THINNING MIXED PLANTATIONS. 191 



yet fully one-half more trees would have been upon 

 the ground, while the hardwoods would not only have 

 stood much closer together upon the ground, if grown 

 unmixed, but would, on an average, have been of at 

 least one-third more value per tree. 



In consequence of the whole of the plantation never 

 having been thinned regularly throughout at one time 

 for many years, and of no actual account having been 

 taken of the thinnings either before or after being cut, 

 it is only from notes, taken at various times, that 

 I have been enabled to arrive at the above conclu- 

 sions, and which, from this plantation having always 

 been regarded as a model one, I have thought it the 

 more essential that I should be minute in the various 

 matters of detail. A thinning of the plantation being- 

 done during the summer of 1864, an auction sale 

 was called on 30th July, when the thinnings disposed 

 of realised the following prices : 



Peeled oaks, per dozen, pit-prop size, . . 12 

 Ash, per dozen, useful size, . . . . 140 

 Elm, i, .... 18 

 Larch, suitable for secondary general pur- 

 poses, per dozen, 400 



Spruce, do. do., 3 10 



Scots pine, do. do., 100 



Branches and burn wood from Is. 6d. to 4s. 6d. per lot (each con- 

 taining about one ton), according to access for loading, description of 

 wood, &c. 



It will be observed that the sums realised at the 

 sale for some sorts of wood (as the oaks) are below the 

 estimated value per acre ; but this is accounted for by 

 the latter being peeled. The value of the bark is 

 about equal to one-third that of the trees as they 

 stand. 



The Scots pines suffered in many cases by the 



