SOCIETY'S MEETING WITH INTERIM FOREST AUTHORl'IY. 27 



"Before leaving the subject of tree seeds I would like, in a 

 word, to urge the necessity of utilising to a far larger extent 

 than formerly our native supplies of tree seeds. It is almost 

 superfluous to add that home-saved seeds invariably produce 

 stronger and more robust seedlings less liable to frost damage 

 than plants raised from imported seed. A case in point is the 

 extraordinary growth made by Japanese larch grown from home- 

 saved seed as compared with plants raised from Japanese seed, 

 also a vigorous grower. 



" Seedlings. — The present stock of seedlings in Scottish nurseries 

 is, I am afraid, very low, probably one quarter normal. This 

 shortage is due to two causes — lack of demand during the 

 planting seasons 1914-17, and shortage of labour. In the autumn 

 of 1 9 14 both trade and estate nurseries were splendidly stocked, 

 and it is a lamentable fact that a very large proportion of this 

 stock had to be subsequently scrapped when it became of an age 

 and size to be too large for ordinary planting. 



"Nurserymen, I believe, are now prepared to grow larger 

 stocks than ever they have done, but it would be helpful in 

 more ways than one if the Authority or Authorities controlling 

 forestry gave some indication, not a month or two but a year or 

 two in advance, what species ought to be grown, and they would 

 only be too glad to get rid of the irregular and intermittent 

 demand which made the gauging of prospective demands so 

 unsatisfactory. 



" If larger sowings are desired next spring, it will be necessary 

 to release at the earliest possible date some at least of the skilled 

 men presently on military service. 



" Although I have no mandate to speak for Scottish nursery- 

 men I believe I am justified in stating that, given time and labour 

 the existing forest tree nurseries are perfectly capable of meeting 

 every demand that may be made upon them. 



" To be more definite, I see no reason why the Scottish 

 nurseries alone, provided labour is obtainable, should not 

 carry by the autumn of 1920, a stock of say three hundred 

 million seedlings." 



Colonel Balfour. — "I do not know whether the new Authority 

 intends to start nurseries for the supply of plants, but it strikes 

 me that it would be very much more desirable, if possible, that 

 nurserymen all over the country should do this work under some 

 guarantee from the Authority. The nurserymen have all the 



