244 PRESENT STATE AND PROSPECTS OF 



extent of wood has been planted within the last twelve or fifteen 

 years, — the whole of which is doing welL On the south bank the 

 wood has been recently cut, but as the ground is unsuitable for 

 agriculture it will probably be replanted. 



The principal trees in the parks and policies at Huntly Lodge are 

 beech, oak, lime, (very old) silver fir, elm and maple, plane, spruce, 

 Scots fir, and larch; all of these are extra good when found close 

 by the river. Most of the Huntly Lodge woods have been well 

 thinned. Thinnings and firewood command a ready sale at fair 

 prices. From Forman Hill to Huntly Lodge is well wooded, prin- 

 cipally with mixed firs, the principal plantations being on the 

 estates of Cobairdy and Lessendrum, some fine hardwoods grow by 

 the waterside, chiefly ash, beech, oak and plane. Xear to Turriff 

 there is some good wood on the estates of Delgaty, Carnoustie, 

 Auchry, Craigston, and Hatton Castle. The most thriving varie- 

 ties are elm, plane, ash, spruce, and silver fir. Except in the glens 

 the wood is not nearly so well grown in this district as in the 

 western part of the county. At King Edward the wood is mostly 

 grown in belts and clumps, and hedge-rows, and is chiefly mixed 

 hardwoods. The principal young plantations are at Byth and Eden. 

 Eeturning to the valley of Bogie there is good wood on the banks 

 of the Bogie near its junction with the Deveron, as also at most of 

 the mansion-houses in the district, but wood is not plentiful in 

 Strathbogie, — the district being chiefly agricultural. The lower 

 slope of the Benachie range might with advantage be more exten- 

 sively planted as the trees already there are doing well. At Pit- 

 caple and Logie-Elphinstone wood of all sorts grows freely, and 

 there is a good extent extent of young plantations (chiefly Scots fir, 

 spruce, and larch) coming on. Most of the matured wood has been 

 felled, and a great extent of the ground replanted, which is doing 

 well. Elms, planes, and oaks are plentiful in the parks and policies 

 and along the road side, but not of any great size. There is very 

 little wood grown in the upper part of the Garioch district, the 

 ground being chiefly arable, but there are a few hedge-row trees, 

 and hedges, which are doing well. On the south slopes of the 

 Foundlin hills there are some larch and fir plantations, and also 

 some good hardwoods; but the subsoil is slate, and not adapted for 

 the growth of wood; still the result is not discouraging, as the 

 wood that has grown is more profitable than any other crop would 

 have been. In some of the sheltered glens about Sheelegreen larch 

 and Scuts fir, and even plane, beech, and oak, are doing remarkably 



