74 ENGLISH ESTATE FORESTRY 



quickest to mature or arrive at a profitable age. If properly 

 stocked and managed, land of the right sort should yield 

 from £1 to £2 per acre annually, allowing for an average 

 annual production of at least 50 feet per acre, and an 

 average price of Is. 6d. per foot. Small areas will often 

 do more than that, but uniform quality over a large area 

 is rarely found. Timber, again, suitable for the wheel- 

 wright often makes up to 2 s. 6d. to 3 s. per foot, and 

 Is. 6d. is a moderate estimate of the value of good stuff. 

 Like the oak, however, foreign rivals have affected its value 

 to some extent of late years. American ash, hickory, 

 lancewood, etc., have taken its place for many purposes, but 

 in spite of all, good British timber rarely wants a buyer 

 long, and it is one of the most reliable species in which 

 the intending planter can invest. Even as a hedgerow 

 tree, provided it does not adjoin arable land and is not 

 allowed to stand too long, it might be more profitable on 

 the right soils than elm. On arable land, or in the 

 neighbourhood of pipe drains, the ash is not a desirable tree, 

 and much of the bad name it gets in that capacity is due to 

 its habit of finding out every crack and crevice which holds 

 either soil or moisture, and leaving nothing for other plants 

 within reach of its roots. It is also said to be an undesir- 

 able tree where milking cows are kept, owing to the leaves 

 they eat giving a bad taste to butter ; but as this can only 

 happen for a month or two in the year, it does not form a 

 serious objection. 



The Beech {Fagus sylvatica). 



Whether the beech is a genuine native of this country 

 or not is a matter of little consequence to the forester now- 

 adays. That it grows and matures its seed as well as most 

 trees is a well-known fact, and for all practical purposes 

 may be looked upon as an indigenous species. Plentiful as 

 the beech is as a park and clump tree, however, its existence 

 in English woodlands is much more limited than that of the 

 oak and ash, except in certain districts with a soil unsuit- 

 able for the latter, but exceptionally weU adapted for 



