98 PLANTING. 



year seedlings, and required no upmaking. The hill of 



B , in the parish of M , containing 



133 acres, was planted with two-year seedling Scots 

 fir and larch for 13s. per acre, — the whole of the 

 planting being done by four men and myself in three 

 weeks and three days. This is now a healthy and 

 valuable plantation. 



" During the last twenty years I have used a good 

 many transplanted plants — i.e., two-year seedlings, 

 one-year transplanted Scots fir — especially where the 

 herbage was rank, — consequently, owing to the in- 

 creased cost of plants and the rise in workmen's 

 wages, the contract price has greatly risen, and has 

 ranged from 20s. to 30s. per acre; and in a few cases, 



such as at E W , in the parish of A , 



planted in 1876-77, the price has been, owing to the 

 size of plants and quality of ground, as high as 42 s. 



per acre. Between 1865 and 1870, the hill of C , 



containing 450 acres, was planted with two -thirds 

 Scots fir and one-third larch for 22 s. 6d. per acre ; 



and in 1871-72 the hill of M , in the parish of 



E , was planted for 25 s. per acre. The extensive 



plantations on the estate of C F were done 



about the same price; while those on the estate of 



G M in Aberdeenshire, and on the estate 



of T in Kincardineshire, have ranged from 25 s. to 



30 s. — the latter price having been got for planting 

 ground that had previously grown a crop of Scots fir, 

 and where there was a risk of damage being done by 

 ground game. In most cases I have undertaken to 

 make good all failures that occur during the first three 

 years, except such as are caused by ground game, fire, 

 or the inroads of cattle and sheep." 



These statements may seem startling to many of 



