182 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
of existing woodlands and of planting up new areas; and the 
object of the present course of lectures is to impart to the younger 
aspirants after fame in this direction some of the leading principles 
that should guide their endeavours. 
It seems, at first sight, marvellous that the United Kingdom 
should, until very recently, have been without the means of 
imparting any regular instruction in this important science ; but 
the fact appears less remarkable when we consider how far culti- 
vated land and pasture have with us taken the place of forest, 
the large extent to which we have drawn our supplies of timber 
from abroad, and the comparatively small amount of wood we 
consume as fuel. There is, however, no doubt another reason why 
progress in this direction has been so long delayed, and that is the 
very small area of forest land in these islands which is owned by 
the State. In countries where extensive forests are State property, 
forest schools were long ago established, I will instance the case 
of France, with the forests of which country I am better acquainted 
than I am with those of any other. The forests of France are 
thus owned :— 
Sq, miles. 
By the State, . C : : : 3,734 = 10°7 per cent. 
», communes or parishes, and public 
institutions under State control, 83073) = 2257 
», private proprietors, . : 3), 20,657. = 6656 
Total, . F . 385,464 
Although the State and the communes or parishes together 
possess only about one-third of the total forest area, the extent of 
their property is very large, amounting in all to 11,807 square 
miles. To carry on the management of these large domains, the 
State maintains a body of highly skilled foresters, who, before 
their appointment, have received two years’ training at the 
National Forest School at Nancy, at which institution, until 
a few years ago, candidates for the Indian Forest Service also 
received their professional education, But it is a remarkable fact, 
that although private proprietors own no less than 23,657 square 
miles of forest, or double the amount owned by the State and 
the parishes together, there is not a single private forest school 
or class throughout the country ; and further than this, although 
the lectures at the State Forest School are open to the public, 
advantage is very rarely taken of this privilege by private 
proprietors, This fact is doubtless due in a large measure to 
