24 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
a free-growing space at an early age. The surface being 
only lightly covered with moss, through which the mineral soil 
could be seen, and the soil itself being loose, young seedlings 
at once sprang up so numerously that they had even to 
be freely cut out in bunches when about seven years old, 
leaving plants about 3 feet apart. The plantation remained 
untouched till about twelve to fifteen years old, when light 
props were taken out, leaving the poles standing from about 
5 to 6 feet apart. A few of the double-headed and backgoing 
poles have been thinned out since, leaving about 1000 trees 
per acre. Owing to a hard substratum, they have not grown 
so rapidly as during the first fifteen years; but they form a 
nice crop of clean well-formed poles. 
The system of leaving the old standards until the leading- 
shoots and branches are in touch with the lateral branches 
(as in this case) is one that cannot be recommended, as a 
certain number of the young crop must inevitably be sacrificed, 
unless an extra amount of trouble be bestowed on the felling. 
Had the old trees been cut out when the young growth was 
a few years old, the few of the latter that would have been 
destroyed could have been cut out without any damage to the 
crop. 
Although the methods adopted in the above two cases 
were far from being perfect, yet the results show an exceptionally 
fine young crop, which required no artificial assistance in the 
way of filling up gaps. 
[It will afford the 7yamsactions Committee much pleasure if foresters kindly 
favour them with practical details such as those contained in the last two 
pages. —Hon. Ep. ] 
