INAUGURAL LECTURE IN THE COURSE OF FORESTRY. 403 



XXIir. Influences affecting British Forestry. Inaugural lecture 

 in the Course of Forestry, Edinlmrgh University, Tid October 

 1889. By William Sojierville, D.CEc, B.Sc, F.E.S.E. 



In opening this conrse of lectures, it has occurred to me tliat 

 a little of our time might not be unprofitably occupied in glancing 

 at the present position of British Forestiy, and in reviewing some 

 of the conditions which have exerted, and are still exerting, 

 their influences upon it. In doing so it will be necessary some- 

 times to turn aside in order to mark what is being done in 

 similar directions in other countries, so that we may obtain the 

 means for comparison and thus be enabled to arrive at a correct 

 estimate of our position. 



It is a common belief that, as regards the cultivation, 

 management, and utilization of woods and forests, Britain does 

 not occupy such a high position as most of the other countries 

 of Europe. This may be true of Sylviculture, but is not true of 

 Arboriculture. If we accept the etymological distinction which 

 exists between these two terms, and confine the meaning of 

 Arboriculture to the i)lanting, training, and general management 

 of individual trees, I believe no one will deny us the foremost 

 position in this department. Various causes have combined 

 to give us pre-eminence in this particular branch of tree-culture. 

 One is that we, as a nation, are rich, and possess a rich landed 

 aristocracy. Now it is only when a proprietor of land is in 

 a position, partly at least, to ignore considerations of profit or 

 rent, that he can afford to set aside a portion of his estate in 

 order to indulge his taste for tree-planting in the way we find 

 in our gi-eat British parks. The amount of space requisite to 

 the development of that large mass of branches, considered such 

 an essential feature in park-trees, is too great to admit of the 

 hope of deriving much, if any, profit from their timber. Nor are 

 they cut down and made use of when they have arrived at the 

 period of maturity, or have begun to exhibit symptoms of 

 decay, but, on the contrary, they are allowed to remain till the 

 natural termination of their life is reached, unless indeed they 

 be overthrown by storms. Park-trees are planted and preserved 

 in order to afford pleasure to their owner, and differ in no essential 

 respect from other articles of luxury. 



A park-like treatment of the trees is frequently observable 



