194: transactions of royal scottish arboricultural society. 



The Cost of Planting. 



Economy in planting is of great importance, because compound 

 interest on the original outlay must be allowed for a long period 

 of time. Generally speaking, the cost of planting is greater in the 

 case of broad-leaved trees, such as oak, ash, and sycamore, and 

 smallest in the case ot conifers, such as larch, Scotch pine, and 

 spruce. The exotic Douglas fir makes an exception, because its 

 seed is as yet expensive. For argument's sake we may place the 

 cost of planting an acre with spruce at £3, 10s.; Scotch pine, <£4 ; 

 larch, £4:, 10s.; beech and silver fir, £5; oak and ash, £Q. 

 Charging compound interest at the rate of 2^ per cent., we find 

 that the cost of planting amounts at the time of cutting over the 

 wood, in the case of larch (at 70 years) to £25 ; Scotch pine 

 (80 years), £29; spruce (90 years), £32; ash (70 years), £34; 

 silver fir (120 years), £97; beech (120 years), £97; oak (130 

 years), £149. 



Value of Soil for Forestry. 



I cannot take you thx-ough all the intricacies of the calculations, 

 but I may say that, based upon the above considerations, and 

 additional data which I cannot now place before you, I have 

 calculated the amount which a proprietor may pay for land if he 

 wishes to plant certain trees and get 2| per cent, on the invested 

 capital. I have then, to keep on the safe side, deducted 25 per 

 cent, from the amount thus obtained, and I find that he may pay 

 for his land the following sums per acre : for planting oak 

 £9, lis.; beech, £9, 17s.; Scotch pine, £14, 5s. ; spruce, £15, Is.; 

 silver fir, £16, 6s.; ash, £24 ; larch, £34, 2s. That is to say, if 

 he obtains the land at a lower rate, he gets more than 2|- per 

 cent, on his investment ; if he pays more, he gets less than 2^ per 

 cent. You will observe that larch pays best by far, ash comes 

 next, while oak stands last. 



External Dangers. 



Here the hardwoods have a decided advantage as regards 

 insects, fungi, fire, gales, etc. Spruce and Scotch pine are 

 especially exposed to insect attacks, also to fungus attacks, but 

 the most serious thing of all is the liability of larch to be attacked 

 by the canker produced by Peziza Willkommii. Indeed, this 

 fungus has now spread to such an extent in these islands that few 



