68 ARBORICULTURAL FEATURES OF BUTESHIRE. 



years, the greater portion of the enclosed plantations is in the imme- 

 diate neighbourhood of Brodick Castle. The wood round the castle, 

 with the exception of a part of the wood at the mouth of Glen Eoza, 

 which rests on the Old Red Sandstone, is all on the Carboniferous 

 formation. Exposure — east, with an elevation of from 50 to 500 

 feet. 



The wood to the west of the castle is composed of larch, Scots 

 and silver firs, about 45 years old. The soil varies from a peaty soil 

 to a clayey loam, intermixed with freestone and slate shingle, with 

 granite boulders. The Scots firs, though having been pretty close 

 drawn up, are rather coarse grown ; and though there are several 

 fine Scots firs in this portion of the plantation, the larches are gene- 

 rally the largest trees and the most thriving. To the north of the 

 castle, along both sides and to the north of Merkland Burn, the 

 wood consists chiefly of oaks, which are not in a thriving state, 

 being much fogged and stunted, which no doubt is much aggravated 

 by the damp state of the ground. To the south of the castle, on 

 north side of Eoza Burn, the wood is composed principally of Scots 

 and spruce firs, 42 years old. To the west of this part of the wood 

 is principally larch, with a row of planes on the west or storm side. 

 The trees, though evidencing the effects of the storm at the mouth 

 of Glen Eoza (leaning very much to one side), are remarkably 

 healthy : — no dead tops are to be seen. Though there are a number 

 of larch and spruces which measure 15 inches in diameter 5 feet 

 up, the greater proportion would class under the largest size of 

 propwood. On the south side of Eoza Burn there is a fine clump of 

 mixed wood ; and, with the exception of a few trees in the north- 

 west corner of the plantation, they are equally healthy to the last. 



It may be noted that the junction of the Carboniferous and Old 

 Eed Sandstone is somewhere near the centre — south and north of 

 this plantation, also through the upper corner of the last-mentioned 

 plantation — on north side of Eoza Burn. The junction is not 

 definitely seen, the bottom of the burn being obscured with gravel 

 and granite boulders. 



There is also a piece of fine wood, composed principally of larch 

 and Scots fir, with a few silver firs, oak, and beech, about 60 years 

 old, between Brodick church and school-house. The larch and 

 Scots fir average 9 to 16 inches in diameter 5 feet up. Immediately 

 behind the castle there is a plantation, about 25 years old, with a 

 few old Scots fir and silver firs as standards. Several of the silver 

 firs are 120 feet high. There is also a clump of larch about 12 



