ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT, NOVEMBER 3, 1875. 5 



on for some time by Mr Currie at Wiiiterlaw and Gallowhill, 

 Lanarkshire, kindly placed at the disposal of the committee by 

 Mr Maclean, Carnwath. The results are interesting, and are 

 given in a tabular manner in tbe Transactions (vol. vii., p. 285). 

 They are, however, still imperfect. It will require a series of 

 years to bring out satisfactory results. It is, therefore, of im- 

 portance that the committee should continue the work, and that 

 Mr Currie, who is an excellent observer, should be engaged to 

 carry on the observations. The work requires some extra expen- 

 diture in the way of instruments, etc., for which the suni of £8 

 or £10 will be required. If the investigation is carried on, the 

 committee will be able to report to the British Association meet- 

 ing at Glasgow in September. 



Forests may thus be regarded as influencing, in a marked 

 degree, the climate of a country. They are also necessary for the 

 production of timber j and, in this point of view, it is of great im- 

 portance that trees should be properly planted, and that their 

 roots and branches should have free scope. 



If we wish trees to be firmly rooted, we must allow the branches 

 to spread freely. When they are so planted that the branches 

 and leaves of contiguous trees do not interfere with each other, 

 and thus all parts are exposed to air and light equally, the roots 

 spread vigorously and extensively, so as to fix the plants in the 

 soil, and to draw up copious supplies of nourishment. But in 

 crowded plantations, where the branches are not allowed freedom 

 of growth and exposure, the leaf-buds are either arrested or feebly 

 developed and the roots are of necessity injured. They do not 

 spread, and the trees are liable to be blown over by the wind ; 

 they exhaust the soil in their vicinity, circumscribed by the roots 

 of the trees around; their functions become languid, and thus 

 they react on the stem and branches, so that the additions to the 

 wood are small, and the timber is of inferior quality. In such 

 a plantation there is a marked difference between the trees on 

 the outside and those in the centre ; the former, having their 

 branches and leaves fully exposed on one side, grow with com- 

 parative vigour, and form, excellent timber on that side of the 

 stem where light and air are admitted ; while the latter, hem m ed 

 in on all sides, are drawn up like bare poles, and produce a 

 small amount of ill-conditioned wood. A crowded plantation, in 

 which the trees are allowed to increase in size until they interfere 

 with each other, cannot be easily reclaimed ; for every attempt at 



