34 



Excursion in 1924. 



The Secretary also reported that at an informal meeting of 

 the Excursionists, held in the Queen's Hotel, Keswick, in the 

 course of the recent Excursion, various places had been suggested 

 for next year's tour, such as The Dukeries, north-east of England, 

 south-west of Scotland, and Hungary, or elsewhere abroad. 

 A vote was taken and it was found that the majority favoured 

 the south-west of Scotland. The proceedings were, of course, 

 quite informal and were in no way binding on this meeting. 

 The meeting agreed to leave the matter in the hands of the 

 Council with powers. 



The Forestry Commission and the Nursery Trade. 



Mr Gossip, Nurseryman, Inverness, raised the question of the 

 Forestry Commission engaging in the nursery business. When 

 he was over in Germany visiting the nurseries there, he found 

 that a large proportion of the plants in these private nurseries 

 were supplied for Government forests. Orders were placed with 

 the private nurseries some years ahead so that they knew how 

 many plants would be required, and they could therefore grow 

 them at a cheaper rate. He suggested that the Forestry 

 Commissioners should deal with the private nurseryman in this 

 country who were experts in the work, and could produce the 

 plants as cheaply as the Commission could grow them. 



Mr James Watt strongly supported Mr Gossip's suggestion. 

 He said the Forestry Commission had practically ruined the 

 nursery trade. 



Mr Sutherland, Assistant Commissioner for Scotland, said 

 that he disagreed entirely with both speakers, as he had been 

 assured by other nurserymen that the Commissioners had im- 

 proved the business. He invited Mr Watt to inspect their 

 nursery books and their nurseries, and to satisfy himself that the 

 Commission was not competing with the nurserymen but were 

 merely growing part of the plants required for their own land. 

 He said, however, that he would report Mr Gossip's suggestion 

 to Lord Lovat on his return from Canada. 



Mr Gossip thanked Mr Sutherland for agreeing to bring 

 the matter to the notice of the Chairman of the Commissioners. 



Mr Watt moved a vote of thanks to Sir Kenneth Mackenzie 

 for presiding at the meeting, which was very cordially given. 



