46 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



was Stocked with the object of having a crop of hardwoods, and 

 that end has not been attained ; and further, as the result is prac- 

 tically a crop of conifers, it was shere waste of money to plant so 

 many of the more expensive hardwoods. The financial result, it 

 has been admitted, m.ay be equal to that of the hardwood crop 

 already discussed, but then that is far short of what ought to be 

 obtained from the soil; and, moreover, the favourable return is due 

 not to the quality but rather to the quantity of timber produced 

 by conifers on such a soil, the timber being almost invariably soft 

 and inferior, and, in the case of Scots pine, unless in very old 

 trees, being deficient in redwood. It is indeed no unusual thing 

 to fell Scots pine trees which have grown in such localities for 90 

 or 100 years, and have attained a diameter of from 15 to 18 

 inches, and to find that they have no more than from 6 to 8 

 inches of heartwood. No doubt they have not reached maturity 

 at that age, but then they would take nearly as long as oak 

 would to reach that stage; and even then the quality of the 

 timber would be inferior to that grown on a more suitable 

 soil. 



As regards revenue, the return from such a crop of Scots pine 

 would not stand comparison with that obtained from a full crop 

 of oak. Therefore if the soil is capable of growing a crop of the 

 latter, or other valuable hardwood, it is a mistake to have it 

 stocked with the former, except where unusual circumstances 

 justify the growing of conifers for some express purpose, such as 

 for pit-wood ; but then, of course, there ought to be no inter- 

 mixture of hardwoods. 



Some reference has already been made to nature's work in 

 rectifying man's mistakes ; and it has been implied that the 

 tendency of her work, when undisturbed, is to allow either the 

 hardwoods or the conifers to gain the ascendency. This indicates 

 that it is unnatural to have them growing in company ; and 

 therefore, according to the laws of nature, they should be grown 

 apart — each class on soil and situation suited to its proper 

 development. It would look a most unnatural and stupid pro- 

 ceeding to plant oak, beech, and other hardwoods amongst Scots 

 pine on a poor, bare moorland or hill-side ; and why should 

 Scots pine and other conifers be planted amongst oak, beech, 

 and other hardwoods on a soil and situation which is well 

 adapted to the proper growth and cultivation of these latter. In 

 the case of natural forests, hardwoods and conifers may be found 



