REPORT OF GENERAL MEETING. 23 



a laborious and expensive proceeding in large areas — the 

 remedy may be worse than the disease. 



" As to the age at which sheep could be admitted for wintering, 

 the opinion may be hazarded that larch plantations would 

 become available earlier than any other plantations— at the age 

 of twenty-five to thirty years. 



"Generally speaking, it may be said that the wintering of 

 sheep on any considerable scale in plantations will involve 

 the adoption of a less intensive system of silviculture than 

 could be followed if sheep were excluded altogether. It may 

 very well be true in Scotland that the loss due to this cause 

 will be less important from an economic point of view than 

 the corresponding gain to pastoral interests. Further, if 

 plantations have a definite and considerable value for wintering, 

 then, as soon as the first-planted blocks become available for 

 sheep in winter, further enclosures for planting can take place 

 on the same farm without reduction of the winter stock. 



" Perhaps enough has been said to show that the whole subject 

 is worthy of closer investigation than it has yet received." 



Mr D. K. M'Beath then spoke on the " Relation of Afforestation 

 to Deer Forests and Sheep Grazings," and said : — " One of the 

 great questions of the day is afforestation. While all of us 

 are directly interested in furthering a systematic increase 

 in the production of timber in Scotland, there are, however, 

 various interests to be considered, not to mention the very 

 important matter of selecting not only the most suitable 

 ground and situation for afforestation, but also the question 

 as to what class of timber can advantageously be grown in a 

 particular district. It is fundamental to the success of any 

 general scheme of afforestation that so-called waste lands, 

 be they deer forests or sheep grazings, should not be encroached 

 on without full consideration of the various public interests 

 concerned. In other words, no land should hereafter be 

 afforested which would in any way reduce food production, 

 and so cause an increase in imports : no crop must be grown 

 at the expense of another. 



" Afforestation must stand or fall on its own merits— it is 

 hopeless to expect it to run in double harness with small 

 holdings or any other such scheme. The position of the crofter- 

 fisherman or fisherman-crofter, on the coasts both of the main- 

 land and of the islands has long been an unenviable one ta 



