Editorial Notes, ']'] 



Contiaental schools to acquire knowledge which can be far better and 

 more cheaply imparted at home, if our Government would only have 

 the courage to do its duty to the country, in taking the initiative in 

 carrying out a matter of such great importance to the welfare and 

 industry of our world-wide empire. 



We have received several letters from our correspondents upon the 

 subject of the institution of forest schools by the Government, and 

 without exception they agree with what we advocated in our first 

 number, that it is undeniably the duty of the Government to see 

 that such an important branch of national education shall be provided 

 for the proper instruction of those youths who will ultimately have 

 the control and management of the forests of the British empire, and 

 upon whose ability and knowledge so much of our national prosperity 

 must of necessity depend. 



Other civilized nations have got a long start of us, and it can hardly 

 be imagined that the British Government have so lagged behind in 

 this matter, until many parts of our Indian and colonial possessions 

 are converted into deserts from the neglect and mismanagement of their 

 natural forests. To fully cope with such ruinous waste it is impera- 

 tively necessary that immediate steps be taken to specially train and 

 educate young men for the profession of forestry, so that we may have 

 the means wdthin ourselves for providing thoroughly educated foresters^ 

 fully qualified in every respect to undertake the superintendence of 

 our forests at home and abroad. It is quite within the range of 

 probability that the best of the Continental forest schools may at any 

 time be closed by the outbreak of war, or for other sufficient reasons, 

 against arboricultural students from this country, when we should be 

 thrown upon our own resources for a scientific arboricultural educa- 

 tion ; and knowing this fact, it is perfectly suicidal for this country to 

 permit of farther neglect inestablishing at least one properly equipped 

 forest school. Besides, the results of sending candidates for Indian 

 forest appointments have not been so satisfactory as to warrant it being 

 said that we cannot educate them much better at home, and turn out 

 superior foresters, with education and energy to master every detail in 

 the thorough and economical management of the most extensive forests 

 in the world, and with perseverance and determination to carry their 

 knowledge and ability to a successful issue. Our able correspondent, 

 Dr. J. C. Brown, lately laid before the Town Council of Edinburgh 

 his proposal to found a School of Forestry in connection with the new 

 Arboretum, the Botanic Garden, and the educational institutions of 

 that famous seat of learninfj. After due consideration the Town 



