REPORT OF GENERAL MEETING. I I 



well planned and most interesting work to which I know of no 

 parallel in Scotland. A visit to Inverliever last week brought 

 home to me how far we have been left behind. This estate, 

 purchased by the Oflfice of Woods out of Crown revenue, is 

 administered by the same officers as the forest I have 

 mentioned. The site is not ideal, but it is typical Scottish 

 moorland. The planting on the best ground has succeeded 

 admirably, but in the earlier work the difficulties of the higher 

 ground were not fully grasped. That phase is past. The 

 earlier plantations and various methods of planting have been 

 carefully studied, the soil classified by its natural herbage, and 

 a soil map prepared which is far ahead of anything of the 

 kind I have seen attempted elsewhere in Scotland. This is 

 the work of the English Department which bought this 

 estate and is responsible for its management. They have 

 had the good sense to employ an experienced Scots forester — 

 Mr John Boyd — and to take him entirely into their confidence. 

 Such work directly advances the science of forestry. All 

 honour to the Department which is doing it. But is it not 

 pitiful to think that not one of our Scots forest officers, 

 advisers or lecturers has ever had the opportunity of working out 

 these practical problems? Surely the piling of teaching centre 

 on teaching centre, without securing a field for practical work, 

 without gauging by a survey the afforestable area, without a 

 single scheme of afforestation to provide openings for the men 

 you train, is an instance of pedantry gone mad. 



" It is true that after repeated refusals the Commissioners 

 have given small grants for surveys in the three kingdoms, but 

 these are scarcely begun and no attempt has been made to co- 

 ordinate their methods. The survey of Glen More made by 

 this Society at its own expense remains the only complete 

 survey yet attempted. The blighting influence of this system 

 under which the expert is over-ruled by the amateur, is felt in 

 every department of forestry, and the results often have a 

 grotesque humour about them. Emergency seed-beds have 

 recently been started in the Crown forests, and, no other fui.ds 

 being available, the Development Commissioners have provided 

 a modest grant. They also deputed — quite rightly, no doubt 

 — two of their number to inspect the work, which, mark you, 

 is already inspected by the Crown inspectors in charge of 

 the forests. The envoys of the Development Commission 



