196 THE LARCH. 



The Duke's observation and experience in these 

 matters entirely agree with our own, and are con- 

 firmed by what is to be seen every day. 



The Athole forests are the largest in Britain (of 

 a private kind), the entire area being about 10,324 

 imperial acres, and the trees planted upon it 1 4,096,7 1 9. 

 All the larch plants the Duke was able to obtain be- 

 tween 1774 and 1783 amounted only to 279,000, 

 and cost (two years transplanted) 6d. per plant. 

 After that date the price of plants (two years trans- 

 planted) fell from 6d. per plant to 35 s. per 1000. 



One cause of disappointment, as to the pecuniary 

 returns of the larch, arises out of the circumstance 

 of too much having been expected of it. In a report 

 on the Athole larch, it is stated that the Duke ex- 

 pected to realise ^1000 per acre. Suppose, says the 

 report, the plantations are thinned out when thirty 

 years old to what they are to stand for ship timber 

 — that is, 400 trees per Scots acre == 3 1 5 per im- 

 perial, — suppose after that period the above were cut 

 down at the following respective ages, the value of the 

 whole per acre at the different periods would be as 

 follows : — 



400 trees thirty years old at 2| cubic feet each tree 



= 1000 cubic feet, or 20 loads at is. 6d. per foot . £"]$ O O 

 400 trees forty-three and a half years old at 15 cubic feet 



each tree = 6000 feet, or 120 loads at is. 6d. per foot 450 o o 

 400 trees fifty-nine years old at 40 cubic feet each tree = 



16,000 cubic feet, or 320 loads at 2s. 6d. per foot . 2000 O o 

 400 trees seventy-two years old at 60 cubic feet each tree 



= 24,000 cubic leet, or 480 loads at 2s. 6d. per^foot . 3000 o o 



The average of these prices would be ^1381, 5s. per 



