vice-president's address. 181 



the planting of waste lands. If the State had commenced to 

 plant uncultivated lands, there would have been no need of a 

 Crofters Bill, or any other Bill, which violated the sound 

 principles of political economy. 



The State, hitherto, has left the planting of trees to private 

 individuals, and many private landowners have done much to 

 enhance the value of their estates, as well as to contribute to 

 the material prosperity of those around them ; but you cannot 

 expect private landed proprietors to do the work which un- 

 questionably is the work of the State. In the proper manage- 

 ment of woodlands, a continuous system of operations is required, 

 and this is not so easily attainable in a private woodland as 

 it is in a State-controlled forest. The frequent changes among 

 proprietors of woods is not conducive to the best interests 

 of forestry. 



Having said this much, let us look for a little to what other 

 countries are doing on some of the points which I have referred 

 to. When a German or French expert on Forestry comes to this 

 country to look over woods, they are invariably loud in their 

 condemnation of our practice. There may be much bad Forestry 

 to condemn in the British Isles, but at the same time there 

 is also much good Forestry, and there are many landed pro- 

 prietors who deserve our lasting praise for the manner in which 

 they have managed their woods without State aid. But I am 

 sure that no one will deny but that Government instruction and 

 Government model forest areas will do incalculable good to 

 improve and consolidate our forest management. I have asked 

 the question, what are other countries doing on these three 

 points? viz. — (1) Forestry Education; (2) Model Forest Areas ; 

 (3) the Planting of "Waste Lands. What is being done in 

 Scotland as regards supplying professional education to those 

 who hope in the future to manage woodlands 1 I may say 

 very little indeed. It is true that a class on this subject is 

 taught in our University, but it is far from being a well- 

 equipped forest training school. This is entirely due to the 

 lack of Government support. What a contrast is here presented 

 to us when we look abroad, and see what our Continental neigh- 

 bours are doing to train their young men in Forestry. In 

 Germany, for instance, there are many training colleges sub- 

 sidised by Government, in which is given a highly systematic 

 course of training in all departments of tree-growing. 



