234  Plantations  ami  Home  Nurseries  Competition,  1910. 
The  various  plantations  were  returned  as  at  the  following 
altitudes  : — 
Abbeystead,  average  700  ft. 
Brinscall,  650  to  680  ft. 
Ormskirk,  40  ft. 
Delamere  : Blakemere,  260  to  270  ft.  ; Harthill,  120  ft. 
Hafodunos  : Fox  Covert,  700  ft.  ; Clypian  PL,  800  ft.  ; Tan- 
y-fford,  880  to  907  ft.  ; Penrhyn,  660  ft. 
Hafodfawr,  750  ft.  average. 
Vyrnwy,  850  to  900  ft. 
Powis  Castle,  800  to  850  ft. 
As  to  the  effect  of  altitude  it  may  be  here  mentioned  that 
Col.  Sandbach’s  “ Clypian  ” plantation  was  awarded  the  Gold 
Medal  of  the  Royal  English  Aboricultural  Society  as  the  best 
managed  one  entered  for  competition.  Of  course  the  difficulties 
were  taken  into  consideration,  but  the  fact  indicates  what 
may  be  done  at  considerable  altitudes.  It  may  also  be  men- 
tioned that  the  beautifully  wooded  aspect  of  Col.  Sandbach’s 
estates  marked  them  out  distinctly,  especially  at  the  higher 
altitudes,  from  nearly  all  the  surrounding  country,  and  the 
advantages  to  the  adjacent  agricultural  land  because  of  the 
shelter  afforded,  has  evidenced  itself  in  the  increased  rentals. 
As  was  pointed  out  in  connection  with  last  year’s  competition, 
the  advantage  of  a shelter-belt  in  the  increase  of  an  area  to 
be  further  afforested  is  of  great  importance.1 
In  “ Clypian  ” plantation  (top  portion,  planted  twelve  years, 
at  800  ft.),  previously  bare  mountain,  worth  Is.  per  acre  per 
annum,  some  average  dimensions  were  about  as  follows  : — 
Larch  : height,  20  ft.  to  top  ; girth  at  breast  height,  12  in. 
Austrian  pine  : height,  12  ft.  to  top  ; girth  at  breast  height, 
9 in. 
Spruce  (not  thriving). 
In  the  lower  portion,  planted  eighteen  years,  at  700  to  800  ft. 
altitude,'; on  mountain  land,  there  were  these  average  dimen- 
sions : — 
Larch  : height,  30  ft.  ; girth,  18  in. 
Sycamore  ; height,  30  ft.  ; girth,  11  in. 
A few  Tsuga  Albertiana  poles  are  doing  fairly  well.  This 
plantation  has  been  once  thinned,  very  judiciously,  and  has 
a very  good  crop.  It  is  the  one  which  gained  the  gold  medal.2 
1 One  would  like  to  see  the  result  of  an  attempt  to  gradually  extend  the 
Ashgill  plantations  at  higher  altitudes  under  the  shelter  of  the  belts  which  at 
present  struggle  up  to  over  2,000ft.,  almost  in  the  form  of  “elfin”  trees. 
2 There  were  other  deeply  interesting  plantations  on  this  estate,  not  avail- 
able for  competition,  besides  the  fine  collection  of  examples  of  rare  species 
of  great  dimensions  about  the  home  grounds.  A few  examples  may  be  given 
from  the  plantations  as  bearing  upon  altitude  : — Picea  nubilis  and  Araucaria 
imbricata  at  950  ft.  A plantation  at  nearly  900  ft.  dating  from  1884,  on  the 
