268 
Plantations  Competition,  1909. 
Comparing  the  -larch  with  the  other  trees,  we  get  the 
following  approximate  average  sizes  : — 
Age 
Larch 
Beech 
Ash 
Sycamore 
Length, 
Girth, 
Length, 
Girth, 
Length,  Girth, 
Length, 
Girth, 
Tears 
Feet 
Inches 
Feet 
Inches 
Feet  Inches 
Feet 
Inches 
6 
9i 
„ 
6 
— 
4 — 
— 
— 
11 
22 
9i 
9 
— 
14  — 
17 
— 
16 
22 
10 
17 
6 
22  6 
28 
9i 
21 
35 
13i 
24 
8 
33  9i 
34 
15 
26 
44 
22 
36 
Hi 

— 
20 
Age 
Oak 
Scots  Pine 
Wych  Elm 
Length, 
Girth. 
Length, 
Girth, 
Length, 
Girth, 
Tears 
Feet 
Inches 
Feet 
Inches 
Feet 
Inches 
6. 
— 
— 
H 
— 
— 
— 
11 
15 
— 
16 
— 
— 

16 
24 
11 
20 
lOi 
— 
21 
— 
— 
— 
— 
34 
21 
26 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
26 
Particulars  of  the  various  awards  made  in  the  competition 
will  be  found  in  the  Appendix,  pp.  cxiv.  and  cxv. 
Although  we  were  not  able  to  recommend  an  award  to 
No.  23  (the  only  entry  in  Class  26),  as  it  is  a coppice  in  process 
of  being  turned  into  a high  forest,  and,  therefore,  not  a planta- 
tion in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  yet  we  consider  great  credit 
is  due  to  Mr.  M.  P.  Price  and  his  young  woodman  for  the 
excellent  results  so  far  achieved.  The  coppice-shoots  are  now 
twenty-eight  years  old,  with  a few  oak  standards  apparently 
twice  that  age  or  a little  more,  but  not  with  extra-spreading 
tops,  and  the  wood  is  fully  stocked  with  straight-stemmed  oak 
and  ash  in  a very  healthy  condition.  It  had  been  allowed  to 
grow  untouched  for  twenty  years,  and  then  it  was  carefully 
thinned,  and  two  to  four  stems  left  on  each  stool,  so  as  to 
preserve  the  overhead  canopy  as  much  as  possible.  As  time 
goes  on  the  number  of  stems  on  the  stools  will  be  reduced  to 
one,  and  the  weakly  and  suppressed  ones  cut  out  altogether. 
The  only  improvement  that  might  be  suggested  would  be  to 
underplant  (after  next  thinning)  with  beech  and  sycamore,  to 
prevent  the  growth  of  adventitious  shoots  on  the  boles  of  the 
oaks. 
June,  1909. 
r , rW.  B.  Havelock. 
Judges  g Wood. 
