FORESTRY AND THE NEW FOREST 



rabbits, which do an immense amount of damage to the unfenced copsewoods, while 

 the formation of plantations would be quite impossible without rabbitproof wire fenc- 

 ing that costs upwards of 3 an acre. Ash, spruce and larch are here specially 

 attacked, but other kinds of trees are also gnawed. The only tree that seems to pos- 

 sess any tolerable chance of immunity from rabbits seems to be the Corsican pine, 

 probably on account of the large quantity of resin it contains. 



The conifer plantations (135 acres) ranging up to thirty-seven years of age con- 

 sist mostly of Scots pine and larch, with Corsican pine, Douglas fir, spruce, ash and 

 sycamore, etc. On the whole their growth is very satisfactory, although some of 

 the young larch plantations have had to be prematurely cleared on account of the 

 canker disease. In some of the young mixed plantations of six and seven years of 

 age the larch are often making shoots of 3 to 4 feet and more in height, while the 

 Douglas fir (now that it has thoroughly established itself) is shooting even more 

 rapidly upwards and already gives clear indication that it will probably form the bulk 

 of the mature crop that will be ultimately cleared. Most of these plantations were 

 made at distances of 4 by 4 feet (2,722 plants per acre), though actually varying up 

 to 6 by 6 feet ; and in these latter cases thick rough branches have been formed 

 which are only now decaying by canopy being maintained in place of unnecessary 

 thinning operations being carried out. The cost of planting larch and pine during 

 recent years has been about 8 an acre, including wire fencing against rabbits. 

 Small pure plantations of Douglas fir made in the autumn of 1901 at 3^ by 3^ feet 

 (3,556 per acre) have cost over 8 an acre exclusive of wire fencing. 



The woods and plantations on the Beaulieu Manor estate (Southampton), the 

 property of the Right Hon. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, have a total extent of 2,604 

 acres. They vary greatly in size, ranging from small coppices of 5 to 10 acres up to 

 woods of 150, 2OO, 300 and even about 500 acres in area. They consist principally 

 of oak timber trees, growing over a coppicewood formed mostly of hazel and evidently 

 planted with much care. The present crop of oak, now about 90 years old, appears 

 to have been raised from stool-shoots. During the years 1 8 1 o to 1812 a very heavy fall 

 of timber, said to have been worth between 200,000 and 300,000, took place, and the 

 crop now on the ground was principally formed by shoots springing from the stumps 

 of the trees then felled. Some Scots pine plantations, supposed to have been planted 

 about 1 2O years ago, are now fully mature or even over mature. Some of these trees 

 are 130 feet high, and their timber is hard and durable. During the last thirty years 

 the very small amount of planting done has been chiefly of hardwoods with Scots 

 pine as 'nurses.' Scots pine thrives uncommonly well, and Douglas fir makes wonder- 

 ful growth, but no plantations have been formed with a view to growing the latter for 

 profit. Larch does fairly well up to about forty years of age, after which it seems to 

 make little progress when the soil is unsuitable. The land under woods is very diver- 

 sified in character, the soils varying from clay to loam and sand, and brashy ground of 

 poor and damp description. Owing to this and to the prevalence of strong S.W. 

 winds from the sea, oak is of slow growth, though the timber is very hard and good, 

 while the trees soon throw out lateral branches and become flat in the crown. Except 

 beech, few young seedlings spring up. The woods are ' thinned ' in rotation when the 

 underwood is being cut. As little has been done to clear the ground for replantation, 

 attempts in this direction have often failed owing to the thick underwood of coppice 

 soon choking the young trees. Unless the coppice-shoots are cut annually for some 

 years there is little hope for the thriving of young trees planted ; and as such young 

 shoots yield no return, this process is apt to prove expensive. Though the market 

 value of coppicewood for hurdles, hoops, bavins, etc., is now greatly reduced, it still 

 pays to cut it in regular rotation, and to plant young timber trees to fill up blanks 

 when the oak standards are felled ; but the profit is small. Cordwood for fuel sells 

 well, being taken by barges to Portsmouth and elsewhere. 



In addition to kindly supplying the above details, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu has 

 also added some very interesting critical remarks concerning his extensive woodlands which 

 indicate only too clearly the urgent need that exists for Government giving practical 

 assistance of some sort if there be any real desire to encourage the growth of timber 

 in Britain : 'It cannot be said that the woods on the Beaulieu estate are in a satis- 

 factory condition. They do not seem likely to fulfil either the condition of growing 

 fine oak timber which at a growth of say 150 to 200 years can become profitable, or 



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