58 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



"The West of Scotland Agricultural College have placed 

 100 women in permanent employment in forestry. Already 

 42 students have expressed a desire to enrol for the College 

 winter course, and of these 20 are ladies. 



"These facts clearly show that in the West at all events, 

 where forestry has been hitherto neglected, there is now a keen 

 and growing interest in it The fact that two local authorities 

 and two private owners have proceeded with afforestation 

 schemes, notwithstanding the difficulties created by the war, 

 appears to us to show that no good reason exists why the 

 Government should continue to neglect forestry in Scotland as 

 they have done. We submit that matters have now reached 

 the stage when, in the national interest, forestry should be 

 guided and stimulated by Government recognition and grants. 



^''Forestry in Education. — Forestry is an ideal study for 

 children \ it is within the scope of every scholar to do something 

 in forestry ; it has an abiding interest; it is health-giving; and 

 is of great national importance. Our experience working with 

 children in Hairmyres nursery justifies us in recommending that 

 school forest nurseries ought to be established. We take the 

 view of the American Forestry Association with reference to the 

 school study of trees and forests. Whereas the child is the 

 heart of society, the secret of permanency lies in its training 

 through the medium of our public school system. 



" What the Board of Education suggests with reference to 

 gardening we claim equally for forestry. 



* The material with which every student is concerned is 

 so rich, varied, and interesting, and offers such opportunities 

 of cultivating the powers of observation and reasoning, and 

 the qualities of carefulness, that even within the limits of a 

 school garden the study can be made educative in the 

 fullest sense of the term.' 



" As showing how wide the interest in forestry now is, an 

 article appeared in the last volume of the Society's Transaciiofis 

 on the 'Chinese Forest Service.' The writer states : — 



' We will take steps to interest our schools — public, private, 

 and missionary — in forestry, and induce them to include 

 something about forestry in the course of study.' 



" At present, technical and other schools in Scotland specialise 

 in advancing knowledge of the local industries. There are 



