ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT, AUGUST 7, 1893. 13 
a local, has now come to supply the world’s need, I ask, is it not 
possible that the Town Council, acting with characteristic liberal 
spirit, may give us the college I suggest? I think it is possible. 
The foundation of it appears to me to be already laid. We know that 
the Town Council is the Patron and Trustee of the Royal Veterinary 
College, and is therefore specially interested in that Institution, 
which has not yet, I believe, come into full use of its endowment. 
Is not this the college that should be utilsed as a centre around 
which a representative technical college could be built up? Under 
the new ordinances of the University, it would be possible to 
affiliate the Royal Veterinary College, and thus make it an integral 
part of the University, and the basis of the Rural Economy 
College I have spoken of under the egis of the University and the 
Town Council. To this Institution the various contributions for 
this special education could be assigned, and the staff could be 
increased to meet the requirements of the time. 
I cannot enter into the many details of arrangement which the 
suggestion involves. I would merely add that there appear no 
difficulties that could not be got over. It might be well, perhaps, 
that in the governing body of such a college the three societies 
representing the branches of science to be taught should have 
some representation—the Highland and Agricultural Society, the 
Scottish Horticultural Association, and the Royal Scottish Arbori- 
cultural Society. Then it would be necessary to have evening as 
well as day classes, to meet the needs of practical workers. There 
should be a curriculum of study. There should be some form of 
certificate or diploma to be awarded as a mark of merit to those 
who satisfactorily acquitted themselves throughout the curriculum. 
These and many other points would require careful consideration, 
but I cannot but think that in this direction is to be found a 
satisfactory solution of the difficulty that confronts us at present, 
the inharmonious diffusion of public moneys available for the 
teaching of these important subjects. So far as our forestry 
teaching is concerned,—which was the theme through which I 
have been led to make the suggestion just stated,—we should 
make a distinct advance. The subject would be established in a 
definite position, side by side with agriculture and horticulture, as 
a recognised part of University education. We should have a 
definite curriculum for foresters as well as one for agriculturists 
and gardeners with adequate teaching in the fundamental sciences, 
and the interest in the subjects which such a technical college of 
