WOODS AND PLANTATIONS. 439 



The trees have made the most progress on the dry slopes of the 

 middle and lower portions of the forest, where the soil is a light loam 

 with a gravelly subsoil ; but, as might be expected, the timber is of the 

 best quality on the higher grounds, and on a gravelly soil. 



The timber from Ballochbuie forest is being used by Messrs Connon 

 & Co. of Aberdeen, for shipbuilding purposes, for which the old trees 

 are admirably adapted. This forest is situated about eighteen miles 

 from railway communication, and about sixty miles from Aberdeen ; 

 and a high price is got for the timber on account of its age and first-class 

 quality. 



The forest of Abernethy lies to the north of the Cairngorm Mountains. 

 Its elevation above sea-level ranges from one thousand to two thousand 

 feet, and it has a northern aspect. The general surface is undulating. 

 The lower and flat portions generally consist of a soil of a light gravelly 

 peat, the soils on the hills being of a light gravelly clay, with large 

 granite boulder-stones interspersed throughout the district. In some 

 places there are flats of peat of considerable depth, in which are 

 imbedded trunks of trees of the oak, birch, and Scots pine. Over the 

 whole forest young plants of the Scots pine are to be found growing ; 

 and these thrive best, and much thicker, where the soil is a kind 

 of sandy peat with a gravelly subsoil. The timber is of the best 

 quality on the higher grounds, at an elevation of from one thousand 

 five hundred to two thousand feet. The growth there is so slow that 

 sixty rings may be counted upon one inch of the stock of a tree when 

 cut down, and generally the growths counted in this way will not exceed 

 forty to the inch. Such timber has been known to stand in a fence for 

 upwards of thirty years in a good state of preservation. 



The forest of Duthill is somewhat similar in character to that of Aber- 

 nethy. It has a northern aspect, and the soil is generally of a gravelly 

 peat, with a subsoil of gravel. The oldest trees will be about two hundred 

 years. The trees in this case have made the most progress on the light 

 peaty gravelly soils, and they have made the least progress in peat soils ; 

 but the timber is of the best quality where it has been slow of growth 

 that is, on the high-lying and poorest soils. In the southern parts of Scot- 

 land, and in England, the timber of the Scots pine generally is thought 

 of little value ; but when it is planted upon light peaty and gravelly 

 soils, and allowed to stand for a long period, the timber becomes of first- 

 class quality. In its young state it is useful for many general country 

 purposes ; but when it is desired to have it of really good quality, it 

 should not be cut down before it is eighty years old at least. 



It is worthy of notice that all the old Scots pine forests in Scotland 

 have a northern aspect in fact, I do not knew any important extent of 



