NURSERY AND PLANTATION COMPETITION. 99 



Class V. 

 Estate Species Age 



Cavers Conifers 15 years. 



The general standard of the thirteen subjects selected and 

 entered in the Competition was of a high order, and they 

 presented many features of interest which would well repay 

 further investigation, and it is to be hoped that continued records 

 of all the plantations will be kept. 



The nurseries were all abundantly stocked with healthy young 

 orest trees of different kinds, in various stages of preparation 

 for planting out in the forests. Where all attained a high 

 standard of merit it may seem invidious to single out one for 

 special mention, but the nursery at Dawyck stands alone as 

 regards the quality and variety of its stock. This nursery is 

 unique in the variety of its collections in coniferous and 

 deciduous species. Nowhere in Scotland can a greater variety of 

 conifers, even to the most recently discovered and introduced 

 species, be seen. 



The preponderance of plantations m Class IV. — i.e., under 

 ten years old — is rather striking, and this might lead to the 

 deduction that conifers grow best during their first ten years in 

 the South of Scotland, as one might naturally suppose that only 

 the best on each estate is entered in the Competition. Such a 

 deduction, however, would be entirely wrong. Conifers grow 

 well at all ages in this as in other parts of Scotland. The pre- 

 ponderance in Class IV. is, we hope, due to improved methods 

 and increased activity in planting. It was not within the scope 

 of the Judges' duties to investigate this subject further, but in 

 the event of the Society adding to these Competitions one which 

 would include the whole forestry management of each estate, 

 the additional information which would be thus obtained would 

 increase enormously the usefulness of these investigations. 



The Judges beg to tender their heartiest thanks to the 

 proprietors of the estates visited, and to their representatives, 

 also to the Secretary, Mr R. Galloway, for much valuable 

 assistance in the work of arranging and carrying out their 

 inspection of the competing nurseries and plantations. 



The accompanying tables give the particulars of the plantations 

 entered in 19 13 and 1914 respectively.^ 



^ For particulars of the 1912 plantation competition, see vol, xxvii. part i, 

 p. 94, Trans. 



