264 
Plantations  Competition,  1909. 
with  modern  ideas,  and  for  the  most  part  the  trees  have  been 
put  in  3 ft.  6 in.  or  4 ft.  apart.  On  the  greensand  on  Sir 
Henry  Hoare’s  estate  the  trees  were  planted  5 ft.  apart, 
but  it  has  been  no  detriment  whatever  to  them,  probably 
owing  to  the  sheltered  position  of  the  plot  and  the  deep,  moist, 
sandy  soil,  which  have  caused  a very  rapid  growth  and 
counteracted  the  usual  baneful  effects  of  such  thin  planting. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  found  one  plantation  of  5 ft.  intervals 
and  another  4 ft.  by  6 ft.,  in  both  of  which  the  ultimate 
growth  has  shown  that  it  was  a mistake.  The  average  of  all 
the  distances  is  almost  exactly  4 ft.  by  4 ft.,  and  this  may 
be  taken  as  a very  good  distance  for  the  oolite  district  and 
even  for  the  old  red  sandstone. 
The  age  of  the  trees  when  planted  varied  from  two  to  five 
years,  though  there  was  only  one  example  of  the  former.  For 
the  most  part  the  conifers  were  put  in  at  three  years  old,  and 
the  hardwoods  at  four,  and  these  average  ages  having  produced 
— so  far  as  we  saw — the  best  plantations  in  the  district,  may 
be  taken  as  suitable.  As  a rule  the  trees  had  been  once 
transplanted,  but  we  found  in  one  instance  that  three-year-old 
conifers,  which  had  been  twice  transplanted,  formed  an 
excellent  plantation.  The  one  or  two  cases  in  which  the  trees 
had  been  five  years  old  gave  every  evidence  that  the  extra 
year  was  a mistake. 
In  practically  every  case  the  trees  had  been  “ pit  ’’-planted, 
although  we  found  a modification  in  two  plantations  where 
the  rows  had  been  first  struck  out  with  a plough,  and  another 
example  in  which  the  hardwoods  were  “ pitted  ” and  the 
conifers  “ notched.”  In  the  course  of  our  work  we  were  told 
that  it  was  very  essential  to  start  the  trees  well  upon  the 
oolitic  limestone,  and  if  they  once  got  a firm  hold  they  would 
thrive  ; and  we  feel  sure  that  this  is  worthy  of  every  con- 
sideration, and  that  cheap  work  is  the  greatest  mistake  upon 
this  soil.  The  fact  that  in  almost  every  plantation  the  trees 
have  been  pitted,  and  the  regularity  of  the  rows  giving  evidence 
of  careful  workmanship,  point  to  the  fact  that  the  plantations 
which  have  produced  the  best  results  are  those  in  which 
special  care  was  taken  in  starting  them. 
The  first  cost  has  necessarily  been  very  varied,  and  on  the 
whole  we  do  not  feel  that  the  figures  given  to  us  can  be 
altogether  relied  upon,  as  many  owners  or  their  agents  had  no 
records,  and  the  figures  were  merely  estimates,  in  some  cases 
founded  upon  more  modern  work.  The  cost  of  plants  and 
planting,  however,  varied  from  bl.  to  121.,  and  an  average  may 
be  taken  at  11.  5s.,  estimating  the  value  of  the  trees  at  20s. 
per  1,000  where  they  have  been  home-grown,  or  the  original 
cost  is  not  known.  This  cost  is  exclusive  of  all  rabbit-netting 
