KERRY WOODS. 



Hill the land slopes steeply to the north, but towards the south 

 the slope is gentler. 



CLIMATE. 



The district lies on the edge of the very wet belt to the west. 

 The rainfall at Newtown, under very similar conditions to Kerry, 

 is about 40 inches, but westwards the rainfall gradually increases 

 until it reaches 70 or 80 inches at Rhayader. The rainfall, there- 

 fore, on the higher land and southern slopes in this district is 

 probably about 50 inches. 



The snow-fall is irregular, considerable quantities falling in 

 some winters and practically none in others. 



Wind is undoubtedly the chief meteorological factor governing 

 the growth of trees in this district. Frost is not a serious enemy. 

 As pointed out above, Kerry Hill lies on the sheltered side of the 

 central Welsh mountains, but the actual shelter obtained on the 

 top of the hill appears to be very small. Cilfaesty Hill, 3 miles 

 to the west of the woods under observation, rises to 1,760 feet, 

 but to the south and south-west the hills are lower than Kerry Hill 

 and the top of the latter is very bleak and fully exposed to the 

 persistent S.W. and W. winds. The northern slopes are very 

 well sheltered, but the southern are very exposed. 



GEOLOGY. 



In this district three series of rocks, all of sedimentary origin, 

 come under consideration : 



1. Wenlock Shales. 



2. Ludlow Shales. 



3. The Old Red Sandstone. 



The first two series, of Silurian age, form part of an anticlinal 

 fold which further to the N.E. brings the Ordovician and Cambrian 

 rocks to the surface. 



The woods are chiefly on the Ludlow series, which are here 

 rather thin-bedded shales. The Wenlock shales are lithologically 

 similar but thinner, while the Old Red Sandstone series consists 

 of red marls and grey sandstones. The whole three formations 

 dip to the southward at an angle varying from 20 to 55. 



THE SOIL. 



The soil, which is the weathered produce of the underlying 

 rocks is, broadly speaking, on the shales, a yellowish brown 

 loam and, on the sandstones as far as the timbered area is con- 

 cerned, a red clay. Here and there in the lower parts of the 

 valley are small deposits of glacial origin. 



The soil generally is of good depth, overlying a rubbly subsoil 



