Fagus 



'5 



beech-mast on the lawn at Heythrop Park which had already germinated and had 

 the radicle protruding as much as |- inch. I gathered a basketful and sowed it two 

 days later, covering the drills with beech-leaf mould. Most of this was above ground 

 in April, and where not protected by branches over the beds, was destroyed by frost. 

 Stored seed sown at the same time was almost all devoured by mice and rooks, which 

 seemed to follow the drills with great care, whilst seed sown broadcast on a freshly 

 ploughed surface and covered by one turn of a harrow, produced a certain number, 

 but still a very small proportion of plants. These were, in June 1904, still very 

 small and stunted, not more than 3-5 inches high, whilst seedlings of the same age 

 raised on good rich sandy soil in an Edinburgh nursery were from i|^ to 2 feet high. 



In the autumn of 1902 I found it impossible to procure any beech-mast in Great 

 Britain, and after many inquiries procured some German seed early in April. Part 

 of this was dibbled in a field of wheat, but so few plants could be found when the 

 wheat was cut that the experiment was a practical failure. I sowed a part of this 

 seed early in May in the garden, which germinated in June, and thus escaping 

 spring frosts it grew without a check, and the seedlings were 4 to 6 inches high in 

 the autumn. 



Judging from these results it appears to me that, except in woods or where there 

 is shelter, it is not economically desirable to raise beech from seed where it is to grow, 

 and that spring sowing is preferable to autumn. 



Seedlings are easy to transplant if their roots are not allowed to become dry, and 

 the percentage of loss in 20,000 sent to me from Edinburgh in the winter 1902-3 

 was not more than 5 to 10 per cent. But if the trees are older and the roots are 

 bad or have been heated in transit, or exposed too long to the air, the loss will be 

 very great ; and in most cases I should not plant out on a large scale trees of over 

 two years old two years transplanted, though for specimen or lawn trees they may be 

 safely moved when 6 to 10 feet high, or even more, if properly transplanted every 

 two years. 



Soil and Situation 



Though the beech will grow on almost any soil except pure peat and heavy wet 

 clay, it comes to its greatest size and perfection on calcareous soil or on deep sandy 

 loam, and usually in pure woods unmixed with other trees. 



The finest beech woods in England are, or rather were, in the Chiltern Hills, 

 Bucks, in the neighbouring counties of Oxford and Herts ; in the valleys of the 

 Cotswold Hills ; and in Sussex. 



Sir John Dorington, M.P., tells me that he cut 2 acres i rood 13 poles of beech 

 on a steep bank opposite his house at Lypiatt Park, Stroud, in 1897, growing on thin 

 oolite limestone brash, which at is. 2d. per foot produced s^^> equal to about 9634 

 feet. And off 4 acres of the same wood in 1875 he sold beech to the value of ;^i 100, 

 being at the rate of ;^2 75 per acre. This was supposed to be about 150 years old, 

 and is the best actual return of value from timber on such land which I know 

 of. He also bought a beech wood of 26 acres growing on similar soil in 

 1 898, on which the timber, supposed to be about seventy years old, was valued at 

 ;^2200, equal to ;i^85 per acre. He cut ;^6oo worth of thinnings out of it the year 



