110 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARRORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



" You bave read thi'ougli tlie evidence given before the Committee 

 of last year, and of the year before t " " Partially, so far as I had 

 time."— '' You read Dr Schlich's evidence?" " Partly."— " Do 

 you concur with the views he expressed as to the locality of the 

 school of forestry and the mode of establishing a school of forestry?" 

 " Generally ; I do not remember what he says about the locality. 

 Some of the witnesses approve of having a school concentrated at 

 Cirencester or Downton, and others at Cooper's Hill. I do not 

 think that would suit for Scotland at all." — "Looking at ^the 

 question purely as connected with Scotland, what part of Scotland 

 do you think would be most c<mvenient for such a school?" " I 

 do not think that forestry can be properly taught in a school in 

 class-rooms. They require to have some acres of land. Perhaps if 

 5000 acres of land could be got containing proper soil for growing 

 trees, that would be sufficient." — " Is there any agricultural school 

 in Scotland with which a branch of forestry instruction can be con- 

 nected ? " " There is nothing that I know of but the Botanic 

 Garden at Edinburgh." — " Have you seen anything of any agricul- 

 tural schools 1 " " Ko, never. I know^ nothing about them ; we 

 have no agricultural schools in Scotland ; some large farmers take 

 pupils, but that is entirely private." — ■" Have you ever had any 

 pupils to farmers come up for examination in forestry 1 " " Yes, 

 but they were young men who intended to become foresters." — 

 "Or land agents?" "Or land agents."— " You have had them 

 coming up for that examination with a view to their being land 

 agents afterwards 1 " " Yes, they were at the time factors' clerks." 

 — " Is there a sufficient number of young men anxious to become 

 foresters to justify the establishment of a school of forestry ? " 

 " Not at the present time, but then there is no encouragement for 

 them. I think the proprietors must take the first step. If pro- 

 prietors take any man they can get hold of for a forester, there is 

 no use in a young man spending time or money learning forestry, 

 if some retired gamekeeper is to be put in charge of the woods." — 

 " Proprietors must show that they value the certificate?" "Cer- 

 tainly." — " Do you mean that they must pay their head forester 

 better than they do now 1 " " Well, I do not say that, but I 

 would say that a forester, to be authorised to go and deal with 

 woods, ought to be somewhat in the position of a doctor or 

 veterinary surgeon. He ought to be certificated by somebody, 

 who is qualified to give a certificate as to his competency." — "At 

 the present time you do not think that that is so?" "I do not 



