90 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
turn into experienced sylviculturists, to suit a demand which 
only lately has sprung up, is hardly fair. Until recent times the 
economic question was, as far as the bulk of British woodlands 
is concerned, of minor importance, since these woodlands were 
maintained chiefly for other objects, such as beauty of landscape, 
or the production of fine specimens of trees grouped in picturesque 
fashion over the estates, or for game coverts. Iam sure I may 
safely say that these requirements were admirably met by Scottish 
wood managers. But of late, however, a change has come. 
Agriculture has fallen low, and the rent-roll of many proprietors 
has been seriously affected. The economic or financial importance 
of woodlands, and the profitable utilisation of waste lands, have 
come more into the foreground. Hence the increased demand for 
skilled sylviculturists as wood managers who are fully acquainted 
with the economic aspect of the industry. This is all very well, 
but forests which have hitherto been managed for other objects 
cannot suddenly be converted into what I call ‘ economic forests.” 
The change takes time, and if proprietors are beginning to get 
impatient, they have clearly only themselves to blame. The 
transition from the one condition to the other takes a consider- 
able space of time, and it demands the greatest skill of the sylvi- 
culturist to effect it without loss to the proprietor; in fact, it means 
in only too msny cases the gradual utilisation of the woods now 
existing to the best advantage, and the production of new woods 
which will meet the requirements of modern economic forestry, 
and not of arboriculture. The thing can be done, but the. opera- 
tion requires the training of wood managers on lines somewhat 
different from those hitherto followed in this country. 
To understand the difference between the two things more fully, 
it will be well if I touch for a few minutes on the principal causes 
why the timber now produced in Britain cannot compete with 
that imported from abroad, On this subject so much has been 
written and said of late that I can compress what I have to say 
into a few sentences. Indeed, the 7ransactions of this Society 
during the last two years are a very storehouse of information on 
the subject. 
You are aware that the general drawback, from which forestry 
in this country labours, is the absence of a regular demand for 
home-grown timber. You also know that, until a comparatively 
recent date at any rate, most Government contracts for works of 
construction contained a clause to the effect that no home-grown 
Oty 
