st of two of these gentlemen, viz. Lord
Glenbervie as Surveyor-General, and Mr. Machen as Deputy-Surveyor, dates
from this period; and to their joint exertions, aided by the official
labours of Mr. Milne, his Lordship's excellent secretary, and at length
one of the three Commissioners of Woods, &c., the existing enclosures owe
their formation as well as their present promising condition; but
especially to Mr. Machen is the credit due, as being the result of his
able and conscientious management of the Forest for well nigh half a
century.

With a prospective reference to the plantations shortly to be made, the
most laudable pains were taken by Lord Glenbervie to ascertain the best
mode of planting and raising the young trees. He truly remarks that "the
space of nearly 100 years must elapse before the success or failure of
any plan adopted in the cultivation and management of oak timber for the
navy can be clearly ascertained, during the whole of which time a
persevering attention and uniformity of system in the execution of the
plan adopted would be equally requisite, in fact through a succession
perhaps of three or four generations." His Lordship made extensive
inquiries whether acorns or plants should be first used, or rather some
of each; what was the best age and size for transplanting; if plants or
trees of any other kind should be set with them, or in places where oaks
would not thrive; at what distance apart should they be planted; ought
the soil to be cleared or dug, or how prepared; are the old trees to be
removed, and the stumps of oak or beech suffered to remain?

On the 23rd of July, 1808, the general principle agreed upon in these
respects was, "to plant an intermixture of acorns and oak-trees, with a
very small proportion of Spanish chesnuts; so that, if either the acorns
or young oaks should succeed, a sufficient crop might be expected, and to
plant no trees of any other sorts, except in spots where it should be
thought that oaks would not grow, and which it might be necessary to
include, in order to avoid the expense of fencing, or for shelter in high
and exposed situations." The first enclosures were planted agreeably to
this method, only afterwards it was found necessary to set young oaks
instead of acorns, few of these only coming up.

Lord Glenbervie also interested himself in some experiments for testing
the transplanting of young trees of various ages, selecting Acorn Patch
in the centre of the