19G TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Government loans, oi' by forming public companies to supply the 

 means. Money is cheap, and the security is good ; and those who 

 first begin planting operations on a proper scale, and in a judicious 

 manner, are likely to I'eap the greatest reward. 



We now turn for a moment to the events of the year which 

 has passed since we last met in this hall. The first event to 

 which I will refer was the highly successful Excursion of the 

 Society immediately after our last meeting, when, by the gracious 

 permission of the Queen, the members enjoyed the privilege 

 of inspecting the beautiful woodlands around Balmoral, and the 

 famed Scots Pine forest of Ballochbuie, a full account of which 

 has been published and sent to every member. 



The issue of the Report of the Forestry Committee of the House 

 of Commons took place on the 3d of Axigust, as already stated, and 

 caused a considerable amount of discussion in the public journals. 

 It was favourably received and criticised by most authorities, 

 although it raised but a limited amount of enthi;siasm amongst 

 professional foresters, owing chiefly to it failing to recommend a 

 definite system of forestry instruction under proper authority, in 

 accordance with the strongly felt want of professional men. A 

 summaiy of the evidence and rejiort has appeared in the Transac- 

 tions for the last three years, and most of the evidence of value to 

 foresters has been given in detail. 



In the month of October last the Society had the honour 

 to have the desigHation of ""The Royal Scottish Arboricultural 

 Society " conferred upon it by Her Most Gracious Majesty the 

 Queen, by which title it will henceforth be known. The part of 

 the Transactions lately issued comprises some valuable papers, 

 and compares favourably with former issues. Towards the end 

 of 1887, the Council were able to make a favourable arrange- 

 ment with the proprietor of the Farming World, by which 

 Forestry articles and correspondence on topics of more or less 

 importance have appeared in its pages, and every efibrt of 

 the kind deserves the hearty support of all interested in the 

 subject. 



In Forest Literature, the most important publications, in English, 

 which have appeared during the year are the valuable fleports 

 issued by the Forest Department of India, by several of our 

 Colonies, and particularly by the Government of the United 

 States. Many of these books have been pi-esented to the Society, 

 and are added to the library. 



