72 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the large German public schools, the candidates go through a 

 practical apprenticeship of one year in one of the State forest 

 districts, and after studying for two years at a forest school, and 

 one year at a university, they may pi-esent themselves for their 

 fii'st examination, which, like all others for State service in Prussia, 

 is a pass, and not a competitive examination. A high standard 

 is fixed, which must be attained. The next step is to spend two 

 years in practical work in several forest districts, after completing 

 which the candidate presents himself for his second or final 

 examination, which, like the first, includes all branches of forestry, 

 the questions asked having, however, more special reference to 

 the actual requirements of the service, than was the case at the 

 first examination. The closing examination at the public school 

 is generally passed at the age of 19, so that, allowing one year for 

 military service, and six months for the two examinations and 

 the unavoidable delay connected therewith, the candidate will have 

 attained the age of 26 or 27 by the time he has passed the final 

 examination. He then receives the designation of Forst Assessor, 

 and is eligible for employment in the State forest service. 

 Government, however, is in no way obliged to find employment 

 for passed candidates, and as a matter of fact, few obtain a 

 permanent appointment in the lowest grade of the superior 

 Staff", which is that of Oberforster, before they ai*e considerably 

 past the age of 30, while those who do not find such employ- 

 ment seek appointments in forests belonging to towns and 

 villages, to public corporations, or to private proprietors. In 

 other German States the ai'rangements are similar to those just 

 described. There are local peculiarities, but the principle is the 

 same; every whei'e a thorough and prolonged professional training, 

 partly practical, partly theoretical, is required of candidates for 

 the superior State forest service. 



I do not apologise for claiming your attention so long for the 

 organisation of the Forest Service in Germany. You will presently 

 see that it has a direct beai'ing upon subjects in which you are 

 specially interested. My experience has taught me, that young 

 Englishmen, Scotsmen, or Irishmen are, by constitution and habits, 

 admirably fitted to make first-rate forest officers. Nevertheless, 

 on the first occasion, when I had an opportunity of carrying the 

 point, which I long had in view, I requested the Government to 

 permit me to select two German forest officers for service in India, 

 who had passed all examinations for the superior State forest 



