70 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Councillor Woolham of the Waterworks Committee, Mr Lewis, 

 chief engineer, Mr Stracey, secretary, Mr Sandham, local 

 engineer, and Mr Edwards, head forester, who is a member of 

 the Society. The first objects of interest were the sawmill, 

 an automatic saw-sharpener, and the pressure creosote plant, 

 all of which are supplied with electric power derived from a 

 turbine which is driven by the Compensation water as it leaves 

 the lake. The creosote tank holds 4000 gallons of oil which 

 can be heated by a coil in the tank, and a vacuum of 16 lbs. 

 and a pressure up to 120 lbs. to the square inch can be 

 produced. Full pressure is used for 20 minutes for sleepers, 

 but 80 to 90 lbs. is found sufficient for posts and rails. The 

 tank is long enough for telegraph poles, and 16 field-gates 

 or 250 cub. ft. of timber can be dealt with at one time. Before 

 leaving this part Alderman Plummer pointed out, not far off, 

 the fairy Castle Rock mentioned by Scott in his "Bridal of 

 Triermain," which at a distance appears to be a great Gothic 

 castle with numerous turrets, but on a closer view resolves 

 itself into merely a huge mass of jagged rocks. The party 

 then moved to the nursery of 6 acres, which has a soil of sandy 

 loam rather clayey in parts. It was awarded second prize by 

 the Royal English Arboricultural Society in 1920, and was in 

 good working order, though it was almost impossible to keep part 

 of it, which was old pasture taken in in 19 19, free from weeds. 

 Turnips are used as a cleaning crop, and the tops ploughed in. 

 The aspect and slope are north-west, and a series of sturdy 

 hedges of both beech and cotoneaster provide shelter from 

 north and south winds, to which the whole valley is much exposed. 

 A healthy bed of Japanese larch seedlings was pointed out, 

 raised from seed of trees planted locally in 19 12. Before leaving 

 the nursery a demonstration was given of the method of planting 

 with the mattock used on the steep, rocky hillsides (see 

 Transactions^ vol. xxvi., 191 2), and Mr Edwards said that he 

 prefers to use the transplants at the following ages : — larch, 

 i-yr. i-yr.; Scots pine, 2-yr. i-yr.; spruce, 2-yr. 2-yr.; and 

 Douglas either 2-yr. i-yr. or 2-yr. 2-yr., though he believes in 

 using 2-yr. seedlings direct to save expense whenever conditions 

 allow. The party next passed to High Park wood, where Mr 

 Edwards outlined the plan drawn up by the late Prof. W. R. 

 Fisher in 1908, which provided for the planting of 100 acres 

 each year, and though this was somewhat upset by the war, 



