1886.] EDITORIAL NOTES. 537 



Reafforestation and the proposed Forestry School. — In a 

 recent issue of a conteniporaiy we notice an article on American 

 forests, tlie general scope and bearing of which is to tlirow cold 

 water on the idea of reafforestation of the British Islands and tlie 

 establishment of a Forestry School. In speaking of the importance 

 of forestry as a national resource relatively in this country and in 

 America, the writer speaks truly when he characterizes what we 

 could do as " insignificant." There is no gainsaying this somewhat 

 gi'atuitous assertion, but surely if we can do comparatively little, we 

 should at least do that little thoroughly well. We don't for a 

 moment suppose that the writer would be prepared to aver that 

 there is no room for improvement in the practice of forestry in this 

 country, or that improvement would not pay. True, he says " the 

 ability of the British forester in the matter of arboriculture is 

 admitted ; " it is only in sylviculture that he is deficient, which 

 is admittedly a more simple matter, being " simply arboriculture 

 in the roufjh. Given the forests or given the occasion when a 

 start is to be made on the national scale, and it will be found that 

 there is an abundance of latent knowledge that will be forthcoming, 

 and will be equal to the occasion. War is said to develop the great 

 general ; he cannot be made up as a tailor would a dandy." The 

 relevancy of the dandy and tailor to the general and war is not 

 very apparent, nor do either appear to have much relevancy to the 

 argument, except it be implied that it is a useless process to educate 

 a soldier in the art of war in order that he may, when the emergency 

 arises, prove himself a great general. We assume this to be a fair 

 interpretation of the writer's drift and meaning ; he sees no necessity 

 for a higher education for our foresters. He would have them rely 

 on the " abundance of latent knowledge," which he alleges exists, 

 and trust the Fates it " will be equal to the occasion." He would 

 do nothing to meet the occasion, Init rather place stumbling-blocks in 

 the way ; and when he hears " that India and the Colonies are begging 

 all around Europe for foresters," he marvels and sneers at the sad 

 picture of " colonial imbecility " that fails to develop the " article " on 

 the spot. Colonial imbecility may be left to answer for itself, in that 

 while it has discerned its necessity for foresters, it has also been able 

 to perceive that the quality wanted was not to be found in Britain 

 without first being " hall-marhed " in the French or German schools. 

 While our foresters are no whit behind their continental brethren in 

 all cultural and mechanical matters pertaining to their art, it must 

 be conceded that they are as a rule inferior in technical and 

 scientific knowledge. We know there are many exceptions, and 

 could name not a few men whose self-acquired technical knowledge, 

 and whose intimate acquaintance with the " ologies " covertly sneered 



