1885.] THE FORESTRY COMMITTEE. 317 



years' pasturage out of a hundred would pay ? — Witness said he had 

 not formed an opinion on that point. 



By an hon. Member : A great deal might be done by selecting 

 foreign timber suitable for our climate. The larch itself was a case 

 in point. It was a foreign tree, and was one of the most valuable 

 now grown. 



By another hon. Member : He was aware that the land on the 

 banks of navigable rivers in this country was generally valuable 

 alluvial soil. Asked if there should not be some concession made 

 in the way of taxation and tithe to encourage planting, witness 

 admitted that the experiment would be rather perilous without 

 some such concession. Larch generally did well, and so did the 

 ash. Coniferous trees were the most profitable in France. Teak 

 would not grow here. Osier beds, sycamores, and poplars would 

 do. 



Col. Pearson, who had charge of the Indian students at the forest 

 school in IsTancy, generally concurred with the evidence already 

 given. He was strongly of opinion that the more scientific training 

 of the Indian forest officials had a great deal to do with the increase 

 of the forest revenue, and he had no doubt a similar effect would 

 follow forest schools in this country. There were not more than 

 two or three forests in France where oak could be grown to advantage. 

 It made a great difference to a forest as to what classes of trees 

 were in association. A great part of the Xew Forest was going to 

 wreck and ruin. The Indian establishment was frequently applied to, 

 to send competent forest men to the Colonies. They were frequently 

 obliged to send Frenchmen. The French schools, though useful, 

 were not quite suited to Englishmen on account of the language, 

 the difference of technical terms, and also political differences. 

 The French school was, however, an admirable one, and we were 

 indebted to it for the able men who were carrying on forestry. The 

 education was expensive and exclusive. Asked if tiie arrangements 

 suggested at Cooper's Hill would suit the requirements of the 

 English owners, he did not think they would. Any education given 

 in England should be sufficiently economical to enable wood 

 managers and bailiffs to take advantage of it. If a man got three 

 or four months' forestal education in each year for two years, he 

 might acquire a good deal. General education in this country 

 might be supplemented by special forestal education at museums 

 and in forests by those who required it. King's College and 

 University College both seemed to give facilities for general educa- 

 tion. Forestal botany might be carried on with the other education. 

 A forestal chair might be established in Edinburgh ; but in all 

 cases it would be necessary to take the students to the woods. 



