REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE OX FORESTRY. 141 



great number of first-rate men, who to this day, many of them (and 

 I think it is forty years ago), are up and down different parts of 

 England and Scotland. In fact the only possible plan of training 

 a set of good foresters is by apprenticeship on a large estate under 

 a thoroughly good man. That would take a man on to say twenty- 

 one or twenty-two years of age. Then if it was thought desirable 

 he might go to any of the institutions. The Scottish Universities 

 are the cheapest places for instruction you can have, and in England 

 there are now arising similar institutions here and there where 

 scientific training is given at a very cheap rate. That might follow 

 the young foresters' five or six years' learning of the work under a 

 thoroughly good practical man, but I certainly should be sorry to 

 see any attempt made at starting a school of forestry without first 

 of all trying the plan of utilising the institutions which are in exist- 

 ence, such as the Scottish Universities and the training institutions 

 in diflPerent parts of England. I have had a little experience about 

 that. I am patron of a few poor bursaries in the University of 

 Edinburgh, and small as they are (they are only £20 a year) there 

 is always a number of candidates. It shows that the system 

 of establishing bursaries, if that were tried, need not be very ex- 

 pensive to the nation ; there is always a great competition to get 

 these little £20 bursaries. Occasionally I have applications from 

 men who have been in trade, artisans who for some reason of their 

 own wish to get a scientific training, or even occasionally they wish 

 to go out as missionaries and to get training for Church work after- 

 wards. But the main point is that I think £20 or £25 a year 

 would be sufficient to enable a lad, after he had learnt his practical 

 work thoroughly, to go to Aberdeen or Edinburgh and to get what 

 additional scientific training might be thought desirable there. I 

 think that the nation would get far more for their money in that 

 way than they would by establishing a school of forestry. I think 

 schools of forestry would be very expensive, and I do not know 

 that they would turn out good results. Of course one must also 

 keep in mind that the number of foresters for whom places are to 

 be had is very limited ; it is only upon a large estate that remunera- 

 tion can be given for a well-educated forester. I think there w^ould 

 scarcely be openings if schools of forestry were established upon a 

 large scale for the lads that they woi;ld turn out. Then as to 

 teaching boys at parish schools or public schools of forestry and 

 agriculture, I have no idea that that would answer. I think a lad, 

 if he intends to take to farming or forestry, must learn the practical 



