2360 AKBoiii-vruM AND FUUTICKTUM. PAKT in. 



planting the sides of the hills about Dunkeld. The former of these ideas was 

 put into execution in 1768, by the planting of three acres with larches alone 

 on Craigvinian, above the wood which Duke James planted on the same 

 hill in 1759, at an altitude of from 100ft. to 200ft. above it; or 500ft. 

 or 600 ft. above the level of the sea, on soil that was not worth Is. per acre. 

 The latter idea of Duke John was effected by the enclosing of a considerable 

 extent of ground for the planting of mixed wood at Dunkeld, and of near 

 300 acres at Blair, forming a total of 665 acres. Of these he finished the 

 planting of 410 acres before his death in 1774. 



" The greatest obstacle to the progress of the Duke John's planting was, the 

 scarcity, and consequent dearness, of the larch plants. He had raised a few 

 plants himself from cones gathered from some trees at Blair, which began to 

 bear fruit at the commencement of his operations ; but this supply did not 

 exceed 1000 plants in a season. At the same time, three and four years trans- 

 planted larches were selling in the nursery grounds as high as 6rf. per plant. 

 All that could therefore be obtained for planting did not exceed fifty plants 

 per acre in the large plantations ; and the rest of the quantity, amounting to 

 4000 plants per Scotch acre (that being the allowance of plants to the acre 

 at that time), were made up of the Scotch pine, and the different kinds of hard 

 wood. The larch was planted at a height not exceeding 600 ft., and the 

 Scotch pine at 900 ft., above the level of the sea. Another difficulty which 

 the Duke John had to encounter was from the broom, furze, juniper, and 

 heath, which flourished abundantly in the region allotted to the larch, and 

 which had not been entirely eradicated before the planting began. The broom, 

 though indicative of a good soil for larch, is a troublesome plant to young 

 trees ; its long switch-like elastic twigs whipping their tops violently in windy 

 weather; and the furze, with its thick-set prickly branches, smothers, or draws 

 up prematurely, the young plants. These, and many other obstacles, would 

 no doubt have been removed by the Duke John, had he had leisure to attend 

 to planting only ; but, having been obliged to be frequently in London regard- 

 ing his title, and the affairs of the Isle of Man, his attention was otherwise 

 occupied for the greater part of the short time which he enjoyed his property. 

 Such were the state and extent of the larch plantations at Dunkeld and Blair, 

 when the late duke succeeded his father in 1774* 



" The first object of this duke was to plant the 225 acres which formed a 

 part of the plantations that were left unfinished by his father at his death in 

 1774. This, with some larches planted about the Loch of the Lows, occu- 

 pied him till the year 1783. This delay was owing to the difficulty of obtain- 

 ing larch plants, all the number that could be obtained during that time 

 amounting only to 279,000. 



" Observing the rapid growth and hardy nature of the larch tree, the duke 

 determined on extending the sphere of its occupation to the steep acclivities 

 of mountains of greater altitude than any that had yet been tried. Hitherto 

 the larch had chiefly been planted along with other trees ; but the duke en- 

 closed a space including 29 acres, on the rugged summit of Craig-y-barns, 

 and planted a strip consisting entirely of larch, among the crevices and hol- 

 lows of the rocks, where the least soil could be found. At this elevation, none 

 of the larger kinds of natural plants grew, so that the ground required no 

 previous preparation of clearing. After 1774, larch plants fell in price from 

 6d. a plant to 355. per thousand, two and three years transplanted, and 

 ranging from 2 ft. to 3| ft. in height. The expense of enclosing and planting 

 at this time was the same as in the time of Duke John; namely, I/. 19s. \d. 

 per acre. This alpine plantation was formed in 1785 and 1786. 



" From 1786 to 1791, the duke planted 480 acres at Dunkeld, the greater 

 part of which was only sprinkled with larch from 6 ft. to 30 ft. asunder, 

 owing to the difficulty of procuring a sufficient number of plants ; and 200 

 acres at Blair, which were planted wholly of larch, at 6 ft. apart. The num- 

 ber of larch plants consumed in these plantations in the five years was 

 500,000. Wages rising at this period, and there being a greater substitution 



