Opinions of Continental Foresters, and 



Professors of Forest Science, on the Location 



of a School of Forestry. 



13y JOHN C. BROWN, LL.D., Haddingtox. 



In the spring of 1877 I published a pamphlet entitled, "The 

 Schools of Forestry in Europe : a Plea for tlie Creation of a School 

 of Forestry in connection with the Arboretum at Edinburgh."* 



Two objections to such a measure have been advanced : the first is 

 that the expense would be very great ; the second, that the locality is 

 unsuitable. 



In connection with the lirst of these objections I would submit for 

 consideration that it has lately been stated authoritatively, with regard 

 to the salaries attached to professorships in the University of Edin- 

 burgh, that the average salary of the chairs of this class in the Faculty 

 of Arts is only £280 a year; in the Faculty of Law, £17G ; and in 

 the Faculty of Medicine, i6I20. One chair has no salary. In the 

 Faculty of Divinity the salaries are, on the average, larger than in 

 the other Faculties ; but the class fees are small, and the field from 

 which students are drawn is limited. 



In connection with the second objection I would submit for con- 

 sideration the opinions in favour of and against substituting for isolated 

 professional schools of forestry, professorships of forestry in univer- 

 sities and other educational institutions of a more comprehensive 

 character, expressed at the Congress of German Foresters, held in the 

 autumn of 1874 at Freiburg, in the Breisgau, in the Grand Duchy of 

 Baden, at which this subject was fully discussed. 



It was the third congress which had been held in Germany, and it 

 Avas numerously attended, more numerously than either of the pre- 

 ceding meetings. The members of the congress were from all parts 

 of Germany, and from countries adjacent: 134 were from Baden; o.j 

 from Bavaria; 55 from Prussia; 41 from Wurtemburg ; .35 from 

 Alsace-Lorraine; 21 from the Central German states; 15 from Hesse: 

 and there were besides 18 from Switzerland, 3 from Austria, and 1 

 from Eussia: — 378 in all. In that number were 23 members who 

 were not professional foresters ; a large proportion of the authors 



* Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1877. 



