30 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



existed. Orders placed one, two or more years in advance, 

 which would be rendered possible by a planting-plan, would 

 enable nurserymen to quote lower prices. In recent years these 

 have been, upon the whole, high, but they had to be charged, 

 not to procure an undue profit so much as to make good losses 

 caused through the destruction of unsold stocks. The grain 

 or the vegetable grower has a fairly certain clientele. The 

 nurseryman's market is precarious in respect that his stock after 

 a few years becomes useless and the demand, in the past erratic 

 and uncertain, often arrived when he was unprepared. More 

 forethought and the adoption of planting-plans would make 

 co-operation possible as between the nurserymen and their 

 customers. 



It is, however, urged that the planter, with the ordinary estate 

 organisation, should rear his own plants, not solely on the 

 ground of minimising losses of material in transit or the saving 

 of freight, but especially on account of the assured advantage 

 of securing acclimatised plants. This is important. There i.s, 

 however, the further personal satisfaction of ascertaining the 

 progress of the living tree from seed-bed to forest — a satisfaction 

 which should be just as real as the pleasure of observing the 

 gradual development of a flower garden from season to season. 



Transport of plants in relation to cost is of some consequence. 

 Without any elaboration of figures it is found that the carriage 

 by passenger train far exceeds that by goods train. Taking the 

 railway charges in Scotland over different hauls varying from 

 45 to 258 miles, the average cost of conveying two-year 

 seedlings by goods rate is 2|d., and by passenger rate j^d. 

 per 1000. Transplants, on the other hand, average just about 

 3s. 8d. per 1000 by the former, and 9s. yd. per 1000 by the 

 latter. The points to be remembered in this connection are (i) 

 conveyance by goods instead of passenger rates, and (2) the 

 advantage of buying 2-year seedling plants. 



At 5 per cent, compound interest ;;/,'5 is slightly more than 

 doubled in 15 years, in 25 years it becomes ^17, in 40 years 

 ;^35, 4s., and in 60 years ;£g^, 8s. An annual rent, inclusive 

 of rates and taxes, of say 2s. 6d. for each acre, becomes 

 approximately ^2, 14s. at 15 years, ^£6 at 25 years, ^15 at 

 40 years, and ^44, 4s. at 60 years. These are facts which 

 must always be borne in mind. While the records of growth 

 increment, which will be referred to later, are believed to be 



