Plantations  and  Home  Nurseries  Competition,  1910.  235 
Aspects. — These  were  as  follows  : — 
Abbeystead,  south,  considerable  slope. 
Ormskirk,  flat. 
Delamere  : Blakemere,  east,  partly  protected  north-west  ; 
Harthill,  level,  with  sandy  banks  north-west  and  south. 
Hafodunos  : Clypian,  west,  considerable  slope  ; Tan-y-fford, 
on  level : Fox  Covert,  south  ; Penrhyn,  north. 
Hafodfawr,  north  and  west. 
Powis  Castle  (Umbrella  PI.),  north. 
Selection  of  Species  with  reference  to  Environment. — Con- 
ditions varied  greatly  over  the  area  visited,  as  has  been  before 
remarked.  Special  reference  must  be  made  to  the  Mid  and 
South  Lancashire  district.  It  was  quite  noticeable  how  com- 
paratively treeless  this  was,  except  in  the  valleys  and  doughs 
sheltered  from  the  prevailing  westerly  winds.  North  of  Preston 
this  could  not  be  because  of  smoke  impurities,  because  we  get 
beyond  the  region  of  great  towns.  (Even  in  this  northerly 
portion,  however,  although  the  smoke  is  not  sufficient  to  injure 
phanerogams,  it  considerably  affects  the  mosses  and  lichens). 
The  observations  of  Mr.  A.  Wilson,  recorded  in  the  Meteoro- 
logical Magazine  for  January  1895,  and  the  Flora  of  West 
Lancashire , 1907,  pp.  65  and  66,  point  to  sea-spray  borne  far 
inland  during  high  gales,  as  being  a frequent  cause  of  the  death 
of  or  injury  to  conifers.  Still,  in  the  low  lying  lands  (especially 
centrally  and  northward)  there  have  been  found  buried  in 
quantity  large  trunks  of  Scots  pine  as  well  as  oaks.  However, 
when  the  westerly  winds  are  very  strong  they  come  heavily 
laden  with  salt  spray  from  the  Irish  sea.  The  whole  of  the 
plain  from  the  Mersey  to  Carnforth  is  affected  by  them.  North 
of  Carnforth  the  spray  is  deposited  on  the  intervening  Walney 
Island  and  the  Barrow  peninsula.  The  salt  deposited  is  very 
injurious  to  evergreen  plants.  Mr.  Wilson,  after  the  great  gale  of 
December  22nd,  1894,  collected  and  examined  by  analysis,  the 
deposits  made  on  trees  and  shrubs  seven  miles  from  the  sea. 
They  yielded  sea  salt  to  an  amount  equal  to  14  oz.  per  gallon. 
It  resulted  in  killing  the  branches  of  yew  and  other  evergreen 
trees  exposed  to  the  west  and  north-west.  The  protected 
doughs  and  gills  among  the  hills  were  not  affected  nearly  so 
much  as  the  plain. 
The  other  factor  in  relation  to  this  district  is  that  mentioned 
above,  viz.,  the  poisonous  effect  of  the  smoke  fumes  from  the 
manufacturing  towns  and  villages.  With  southerly,  south- 
site  of  an  old  wood,  contained  spruce  up  to  50  ft.  in  length. and  with  an  average 
breast-high  girth  of  20  in.  ; Spanish  chestnut  35  ft.  by  15  in.  average  ; Austrian 
pine  35  ft.  by  25  in.  average  ; Corsican  35  ft.  by  21  in.  average  ; Sycamore  40  ft. 
by  15  in.  average  ; Scots  pine  28  ft.  by  13  in.  average  ; Abies  Xordmanniana  40 
to  45  ft.  by  26  in.  average  ; A.  grandis  (a  suppressed  tree)  30  ft.  by  12  in.  ; A. 
nobilis  40  ft.  by  30  in.  average.  The  larch  were  poor  and  dying. 
