370 THE BOOK OF THE LANDED ESTATE. 



Climate. The climate of the district may be said to be moist. In the 

 winter season the frosts are severe, and there are generally heavy falls of 

 snow, sometimes lying eighteen inches deep for a period of six to eight 

 weeks. 



Character and Condition of the Soil and Subsoil. The soil is chiefly 

 a sandy peat lying on a debris of the granite rock of the district. There 

 are, however, different heights and hollows embraced in its extent, which 

 vary much in character of soil. On some places it is sandy, on others 

 gravelly and peaty, while a considerable portion is a sandy loam ; and 

 there are a few acres of the character of peat-moss. With the exception 

 of the portion of the latter character, the land is naturally dry. This 

 plantation is remarkable for what may be termed insular beds of good 

 soil in the hollows between the rising grounds. 



Fencing. The plantation was enclosed partly by a four-barred paling, 

 and partly by a turf wall with a two-barred paling on the top of it. 

 The wooden paling was made of old and matured Scots pine timber, and 

 made similar as described in the chapter on Fencing in this work. 



The turf wall was made similar to that which is described under 

 " Fences," with a paling on the top of it. 



Drainage. On one side of the hill there was a considerable extent of 

 wet peat or moss ; this was drained by making parallel open cuts at 

 thirty feet apart, thirty-six inches broad at top, thirty inches deep, and 

 sloped on the sides to nine inches broad at the bottom. 



The Mode of Planting adopted. All the plants used were put in the 

 soil by the system of notching. One portion of the plantation was 

 planted in 1857, another in 1858, and the other and remaining portion 

 in the year following. The weather during the time the planting 

 operations were going on was varied, as, from the large extent of land to 

 be planted, the operation extended over the autumn and spring of each 

 year referred to. There were generally sharp frosts in the mornings, 

 which prevented the planting being done when this occurred. The work- 

 men in these cases were put to draining operations, and as soon as the 

 soil was sufficiently soft, planting was proceeded with. 



The Kind of Trees planted. The trees planted were larch, Scots pine, 

 and spruce. On the highest portions of the plantation, where the soil 

 was thin and the position exposed, Scots pine alone were planted at 

 three and a half feet apart, or at the rate of three thousand five hundred 

 per acre. On the lower portions, where there was a greater depth of 

 earth, and of better quality, Scots pine were inserted at eight feet apart, 

 and filled up with larch to four feet apart over all, or at the rate of two 

 thousand seven hundred per acre. Where the soil was peat, a mixture 

 of spruce fir and Scots pine was used. 



