142 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



in the White-Ash section of the forest of Enzie, on the estate ot 

 His Grace the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, and ultimately 

 sold to the Post Office under the new conditions. 



The rocks of the region in which the forest of Enzie is 

 situated are mostly of Old Red Sandstone age, but in the area 

 covered by the woods the sandstone is for the most part over- 

 spread with a thick mantle of boulder clay or gravelly till. On 

 White-Ash Hill, where the poles were cut, this glacial deposit, 

 although of considerable depth, is thin in texture. Judging 

 from the appearance of the surface vegetation, consisting largely 

 of heather, the soil and subsoil are not capable of supporting a 

 large crop of trees, and are only suitable for being planted with 

 the least exacting species. 



The existing wood consists exclusively of Scots pine. Its 

 age ranges from 75-80 years, and as the trees which were 

 converted into poles were on the whole, as regards size, only 

 slightly under the dimensions of the remainder of the crop, it 

 will be seen that the rate of growth has been slow. The wood 

 has, however, always been grown fairly close. No excessive 

 thinnings have been made at any period in its life-time, with 

 the result that clean stems well suited for being used as 

 telegraph poles have been produced. 



As this was noted, and as it was also thought that an 

 opportunity was afforded under the new scheme for profitably 

 disposing of the thinnings which it was deemed necessary to 

 make in order that the final crop might increase consider- 

 ably in diameter before being felled, it was decided to mark 

 a number of trees for sale. They were purchased by 

 Messrs Jones, timber merchants, Larbert, who after the felling 

 operations were completed arranged for an examination to be 

 made of the poles before they were barked or dispatched to the 

 creosoting yards. 



Under the supervision of Mr Roberts, inspector of telegraph 

 poles, who had been sent for the purpose of examining the 

 felled trees set aside for poles, the tops were sawn off at the 

 point where the minimum diameter specified for was reached. 

 The poles were then classified according to their length, the 

 diameter at 5 feet from the butt end, and at the top. 



Poles classified stout were stamped with three crowns on the 

 butt end, medium with two, and light with one. Each pole was 

 also stamped with the initials of the inspector, and with a mark 



