72 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBOR ICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



lake was obtained, where 150 acres had been planted in 

 19x2-14 with Douglas at the lowest level, followed by larch 

 and Scots pine, with Sitka spruce at the top. On descending 

 the slope an excellent plantation of larch was passed through, 

 planted in 1910 with European larch and Japanese larch with 

 alternate Scots pine as nurses — needless to say the nurses had 

 been suppressed. 



The wood had been cleaned and dead branches stripped 

 from the trees, showing off the wood to great advantage, and 

 it was very noticeable that the Japanese were very straight and 

 much superior to the European. Mr Leven said that he had 

 been discussing this point with Mr Kay when he was over from 

 Canada, and they both were firmly convinced that the Japanese 

 does much better on poor soils, being apt to become v/eedy and 

 crooked on better soils. They were also inclined to think that 

 the same would be found true of Douglas, but were still making 

 investigations into this point, especially in its native habitat. 



The party then visited the Filter House, and from there 

 passed on to the tiny hamlet of Wythburn, where lunch was 

 provided by the Manchester Corporation Water Board. Alder- 

 man Plummer cordially welcomed the Society to Thirlemere, 

 and Mr VVhitton in reply thanked the Board for their kind 

 reception, and congratulated them as pioneers on the splendid 

 progress they had made with their enterprising and energetic 

 scheme of afforestation. 



After lunch the party drove slowly round the west side of 

 the lake, noticing young plantations of Douglas along the 

 shore, and above the road Sitka and Norway spruce on a rocky 

 but wet protection area, with Scots pine on the dry parts. 

 Next a plot of mixed hardwoods — ash, birch, oak, and 

 sycamore — was seen with ash seedlings appearing in the rocky 

 debris of a wash-out, and farther on four fine old larch, the 

 remnant of a wood planted in 1842, and now estimated to 

 contain over 100 cub. ft. each. Some open spaces had been 

 planted in 19 13-14, with pure 2-acre plots of silver fir, Japanese 

 larch, Sitka spruce, Banksiana pine, and Weymouth pine, with 

 about 6 per cent, of beech — the last, planted at 4 ft. and never 

 beaten up, looked a particularly full and thriving crop. The 

 next plantation consisted originally of oak and larch, which had 

 been heavily thinned and underplanted, chiefly with Douglas and 

 some silver fir, larch, and Scots pine. The fir were found to 



