170 ENGLISH ESTATE FORESTRY 



bedding out should not exceed Is. per thousand, but with 

 unskilled labour it is often more. Cleaning during the 

 summer months is a considerable item, and may run to 

 5s. or 6s. per thousand, while from 5 to 20 per cent, 

 may be lost through drought, frost, cockchafer grubs, and 

 so forth, which may add to the cost of the survivors 

 considerably. The upkeep of a permanent nursery has 

 also to be allowed for, and consists in cutting hedges, 

 cleaning or repairing walks or paths, rates and taxes on the 

 land, and so forth, while the plants have to be lifted before 

 planting out. In fact, it is doubtful if two-year seedlings 

 can be grown on in a home nursery for two or three years 

 at a lower cost than 1 per thousand on a large scale, and on 

 a small scale it is more. In the latter case, therefore, it is 

 doubtful if a home nursery pays, so far as ordinary forest 

 stock is concerned, although its advantages in other respects 

 may be considerable, as in growing on extra large plants or 

 ornamental trees, which cannot be purchased under a high 

 price. 



A great deal depends, of course, upon the class of 

 nursery stuff grown. It may be said at the outset that 

 no advantage is derived from attempting to grow a compre- 

 hensive list of plants which would be appropriate to a public 

 nursery. A few of the more generally used species, and 

 those which present no great difficulty in growing from 

 seed or cuttings, should always be kept in stock, and outside 

 these it is probably better to buy direct from the public 

 nursery for ordinary planting purposes. The class of soil 

 upon which the nursery is formed must also be considered. 

 Ash should not be grown on poor soil or gravel, nor beech 

 on strong clay, and neither in spots at all liable to spring 

 frosts ; Douglas fir and Spanish chestnut should not be 

 grown on chalk ; conifers on strong loams, nor hardwoods 

 on dry poor soils, although there may be exceptions in both 

 the latter two cases. Given suitable soils and situations, 

 the species best adapted for growing in home nurseries from 

 seed are oak, beech, ash, Spanish chestnut, sycamore, etc. 

 The seeds of these are easily collected, easily stored, and 

 easily raised, and with an inexhaustible supply of seed on 

 the spot in good seasons, it is little short of extravagance 



