510 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



hardwood "being manufactured into carts, lorries, hay trollies, 

 and other agricultural implements. The firm of Messrs Jack and 

 Sons purchase and use up every year several thousands of tons 

 of home-grown timber in the carrying out of their business. The 

 superior quality and workmanship of all the finished articles seen 

 at this place were warmly eulogised. 



Remounting their brakes, the party proceeded to Kilkerran, 

 where they inspected the pyroligneous works, and also some silver 

 firs, larches, and Scots firs. They next visited Dalquharran, where 

 they saw some very good timber trees. Before leaving, they 

 were very hospitably entertained to tea by Mr Paterson, tenant 

 of the Castle. From Dalquharran they drove to Bargany, where 

 they saw some good Douglas firs and other trees. Mr Inglis, the 

 factor, who received them there, was not a believer in the 

 German system of thick planting and deferred thinning, and 

 he affirmed that the adoption of that system had resulted in a 

 loss of £25,000 to Lord Stair, through the thick-planted trees 

 being levelled by a gale. He also told them that he had now a 

 plantation of larch which, though only nine years old, had been 

 thinned three times already, and he was about to thin it a 

 fourth time. Time did not permit of the question of Thick v. 

 Thin Planting being threshed out there, and the party, leaving 

 Bargany, drove along the Girvan Valley to Girvan, whence they 

 returned by train to Ayr. 



Thursday, 8th August. 



The party were early on the road, and began the day by 

 fighting their battles of the previous night over again, in regard 

 to thinning plantations, larch disease, etc. The first place visited 

 was Sundrum, where they were very hospitably received by 

 Mr Claude Hamilton. Here they saw some very fine larches, 

 Scots firs, and silver firs. They also inspected the creosoting 

 plant, which was of a very simple and inexpensive kind, consist- 

 ing of an open boiler and a furnace. Thence the party drove 

 on to Barskimming, the residence of the Misses Anderson, 

 who received them very kindly, and conducted them over the 

 beautiful gardens, which are surrounded by stately trees. From 

 Barskimming they proceeded to Ballochmyle Quarries, where the 

 up-to-date appliances for cutting amorphous blocks of rock into 

 any form required were inspected with great interest. Thence 



