1886.] LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 587 



cerned, j\Ir. Gunn is welcome to his opinion ; but a reference to my 

 letter would show him that I gave tlie principal outlets for larch 

 and fir in this county, and the prices obtainable in the open market 

 for the said timber, after being manufactured and sent to the 

 consumers, as also the probable cost of manufacturing and sending 

 to these markets ; and that I based my calculations on tlie prices 

 Mr. Gunn in his report gave as current in 1883. 



I may here add that neither in 1883, nor indeed since 1880, 

 were the lowest prices quoted in Mr. Gunn's report current in Eoss- 

 shire. As stated in my remarks on Mr. Gunn's report, a higher 

 price could and can still be got for timber wanted for special 

 purposes ; but those sales are few and far between, and it was very 

 difficult in 1882 or 1883 to get Is. 3d. per cubic foot in the w^ood 

 for heavy larch suitable for sliipbuilding, as the purchaser had to 

 pay a pretty heavy sum for carriage to send it from Eoss-shire to a 

 shipbuilding yard, and after he got it there he might perhaps find 

 that steel was preferred. However, at odd times, a heavy clean 

 larch, suitable for fishing-boat rudders, and a lighter class of larch 

 suitable for boatskin, would fetch more than Is. 3d. per cubic foot; 

 but these are specialities, as they must be of a size and character 

 suitable for the purposes to which they are designed to be put. — I 

 am, sir, yours faithfully, D. Eobertson. 



Novak, Evaxtox, 1th December 1885. 



RAISING PLANTATIONS OF OAK FROM ACORNS 

 INSTEAD OF PLANTING. 



SIE, — Being desirous of making a considerable plantation of oak 

 for timber in good deep land, which is, however, somewhat 

 moist, but not what could properly be described as wet, I should be 

 obliged for your opinion as to how I should proceed. I have been 

 advised by some to plant trees of the usual description from the 

 nursery, and by others to plant the acorns ; but having no experi- 

 ence of the latter method, would be glad to learn your opinion on 

 the matter, and if you approve of it, kindly add instructions as to 

 the manner of doing the work, and oblige, Somerset. 



The practice of rearing oak plantations from the acorn is not 

 commonly resorted to, perhaps not so much so as it should be in 

 particular circumstances. We have seen excellent results follow 

 the practice when it was gone about w^ell, and when the soil was 

 good, which it appears to be in our correspondent's case. Much 



