150 TRANSACTIONS OF ROVAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



22. The Cultivation of Hardwoods.^ 



By J. Boyd. 

 II. 



It is my intention, in continuing this subject, to express 

 briefly my opinions regarding the formation and cultivation of 

 hardwood crops, the method of treating the subject being to 

 begin by making some general remarks; then to refer to the 

 principal broad-leaved trees individually, with a short reference 

 to the tending of woods composed entirely of these ; and 

 lastly, to mention some cases where it may be permissible, or 

 even advisable, to have a mixture of conifers with hardwoods. 



Trees in general — hardwoods included — may be cultivated 

 either in "pure woods" or in "mixed woods," and the latter may 

 be either "even-aged"' or "uneven-aged." Although these terms 

 are now more or less familiar, it may be advisable to state 

 briefly what they imply, and what is the object of having 

 mixtures. A pure wood is one composed of one species of 

 tree ; there may be stray trees of other species throughout 

 the area, but they are ignored in the management, the whole 

 being treated as if there was one species. On the other hand, 

 a mixed wood is one composed of two or more species of trees, 

 and, as already stated, it may be even-aged or uneven-aged. 



{a) Even-aged Woods. 



In this case there are four different methods of mixing, any 

 one of which may be adopted, according to circumstances : — 

 (i) by single plants; (2) by alternate lines of different species; 

 (3) by strips — or several lines — of each species; (4) by groups. 



I. In the case of a mixture by single plants, the mixture 

 should be composed of two kinds of trees— and two only — or 

 at least two kinds only should grow together on any given area 

 of a wood, e.g., oak and beech might be the principal crop in a 

 wood ; but if it were desirable to introduce, in suitable places, 

 such trees as ash or elm, they should not be mixed with the 

 oak and beech, but should be planted, instead of the oak, along 

 with the beech. This method of mixing is suited only to 

 soils which are more or less regular in character, and on which 



' Continued from page 49. 



