66 WOOD AND GARDEN 



zones of different^ trees ; first a good stretch of birch 

 and holly, then of Spanish chestnut, next of oak, 

 and finally of Scotch fir, with a sprinkling of birch and 

 mountain ash, all with an undergrowth of heath and 

 whortleberry and bracken. Thirty years ago it was 

 all a wood of old Scotch fir. This was cut at its best 

 marketable maturity, and the present young wood is 

 made of what came up self-sown. This natural wild 

 growth was thick enough to aUow of vigorous cutting 

 out, and the preponderance of firs in the upper part 

 and of birch in the lower suggested that these were 

 the kinds that should predominate in their respective 

 places. 



It may be useful to describe a Uttle more in detail 

 the plan I followed in grouping Rhododendrons, for I 

 feel sure that any one with a feeling for harmonious 

 colouring, having once seen or tried some such plan, 

 vrill never again approve of the haphazard mixtures. 

 There may be better varieties representing the colour- 

 ings aimed at in the several groups, but those named 

 are ones that I know, and they will serve as well as 

 any others to show what is meant. 



The colourings seem to group themselves into six 

 classes of easy harmonies, which I venture to describe 

 thus: — 



1. Crimsons inclining to scarlet or blood-colour 

 grouped with dark claret-colour and true pink. 



In this group I have planted Nigrescens, dark 

 glaret-colour ; John Waterer and James Marshall Brook, 



