20 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
other public body, such as corporations, county councils, ete. It 
is only such bodies that have the necessary means, and as there is 
no question of death in their case, they are in a position to wait 
patiently for the deferred returns of forestry. I trust that the 
efforts of the Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society in this 
important department of national economy may be crowned 
with success. 
In connection with the question of afforestation, it is evident 
that all kinds of waste land are not alike suitable for tree-plant- 
ing. High and exposed situations and precipitous declivities do 
not lend themselves to forestry operations. Then, again, there 
are wide areas of comparatively flat land of moderate elevation, 
which are covered with heather and peat to such an extent as to 
preclude much hope of success from tree-planting. The most 
suitable areas for planting are furnished by moderate declivities 
in sheltered situations, where peat is either absent or at least 
present to such a small extent as not to prevent the roots of the 
young trees getting at the mineral soil underneath. It is with 
such areas that one should begin, for it is these that will most 
rapidly give satisfactory results. 
3. To me the most interesting part of my tour consisted in the 
opportunities I obtained of inspecting the exotic conifers that are 
so common in the parks and pleasure-grounds of Scotland. It is 
now fifteen years since the acclimatisation and forestal culti- 
vation of the various species of exotic conifers was vigorously 
taken in hand in Germany, and large sums have been spent upon 
the work. Foresters are divided in their opinions of the results 
and the value of these operations in Germany, many maintaining 
that the splendid growth which many of the trees are at present 
making will not be continued for many years. Seeing that such 
trees have been cultivated in Scotland for upwards of forty years, 
we are able to draw conclusions as to the probable ultimate 
results of their cultivation in Germany, bearing in mind, of 
course, that the climate of the two countries differs to a very 
considerable extent. The parks which I visited differed in 
character and situation to some extent, but all of them were 
pictures of sylvan beauty. Toa stranger accustomed to a Con- 
tinental climate, the splendid collections of conifers came as a 
‘revelation, and it would be difficult to say which of them was 
the most interesting. To me, as a forester, Murthly appeared 
