l98 LEGISLATION ON TOEEENTS. 



of accounts, and has rendered unnecessary the making of advances, and 

 repayments of these, which it is always desirable to avoid in accounts. 

 " Remark. 



" To this there is nothing to object, but the fear that it may lead to 

 too great complication of accounts. 



" Fourteenth Question. 



"The allotting of aid having, up to this time, been made as fast 

 as the production of the demands, the Administration have been obliged to 

 leave to each conservator the care of procuring by purchase the seed 

 required, and the necessary plants. It would seem to be more simple, 

 more convenient, more regular, and doubtless more economical, that the 

 Government should centralize the orders for, and the despatch of, these 

 seeds and plants ; Discuss the means of effecting this centralization, if it 

 does not appear to the agents better to leave the ordering of seeds and 

 plants to be done directly, as heretofore, by the agents. 

 " Opinions, (fee, of the Agents. 



" The agents of the conference at Clermont considered that the centralizar 

 tion would be very useful, and proposed, for this purpose, the mode of 

 organization which seemed to them most convenient. 



" The agents of the conference at Foix expressed the same opinion, and 

 presented their proposals. 



"At Carpentras the conference expressed the opinion, that, whenever the 

 articles required can only be obtained by purchase, the centralization of the 

 orders for these supplies will be more simple, more convenient, and more 

 regular, but not always more economical : (1) because the seeds purchased 

 are generally inferior in quality to those bought on the spot by the agents 

 themselves ; (2) because the expenses of carriage are great in the one case 

 and nothing in the other. The centralization of orders does not then appear 

 in aU cases to offer the advantages to be desired, and ought to be restricted 

 in the one case to species rare in France, such as cedars, Austrian pines, 

 Corsican pines, and in the other, to supplies of seed which cannot be had in 

 the locality. 



" Remarks, <hc., of the Administration. 



" The ordering of seeds from merchants at a favourable time for the 

 procuring of the supply, and the ordering of these in large quantities 

 are favourable conditions for obtaining them on the most favourable 

 terms possible. But notwithstanding this, the Administration does 

 not intend to prevent in any way the agents from taking advantage 

 of local supplies. To this end, at the periods for the despatch of the 

 collective demands for aid, the agents will add to these demands the 

 following information: (1) the quantity of seeds or plants of each 

 kind necessary to meet the said demands, which can be delivered 

 at their destination by the direct care of the conservator through 

 the local resources ; and let the destination of these seeds be stated ; 

 (2) Quantity of seeds or plants presumed to be necessary for the 

 vehoisements dbligatoires during the season following the despatch of 

 the information. In this let the quantity and species of plants and 

 seeds to be sent by the Government be indicated, also the place 

 of destination and time at which they are required ; (.3) Extract from 

 the register of the nursery. Let each conservator state the number 

 of plants required by him and their destinations ; (4) Situation of 



