2 I 2 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



felling till the oldest of the younger woods reach maturity, 

 which will be in a period of from 36 to 40 years after the 

 final feUings. During the interval there will be plenty of work 

 in the thinning and in the tending of the younger plantations. 



Arriving at Novar railway station, the visitors proceeded to 

 Evanton Wood, and made a rapid survey of the mixed crop of 

 Scots fir, larch, spruce, Douglas fir, and beech of various 

 ages. The larch and Scots fir were largely of spontaneous 

 growth, the other varieties having been planted to fill up blanks, 

 and to suit different conditions of soil and exposure. Douglas 

 fir is largely used to fill up blanks, as it makes rapid head- 

 way in the shade. Both the natural and the planted crops 

 gave indications of healthy and vigorous growth. On the hill, 

 which extends from the village for about two miles, is planted 

 a mixed crop of larch, Scots fir, Douglas fir, with mountain pine 

 at the summit, all of which are making excellent growth A crop 

 of Douglas fir on the edge of the Black Rock was greatly 

 admired. The outstanding features of the plants were their 

 healthy appearance and their remarkable development. Natural 

 regeneration is encouraged, because, barring accidents, a care- 

 fully trained natural crop usually gives excellent results. To 

 produce a natural crop, the method employed all over the estate 

 is that, when an old wood is being felled, "standards" — that 

 is, solitary trees which are scattered over the whole area of 

 the wood — are left standing to restock the ground by natural 

 means. When the young plantations reach a certain height, 

 the "standards" are cut down. The blanks are then filled 

 up with shade-bearing plants, chiefly Douglas fir. No material 

 damage is done to the surrounding plantation by the felling. 



Crossing the Black Rock, the lower belt at Assynt was next 

 visited. The age of this plantation is about 19 or 20 years, 

 and it is composed of Scots fir, larch, and spruce, with a 

 few hardwoods. Chief interest centred in the Scots fir, which 

 appeared to want thinning. Here the scheme seemed to be the 

 survival of the fittest, and, in comparison with the whole, the 

 badly developed and dead trees were in a very small minority. 

 A brief inspection was made of the Assynt west belt, which 

 was composed of larch, Scots fir, and spruce planted pure, the 

 age of which was 19 years. The spruce plot was greatly 

 admired, and, it was thought, would give better results than the 

 preceding one. The Black Rock Wood, with its stock of Scots 



