beech-mast on the lawn at Heythrop Park which had already germinated and had the radicle protruding as much as ½ inch. I gathered a basketful and sowed it two days later, covering the drills with beech-leaf mould. Most of this was above ground in April, and where not protected by branches over the beds, was destroyed by frost. Stored seed sown at the same time was almost all devoured by mice and rooks, which seemed to follow the drills with great care, whilst seed sown broadcast on a freshly ploughed surface and covered by one turn of a harrow, produced a certain number, but still a very small proportion of plants. These were, in June 1904, still very small and stunted, not more than 3–5 inches high, whilst seedlings of the same age raised on good rich sandy soil in an Edinburgh nursery were from 1½ to 2 feet high.
In the autumn of 1902 I found it impossible to procure any beech-mast in Great Britain, and after many inquiries procured some German seed early in April. Part of this was dibbled in a field of wheat, but so few plants could be found when the wheat was cut that the experiment was a practical failure. I sowed a part of this seed early in May in the garden, which germinated in June, and thus escaping spring frosts it grew without a check, and the seedlings were 4 to 6 inches high in the autumn.
Judging from these results it appears to me that, except in woods or where there is shelter, it is not economically desirable to raise beech from seed where it is to grow, and that spring sowing is preferable to autumn.
Seedlings are easy to transplant if their roots are not allowed to become dry, and the percentage of loss in 20,000 sent to me from Edinburgh in the winter 1902–3 was not more than 5 to 10 per cent. But if the trees are older and the roots are bad or have been heated in transit, or exposed too long to the air, the loss will be very great; and in most cases I should not plant out on a large scale trees of over two years old two years transplanted, though for specimen or lawn trees they may be safely moved when 6 to 10 feet high, or even more, if properly transplanted every two years.
Soil and Situation
Though the beech will grow on almost any soil except pure peat and heavy wet clay, it comes to its greatest size and perfection on calcareous soil or on deep sandy loam, and usually in pure woods unmixed with other trees.
The finest beech woods in England are, or rather were, in the Chiltern Hills, Bucks, in the neighbouring counties of Oxford and Herts; in the valleys of the Cotswold Hills; and in Sussex.
Sir John Dorington, M.P., tells me that he cut 2 acres 1 rood 13 poles of beech on a steep bank opposite his house at Lypiatt Park, Stroud, in 1897, growing on thin oolite limestone brash, which at 1s. 2d. per foot produced £562, equal to about 9634 feet. And off 4 acres of the same wood in 1875 he sold beech to the value of £1100, being at the rate of £275 per acre. This was supposed to be about 150 years old, and is the best actual return of value from timber on such land which I know of. He also bought a beech wood of 26 acres growing on similar soil in 1898, on which the timber, supposed to be about seventy years old, was valued at £2200, equal to £85 per acre. He cut £6oo worth of thinnings out of it the year
