ON ESTABLISHING AN EXPERIMENTAL FOREST AREA, 159 
landed proprietors to improve the value of their estates in this 
respect, until the public generally realise that any such improve- 
ment is rather a public than a private gain, and that the afforesta- 
tion of practically waste land, and the economical working of 
existing woodlands, affects favourably the wealth and well-being 
of the country generally. Until this fact is recognised more fully, 
and the public are willing to bear their share of the initial expense 
of what is essentially a national industry, woodland and estate 
proprietors have a reasonable excuse in declining to take up work 
of this kind, State forests not only find employment for a numer- 
ous class, but, as a source of profit, ultimately relieve the taxpayer’s 
pocket, and their establishment in this country on an adequate 
scale is quite as much needed as is the case in France or Germany, 
where the recognition of the fact has been succeeded by good 
results. If we can prove, therefore, that forestry in Scotland can 
be made a profitable industry, the cause of State forestry will be 
materially strengthened, for without such proof, those in authority 
are hardly justified in going to much expense in the matter. 
2. The Instruction of Practical Foresters and Estate Agents 
in the Scientific Management of Woods. 
At the present time, more progress has been made in this matter 
than in the application of the principles taught to practical forestry. 
Any facilities, however, which have thus far been provided are of 
a purely theoretical character, which are, of course, insufficient in 
themselves to complete the training of a practical forester. The 
latter, however, who works his way up by taking a share in the 
manual labour of estate woods, is usually well posted up in the 
practical details of his calling, and the mere fact of the theoretical 
and practical parts of his training not being contemporaneous, 
would not in itself be a serious drawback. But, as already pointed 
out, the practice of forestry in Scotland is not always based on 
such sound principles as to constitute the forest department of 
every estate a suitable training-ground for a young man who 
aspires to a highly technical acquaintance with economic forestry. 
In addition, the practical forester, and, to a much greater extent, 
the student of the forestry class in Edinburgh University, are at a 
great disadvantage in having no suitable training-ground in advanced ~ 
forestry. Many of these students ultimately become land-agents, 
and in that capacity have considerable influence upon the system 
