120 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



subject to some disease 1 " " There are beetles that affect it, and 

 there is also the caterpillar of the saw fly that devours the foliage of 

 the Scots fir." — " But not to the same extent as the larch 1 " " No, 

 the larch dies entirely." 



" Is it your experience that planting larch upon a sandy soil in 

 Scotland makes pasture grow underneath the larch ; have you ever 

 seen young larches turn a sandy soil into pasture ? " '• No, never. 

 The larch destroys the heather, and grass comes up instead of the 

 heather almost always." — " It does turn the heather into grass ] " 

 " It does not turn the heather into grass, but it makes grass come 

 in place of the heather." 



" What would be the average rental of the land which is under 

 20,000 acres of timber 1 " " Two shillings an acre overhead." — 

 " Have you any idea of what the value of the woods would be as 

 they stand 1 " " No." — " You are substituting the planting of 

 Scots fir for the planting of larch now 1 " " Yes ; and of course 

 we are planting Scots fir where I would not plant larch under any 

 circumstances." — '' You are not planting so much larch now as 

 formerly ] " " No." — " There is a great advantage in planting 

 timber in large blocks'?" Yes; it is so for various reasons; 

 it can be done cheaper, and it aflfords greater shelter." — " Is it your 

 opinion that there is a great deal of land which has little chance of 

 being turned to the best advantage, because some small annual 

 shooting or grazing rental is valued by the proprietor more than 

 the distant prospect of a large return from timber?" "That is so." 

 — " Are any of your plantations deer fenced 1" "Yes." — "What 

 increase of cost do you suppose that would heV "About 4d. a 

 yard more for the fencing." — " What would the planting and deer 

 fencing amount to per acre 1 " "I could not tell that exactly." — 

 " Could you do it for £4 an acre 1 " " Yes ; on a large extent," — 

 " Five hundred acres 1 " " Yes." 



" In Dr Schlicli's evidence he rather seems to recommend the 

 connection of a forest school with Cooper's Hill, where already 

 students receive a certain amount of forestry instruction, with a 

 view of managing Indian forests ; do you think a central school of 

 that sort would be a good thing, and if it were established, do you 

 think it would be better connected with Cooper's Hill, or with some 

 more strictly agricultural college 1 " " Certainly it would be better 

 to be associated with an agricultural college than with an institution 

 like Cooper's Hill." — " Do you think that until any central school, 

 or any school, can be established for the purpose of instruction in 



