30 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBOR1CULTURAL SOCIETY. 



put the price up last year. Larch seed rose from ^5 to j£6 

 per cwt." 



Mr R. L. Robinson. — "Does Mr Duthie want the buying of 

 all seeds centralised ?" 



Mr Duthie. — " I would prefer to buy the seeds myself. I 

 know what I want." 



Mr Acland. — " I think the suggestion is rather that the Central 

 Department should get into connection with honest people in 

 different parts of the world who really are in a position to supply 

 seeds or give information as to the supplies in different countries 

 which should be readily available — rather than that the Central 

 Department should go into it as a business. They should then 

 get the help of the home nurserymen to sow that seed under a 

 guarantee from the Central Authority that they would be relieved 

 of the plants, and under a guarantee to the Authority that they 

 would offer the resulting seedlings at a certain price." 



Colonel Balfour. — "The price should be fixed beforehand as 

 to what the plants should cost." 



Mr Acland. — " There is rather a feeling in England that 

 prices should not be controlled any longer than is necessary. I 

 am not sure whether nurserymen would welcome any control." 



Sir John Stirling-Maxwell. — " Is controlled price a fair descrip- 

 tion ? As it is we have to pay for the thousands of plants that 

 have to be burnt." 



Mr Acland. — "I should like to reconcile Colonel Balfour's 

 idea with Mr Duthie's." 



Colonel Balfour. — " Mr Duthie is almost unique in that." 



Mr Acland. — "There were one or two interesting points. 

 Did I understand correctly from Mr Duthie that it would really 

 be a good plan to prohibit all Scots pine seed from abroad ? " 



Mr Duthie. — "Yes, so far as Scotland is concerned." 



Mr Acland. — " Yes, for use in Scotland. Import no seed 

 that does not produce good results?" 



Mr Duthie.—" Yes." 



Mr Acland. — " I think we should be in a position to help to 

 get men released if we had all the required particulars about 

 them. There may be men in connection with private estates 

 and in connection with nurseries whose early release would be 

 of use, as the work of other men depends on them. We could 

 communicate with Mr Galloway so that he could get particulars. 

 The Central Authority ought to be in a position to help. But 



