l68 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



which were on the estate at the time of purchase. Up to the 

 31st March 1914, approximately, ^^2495 was spent in repairs 

 and improvements to houses and buildings let with the farms 

 and shootings, and in erecting two new cottages. This is exclusive 

 of outlay on buildings used for forestry purposes. 



Afforestation Operations — Nursery. — In the summer of 

 1908, 8| acres of land at Ford were fenced off to form a nursery, 

 and in the following spring plants were lined out and seed sown 

 in 2^ acres of it. The nursery was subsequently extended to 

 the total of 8ii acres. The soil, which is light and gravelly, has 

 gradually been worked into condition. The want of a good 

 supply of farmyard manure has been felt, but guano and artificial 

 manures have been used with fair success. 



Plantitig. — At the time of purchase the lease of Arichamish 

 Farm was falling in, and it was judged advisable to begin 

 planting operations at the east end of that farm. The method 

 employed was to fence off a block containing roughly 400 acres, 

 and subsequently to cut off successive strips of about 150 acres 

 each by a temporary fence running more or less at right angles 

 to the loch. In this way the ground was grazed up to the time 

 of resumption for planting. The permanent fencing has been 

 exclusively iron and wire with hare and rabbit netting. For 

 temporary fencing iron standards and wire have also been used, 

 but with a sheep netting only. The greater part of the planting 

 has been done with the half-round planting spade. The only 

 exceptions were in 1909-1910 when the plants were notched in, 

 and later when a rocky face was planted with the planting 

 arrow, and some small lots of large-sized plants were pitted. 

 The bulk of the plants have been 2-yr. 2-yr., but some 2-yr. 

 i-yr. and a few 2-yr.-seedlings have been used as well. 



The areas actually planted from year to year are as follows : — - 



