ESTATE NURSERY AND PLANTATION COMPETITIONS. 1 83 



Plantations. 



Keir Estate. No. i Silver Medal. 

 Dunkeld Estate. No. i Silver Medal. 

 Doune Estate. No. i Silver Medal. 

 Ardchullary Estate. No. i Silver Medal. 

 Tullichewan Estate. No. i Silver Medal. 

 Balliliesk Estate. Bronze Medal. 



The Dunkeld Estate Nursery occupies an excellent site. The 

 layout into sections by main roads and paths has obviously 

 been carefully considered. The tending and organisation are 

 of a high merit, as indicated by the general uniformity and 

 balance in the growing stock from the youngest seedlings 

 to the oldest transplants. 



The entries in Class VII. for hardwoods under 35 years of 

 age have always been fewer than those in the classes for 

 conifers. This year there were two hardwood plantations. The 

 Keir hardwood plantations afford the best demonstration in 

 Scotland of the rational silvicultural treatment of young oak 

 and beech. 



The prize plantation at Doune, which was 7 years old and 

 extended to 25 acres (Class IV.), consisted of pure plots of 

 Scots pine, Sitka spruce, Japanese larch, and Douglas fir. One 

 plot was mixed and contained one-third Japanese larch, with 

 two-thirds Sitka spruce. It is a very creditable achievement 

 not only as regards the health and vigour of the trees and 

 the judicious selection of species for different soils and sites, 

 but also on account of its successful establishment in spite of 

 the unusually dense growth of bracken. 



The Ardchullary plantations show that it is quite possible, 

 if done properly, to combine, on a hill sheep farm, timber 

 production with grazing, with the balance of advantage in 

 favour of the latter. The first planting line was fixed a little 

 below the 1000 feet contour, but the plantations have done 

 so well up to that altitude that it is now apparent that it 

 can be raised to 1250 feet. 



The Dunkeld plantations are thriving well. Nothing could 

 be finer than the vigour and rate of growth of the hybrid 

 larch plantations. The Douglas fir, which hitherto held the 

 record for rapid growth, is very soon and very completely 

 beaten and surpassed in height, girth, and volume by this 



