106 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
training, viz., the provision of forest districts in which the 
practical part of the instruction can be conducted. To meet 
this difficulty, some members of this Society have proposed to 
start a model forest under the auspices of a joint-stock company. 
Now this is a novel idea, which at first sight may recommend 
itself to some people, but for myself, I confess I do not think 
much of it, for several reasons. For one thing, the buying of a 
tract of land and planting it up would be equivalent to postpon- 
ing progress for about another generation, during which time 
not much more could be learned in it, except what can be seen 
in hundreds of the forest estates existing in this country. For 
I need hardly point out to you that, as far as planting opera- 
tions are concerned, our Scottish foresters may proudly enter the 
arena, never minding whom they meet therein. Indeed, in this 
respect, Continental foresters may learn a good deal by coming 
to Scotland. 
For immediate use we require something more, and that is a 
considerable area of actually existing forests, which can at once 
be placed under systematic management and regular sustained 
working. There is no necessity that these should at once be put 
into apple-pie order, All that is wanted is that a plan of 
operations, or a so-called working plan, should be drawn up for 
each, under which the forest (while safeguarding the interests of 
the proprietor) is gradually, and in the course of a number of 
years, led over into a model forest. There would be an annual 
return at once, which would gradually increase to the highest 
possible yield which could reasonably be expected from the 
area. Operations like those involved in such a conversion would 
be the very thing for the instruction of students, and this all the 
more, as they would, when entering upon independent activity, 
in all probability have to introduce and conduct similar opera- 
tions. Any forest area which is fairly stocked would therefore 
do for our purpose, provided it offers a sufficient variety of 
conditions. For the latter reason it would be best to have 
several forests, situated in different parts of the country. 
Nowadays all parts are easily accessible, so that those estates 
could be conveniently reached, but it would be a distinct 
advantage if one of them was sufficiently close to the place 
where the theoretical instruction is given, so that it can be 
visited by the students in the course of a day, while at the 
others the students would pass through a regular apprenticeship. 
