from the underwoods of Abies 

 Albertiana, Abies grandis, and Douglas fir. The plantations 

 give every indication of doing very well in the future, and if 

 the underwoods maintain a reasonable rate of development 

 until the end of the 80-years' rotation, when they are expected to 

 come up to the larch, there will be an enormous crop of wood 

 for utilisation, with the fullest possible supply of larch. The 

 rotation need not necessarily be one of 80 years, as the felling 

 will depend more or less on the condition of the wood, the 

 locality, and the state of the market at that time. What 

 revenue may be derived from the wood as a whole can only be 

 conjectured at this stage, but there is no reason to anticipate 

 anything but a profitable and satisfactory return. 



8. Continental Notes— Germany. 



By B. RiBBENTROP, CLE. 



( With Figures^ 



I. On THE Use of Manure with Cultural Operations in 



Nurseries and in the Open Forest. 



Various manures have been experimented with for years ; 

 but, though decidedly favourable results were obtained with many 

 composts, none were better, at least in the case of conifers, than 

 those produced with raw humus (dry peat) pure and simple, 

 which at the same time is cheaper than any of the compounded 

 artificial manures. Some foresters will probably look down 

 upon the results obtained from experiments made in laboratories 

 and botanical gardens as entirely unsuitable to practical silvi- 

 culture \ but, nevertheless, such home tests give incontrovertible 

 information in regard to the influence that certain components 

 of the soil have on the growth of certain species, and they show 

 the most advantageous manner of preparing and mixing soils 

 which in nature are almost invariably found in distinct layers. 

 Whether, and to what extent, such knowledge can be applied in 

 practice, are questions which the silviculturist must decide on 

 the merits of each case. 



Dr A. Moeller has made exhaustive experiments with box 



