164 Report on the Forestry Exhibition at Lincoln. 
a pair of oak posts, though I would prefer acacia where this * 
wood is procurable, and 6s. to 10s. for the gate itself, it seems 
to me that 20s. to 25s. ought to be the outside price for ordinary 
farm gates, complete, but I should not like to have awarded 
the prizes in these classes without the assistance of an ex- 
perienced estate carpenter. 
Class 14, and also Section 4, produced an excellent exhibit 
of creosoted home-grown timber from the Lords Yarborough 
and Fitzwilliam, the particulars given with the former, of the 
amount of creosote absorbed by different sorts of timber, being 
very full and instructive. Whether the expensive plant neces- 
sary to inject creosote under pressure is economical on estates 
of moderate size, seems to me somewhat doubtful ; but I have 
found that a simple covered tank with a furnace below it, in 
which hurdles, gates, and fencing timber can be steeped for 
twenty -four hours in heated creosote, is sufficient for such small 
timber, and there are various other wood preservatives which 
are preferred by some as cheaper than, or more easily applied 
than creosote. Here, again, a good deal of technical knowledge 
would be required in order to aM'ard prizes justly. 
Among the articles for exhibition only, for which no prizes 
were offered. Section 1 contained a small collection of seeds 
and cones of trees shown by the University College of North 
Wales. In Section 2, five collections of living trees and shrubs 
were shown by nurserymen, of which that from Messrs. Fisher, 
Son & Sibray, of Handsworth Nurseries, seemed to me distinctly 
the best, and included several rare ornamental trees, such as 
Quercus Mirbecki., and Picea Omon'ka, which I have found to 
grow remarkably well in suitable parts of this country. Messrs. 
Little & Ballantyne, of Carlisle, and Messrs. Kent & Brydon, of 
Darlington, also sent excellent exhibits. Mr. George Marshall, 
whose valuable services to the Society in connection with the 
Forestry Exhibition can hardly be overpraised, showed in this 
class an interesting set of specimens cut from his plantations 
near Godaiming, showing the comparatively rapid growth of 
Japanese as compared with common larch. I should, however, 
like to warn intending planters of Japanese larch that though 
it may during youth surpass the common species and resist 
disease better, yet it is extremely doubtful whether it will 
maintain its superior rapidity of growth as it gets older, or ever 
attain the same size ; whilst it certainly enjoys in its own 
country a superior soil and climate to that of England. I do 
not, therefore, anticipate that it will prove as valuable a tree 
for economic planting as many people at present expect. 
Sir Montagu Cholmeley showed a collection of rods for 
basket making, and I hope this industry which in many 
parts of the country is being severely handicapped by foreign 
