7G TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Ever since I heai-d of the plan to establish a forest school in 

 Scotland, I have been of opinion, and have given expression to 

 this opinion whenever I have had an opportunity, that as soon 

 as the desire gains ground among proprietors in Scotland to obtain 

 for their estates the services of wood-managers and foresters who 

 have received a more systematic professional training than is 

 attainable at present, they will find the needful means and take 

 the needful steps for the establishment of a forest school. It 

 clearly is their interest to increase the annual yield, and to 

 improve the productive powers, which means the capital value, 

 of their estates. These ends may to some extent be accomplished 

 by a more systematic management of their woodlands, and this 

 again will doubtless be promoted by giving to foresters a more 

 systematic training in their j^rofession than they receive at pre- 

 sent. I am, however, fully aw^are, that there are two circum- 

 stances which, to some extent, may impede the speedy accomplish- 

 ment of this idea — the low price of timber, and the very high 

 rent at present obtained by the letting of grouse moors and deer 

 forests. Of these two circumstances, however, the members of this 

 Society are much better able to judge than I am, and I do not 

 therefore attempt to discuss them. 



The natural and proper thing in the present case, is for the pro- 

 prietors to take action on their own account. Should this, how- 

 ever, not be the case, and should the Royal Scottish Arboricultural 

 Society feel themselves stx'ong enough to take the initiative in such 

 an undertaking, this would be an excellent and most important step 

 in the great and good work which your Society has steadily pursued 

 since its formation in 1854. Your aim from the commencement 

 has been, to raise foi'estry in Scotland to the dignity of a profession. 

 Your Transactions, the prize essays published by your Society, the 

 Excursions to instructive forest districts, the great International 

 Forestry Exhibition at Edinburgh, and the lectures delivered 

 under the auspices of your Society, have all been important steps in 

 the same direction. If the Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society 

 should find itself to be in a position to take the lead in this 

 great movement, the large landed proprietors might perhaps after- 

 wards be disposed to take up the scheme and to work it out on their 

 own account. Something of this kind happened at Weisswasser, 

 which was at first established by the Bohemian Forest Society, 

 and which was thus continued until 18G2, when the forest proprie- 

 tors of the; province took over the institution. 



