Plantations  and  Home  Nurseries  Competition , 1910.  239 
There  were  two  instances  of  damage  by  fire.  In  one  case 
the  value  of  wide  rides  was  vividly  illustrated.  The  whole  of 
a young  plantation  would  have  been  destroyed  had  it  not  been 
that  the  gap  formed  by  rides  enabled  the  men  to  confine  the 
fire  to  one  quarter. 
The  possibilities  of  tree-growing  on  the  Welsh  and 
Lancashire  hills  as  well  as  in  the  lowlands  on  suitable  areas 
were  very  striking,  as  was  also  the  keen  interest  taken  in  the 
subject  by  those  directly  responsible  for  the  present  working 
of  the  plantations  visited.  The  awards  in  the  competitions 
will  be  found  stated,  both  for  plantations  and  nurseries,  on 
pp.  cxx  and  cxxi. 
Home  Nurseries. — The  new  departure  in  offering  awards  for 
home  nurseries  was  very  encouraging  in  its  results.  Entries 
from  three  estates  were  received.  The  Liverpool  Waterworks 
Committee  entered  their  Brinscall  (Lancs.)  and  Vyrnwy  (Mont- 
gomeryshire) nurseries,  and  the  Crown  Forests  their  Delamere 
(Cheshire)  nurseries,  in  each  case  for  several  classes.  In  all 
cases  the  management  was  excellent,  and  had  resulted  in  fine 
crops  of  seedlings  and  transplants.  The  soils  varied — peaty  and 
clayey  loam  was  occupied  at  Brinscall,  good  loam  at  Delamere, 
and  loamy  clay  and  peat  at  Vyrnwy.  Millions  of  trees  are  being 
raised — e.g.,  at  Brinscall  14  cwt.  of  beech  mast  was  sown  in  1909 
with  a fine  result.  (There  was,  by-the-by,  no  class  for  one  year 
old  seedlings,  an  oversight  which  ought  to  be  rectified  in  future 
competitions.)  Although  the  atmosphere  at  Brinscall  is  far 
from  being  a pure  one,  owing  to  the  proximity  of  factories  &c.,’ 
the  young  plants  were  doing  well.  The  forester  in  charge  was 
suspicious  that  the  raising  of  oak  after  a crop  of  potatoes  was 
not  so  successful  as  it  ought  to  have  been,  because  of  the  potato 
disease  rotting  the  acorns.  This  matter  ought  to  be  investigated. 
Sulphate  of  potash  has  been  successfully  used  on  some  of  the 
seed  beds.  A very  thorough  system  of  bookeeping  and  record- 
ing generally  has  been  instituted  on  the  Rivington  Afforestation 
Works. 
The  visit  was  too  early  for  the  j udges  to  see  any  results  from 
the  sowing  of  the  present  season’s  stock  of  some  species,  especi- 
ally ash,  beech,  and  oak.  This  remark  applies  to  all  three 
districts. 
At  Delamere  damage  was  somewhat  extensive  among  the 
sown  acorns  and  young  oaks  caused  by  jays  and  cockchafer 
grubs  respectively.  Red-leading  the  seeds  had  been  resorted  to 
at  all  the  nurseries  in  order  to  prevent  robbery  by  birds,  and 
where  it  was  done,  the  results  were  successful.  Voles  were 
responsible  for  some  damage. 
1 On  the  Rivington  plantations  on  the  same  estate,  wire  netting  is  quickly 
corroded  by  the  acids  in  the  air. 
