Scotch Forestry. 181 



IGth Fehfuavy, 1012. 



President in the Chair. 



Lantern Lecture: Scotch Forestry — The Romance and 

 Business Side of it. By Mr G. F. Scott Elliot, F.R.G.S. 



The subject on which I have the privilege of speaking to 

 you to-night is one of the most important practical questions of 

 the day. 



You have only to glance at any contour map of Scotland to 

 see that the amount of rough pasture and hill grazing, moorland 

 and peat moss is out of all proportion to that of true agricultural 

 land. The area of land which is worth from 6d to 3s 6d per 

 annum is enormous as compared with the good grazing or arable 

 which fetches from 10s to £2 per acre. 



Many of us have wandered over the moors of our Scottish 

 uplands and can bear me out in saying that it is only when one 

 ascends up into the haunts of the whaup, grouse, and blackcock 

 that one realises how great is the amount of undeveloped land in 

 Scotland. 



If one were to begin a tour of inspection at the West Coast, 

 say near Glenapp, and walk by the Merrick and Alwhat then by 

 Queensberry and Whitecombe and afterwards visit the Moorfoots, 

 Lammermuirs as well as the wild country of Eskdalemuirs and 

 even the Pentlands, one could then realise the enormous area in 

 Scotland which is still practically undeveloped. 



I do not wish to venture on any estimate of the acreage cap- 

 able of being afforested. That would be far too dangerous with- 

 out a much more thorough and detailed examination of the 

 country than I have yet been able to undertake, but if even a 

 twentieth part of this area were covered with forest, though bring- 

 ing in even ten shillings per acre, the whole future of Scotland 

 would be altered. 



The first question, however, is to see what the prospects 

 are of turning all these brown heaths of Scotland into wood, but 

 not necessarily shaggy wood. 



Questions of history, climate, soil, and elevation must, of 

 course, influence us in estimating the probability of successful 

 afforestation. 



