50 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



" I think there are at least two good reasons why Scotland 

 should bear a prominent part in any scheme of afforestation. 

 The first is that there is more ground available for planting 

 in Scotland than in any other part of the United Kingdom, 

 and the other is that 90 per cent, of the timber which is 

 imported into this country from other lands is coniferous timber, 

 and it is an undisputed fact that Scotland can grow that class 

 of timber as well as, if not better than, any country in the 

 world. 



" You would expect, under these circumstances, that, when 

 there was a question of increasing the amount of home-grown 

 timber, some step would be taken towards it in Scotland ; 

 but that has not been the case. The two authorities who had 

 it in their power to help have neither of them done anything 

 worthy of the name. The Board of Agriculture in Scotland 

 was set up for the express purpose of dealing with forestry as 

 well as with agriculture. It has had an annual grant of, I 

 think, ;^200,ooo, but practically the whole of that money has 

 been spent on agriculture. 1 he other source from which we 

 had reason to expect substantial assistance was the Development 

 Fund. But the Development Commissioners have dealt less 

 liberally with Scotland than with any other part of the United 

 Kingdom. 



" I think. Sir, that the figures will probably surprise you, if 

 you are not already acquainted with them, Down to March 

 of last year the Development Commissioners had spent 

 altogether ^241,500 on forestry; but, of that considerable 

 sum, only ;^i 7,500 has come to Scotland, while no less than 

 ;^i 40,000 has gone to Ireland. In other words, although 

 Scotland offers a wider field for forestry operations than 

 England, Wales, and Ireland all put together, it has received 

 only one-fourteenth part of the money which has been 

 spent. 



"Of the ;j^i7,ooo which has been spent in Scotland, the 

 greater part has gone to assist the scientific education of the 

 higher class of foresters— an excellent thing if related to some 

 general scheme of afforestation, but not of great use by itself. 

 No doubt, a number of well-trained, well-qualified students 

 have been turned out from the teaching centres, but what has 

 become of them? When their training is complete, when they 

 have received their degree or diploma, they find no career 



