ly TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Private proprietors, whose forests are not under section 17 of 

 the law, can emijloy wlioni they please ; but their men must be of 

 good character, and sufficiently instructed to be able to do their 

 work efficiently. They have, however, at the present time, very 

 few competent foresters. 



Working Plans, Produce, and Sales. 



All the forests included in Class (A.) {see page 1), being under 

 the provisions of section 17 of the Forest Law, must, as before 

 stated, be managed in accordance with the provisions of a working 

 plan approved by the Minister of Agriculture. A period of five 

 years, which expired on the 14th June 1884, was allowed for the 

 submission of proposals on this subject ; but up to that date very 

 few had been received, and most of the proj^rietors have had to ask 

 for the extension of three years, which can legally be granted when 

 sufficient cause is shown. In as many as possible of these cases, 

 however, the Minister of Agriculture has, in the manner prescribed 

 by the law, approved of temporary plans to regulate work for the 

 next few years. These plans have been prepared by the inspectors 

 from data furnished by the proprietors. 



The regular working plan consists of three parts — 



1. A statement of the jJi'esent condition c^/' the forest. This gives 

 all information relative both to the forest itself and to its sur- 

 roundings, which is likely to influence the management — such as 

 its situation, its owner, the rights of other persons in it ; the wood 

 markets and export lines ; the managers, guards, and workmen 

 employed ; the previous system of working, the results of survey, 

 and valuation of the growing stock. 



2. The use to lohich the forest is to be devoted. This must be 

 determined on the assumption that it is to give a constant annual 

 yield for ever, but, subject to this condition, the wishes of the 

 proprietor must be considered. 



3. Management and yield. This part of the working plan deals 

 with the species to be cultivated, the system of management to be 

 adopted, the revolution, manner of regeneration, and division into 

 blocks and compartments, as well as the working out of the pro- 

 duce, and such like matters. The law lays down that the revolu- 

 tion for high forest cannot be less than 60 years, and for simple 

 coppice less than ten years. The annual cuttings are always to be 

 determined by area, not by a consideration of the cubic contents of 

 the stock and the rate of growth. All quantities of wood are 



