78 The y 02trnal of Forestry. 



Council wisely declined action in the matter, as it is not within 

 their province to interfere with and expend the city's funds in the 

 promotion of an object which it is the clear duty of the Govern- 

 ment to promote and establish for the national benefit. There 

 can be no better place found in Britain than Edinburgh for the 

 creation of a Forest School, and we hope to see such an institu- 

 tion established there at no distant date ; but the matter must be kept 

 before the x^ublic, and pressed upon the attention of the Government 

 until the school is a matured fact, and the school erected upon a 

 thoroughly sound and satisfactory basis. In furtherance of that 

 object we would invite the opinions of those who are interested in 

 the subject, so that the matter may be properly ventilated, and some 

 satisfactory conclusion arrived at. 



The Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland holds periodical 

 meetings at which candidates may be examined for certificates in 

 forestry. The Board of Examiners is composed of the most eminent 

 men in the several branches of scientific and practical forestry, and 

 the syllabus of examination is a most excellent one, carefully drawn 

 up and graduated so as to meet the requirements of forestry, and suit 

 the abilities of possible candidates. Still, with all the advantages held 

 out to foresters possessing those certificates, the number of those who 

 come forward for examination is lamentably small, considering the 

 large number of foresters in Britain, and those who are directly 

 interested in the skilful and profitable management of our woods and 

 forests. These examinations have existed since 1870, with the poor 

 result of five candidates having passed for first-class certificates in 

 ?,&ve,n years ! none having passed since 1873, and it appears that only 

 two out of those five have been practical foresters. 



We do not hesitate to say that the principal reason for such a 

 deplorable state of matters is the want of proper means for acquiring 

 the necessary preliminary education, such as a properly equipped 

 forest school would impart, so as to enable candidates to come up for 

 examination with confidence that they were fully prepared to undergo 

 the severest tests as to their technical, practical, and scientific know- 

 ledge of forestry. At present each forester is left to his own 

 personal resources for acquiring a scientific knowledge of the pro- 

 fession from such books and periodicals as he may have the ability 

 and wisdom to select, and the perseverance to study, but with no 

 one of authority to guide and advise him as to what portion of his 

 readings he ought to adopt and study closely, and what to discard as 

 unwortiLy of study ; so that it is almost a miracle that even two 



