724 



Combating Larch Disease. [march, 



are far superior to the three species previously mentioned. 

 These he raises from seed in the home nursery and plants out, 

 for the most part, as two-year seedlings — to some extent as 

 three-year-old transplants — when they cost him but little more 

 than the commoner forest trees. The surface of the ground 

 being in fine friable condition, the underwood is introduced by 

 dibbling, a wooden tool 2 ft. in length and triangular in cross- 

 section covered with sheet-iron being used for the purpose. 

 Working with this a man can easily plant 1,000 trees in a day. 

 The rate of growth of the species employed averages a foot to 

 a foot and a-half per annum, and in six to ten years the under- 

 wood or second storey is practically covering the ground, with 

 the crowns of the upper storey of larch about 50 ft. above. 

 The intention is to repeat the thinning of the larch in about 

 fifteen to twenty years from the time of the introduction of the 

 underwood, when the number of larches left will vary from 100 

 to 200 per acre. At sixty to eighty years, depending on the 

 locality, the state of the markets, and the condition of the crop, 

 the larches will all be removed, when, if prices remain as at 

 present, a return from them of ^"ioo to ,£150 per acre may be 

 expected. What the value of the underwood at this stage may 

 be must remain a matter for conjecture, but even if it be incon- 

 siderable the financial results of the rotation cannot fail to be 

 satisfactory. Needless to say, the system as just described 

 cannot possibly be practised except in the absence of hares, 

 rabbits, and deer, which at Novar, owing to unremitting atten- 

 tion, are practically non-existent. 



The various items of cost per acre may be summarised as 

 follows 



• . £ s. d. 



Burning the surface herbage preparatory to planting ... ...026 



3,500 two-year seedling larch at 6s. ... ... ... ... 1 1 o 



Planting (dibbling or notching) at 3s. per 1. 000 ... ... ... o 10 6 



Beating up, say 500 larch, three years old at 12s. per I, coo ... o 6 o 



Planting ditto at 3s. per 1. 000 ... ... ... ... ... o I 6 



Keeping down rank herbage in certain parts ... ... ... o 2 6 



Total cost per acre of establishing the larch wood ... ...240 



3,000 two-year seedling Douglas firs or other species at. 10s. ... 1 10 o 



Planting by dibbling at 3s. per 1,000 ... ... ... ...090 



.Beating up, say 200 three-year-old plants, at 15s ... ... o 3 o 



Planting ditto at 3s. per 1,000 ... ... ... ...007 



^227 



