2 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



In 1875 Prof. J. H.Balfour, then President of the Society, suggested, 

 at one of those discussions, the formation of a British Forestry 

 School. As you know, the Society has been trying since that 

 time to get a British, and preferably a Scottish, Forestry School 

 established. This was the object of the Society in 1875, ^'^^ 

 since then the Society has continually pressed it on the authori- 

 ties, and I hope we will continue to press that object until our 

 eiForts are crowned with success. In 1885 a Select Committee 

 of the House of Commons was instituted, partly, if not entirely, at 

 the instigation of the Society, and that Select Committee in 1887 

 recommended the establishment of a Board of Forestry. The 

 Committee did not do anything, but perhaps in time we may 

 see a Board of Forestry, or, at any rate, a Government Depart- 

 ment interested in that particular branch of industry. Mr 

 Hutchison, who was a distinguished Member of the Society, and 

 was President for eight years, suggested in 1885 both a Forest 

 Area and a Lectureship on Forestry in Scotland, and, I suppose, 

 as a result of that Dr Somerville was appointed first Lecturer on 

 Forestry in Edinburgh University. Then there was a motion to 

 have a regular Chair of Forestry endowed in Edinburgh, and a 

 Chair of Forestry Endowment Fund was started in 1890. Since 

 that time the Society has continued by all the means in its power 

 to try and press upon the Government, and upon the proprietors 

 of land and others interested, the importance of education in 

 matters relating to forestry. In 1902 a Departmental Committee 

 was appointed by Mr Hanbury, and a large amount of evidence 

 was taken. Their Report has been published in our Trans ac tiof is, 

 and that Committee reported absolutely in favour of all the 

 objects which the Society has always pressed — the establishment 

 of a forest area and of forestry instruction. I hope we will 

 continue to try and get the recommendations in that Report given 

 effect to, and I hope that the resolution we have passed to-day 

 will have some effect in getting them carried out.^ The Society, 

 in continuing its efforts to promote education on forestry matters, 

 adopted a scheme of Excursions. In 1878 the first Excursion 

 took place to Scone, and others have been made there once or twice 

 since ; and Excursions have been annually undertaken to various 

 places in Scotland, England, Ireland, North Germany, and 

 Sweden, and now we are going to France, all with the view of 



^ Since the above Address was delivered, some progress lias been made 

 in this direction, see page 18. 



