WOODS, LOCHS, AND PASTURES 73 



part of the British coast, and the evil effect on the develop- 

 ment of trees is manifested by the extremely slow annual 

 rate of growth. The island of Tiree, the land lying nearest 

 to Skerry vore, is destitute of trees. In Colonsay the planta- 

 tion of Glaic-a-Chuill, which extends well up to the top of 

 Beinn-a-Sgoltaire, provides a striking example of the retard- 

 ing effects of exposure to winds on the growth of some kinds 

 of trees. The plantation is more than sixty years old, and 

 even in the sheltered hollow at the base of the hill, where 

 the soil is also much better, the trees do not exceed 60 feet 

 in height an annual growth rate of something less than a 

 foot while at higher elevations the trees make little or no 

 progress. The following are measurements of four pigmy 

 trees growing near the top of the hill (elevation about 350 

 feet). They are not taller than the heather among which 

 they grow, but they are still green and living : Larch (a), 

 height 1 foot 11 inches, girth of stem 2 inches; Larch (b), 

 height 2 feet 2 inches, girth 5| inches, spread of branches 

 2 feet 9 inches ; Scots Pine, height 1 foot 9 inches, girth 1^ 

 inches ; Spruce, height 1 foot 2 inches. In the shelter of 

 the dry-stone dyke close at hand, Spruce and Larch have 

 grown to the height of the dyke but no higher. 



The early decay of such trees as the Ash and Elm may 

 sometimes be due to the nature of the ground, as the soil in 

 many places is too shallow to produce heavy timber or to 

 sustain the trees in a healthy, growing condition for long. 

 Often when they are blown over by strong winds the roots 

 lift up all the soil along with them and leave the bare rock 

 exposed. As the result of a moist climate, and one that 

 is detrimental to the health of the trees, we generally find 

 the stems and branches with a luxuriant growth of moss, 

 lichens, etc. Trees with a hard, smooth bark, the Beech in 

 particular, and those that shed their bark, as the Birch, Scots 

 Pine, etc., as well as young trees that are growing rapidly, 

 are sometimes not so much infested with this form of vegeta- 



