62 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBOKICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



trouble you with details, as the scheme has not yet been pro- 

 ceeded with. 



"As far back as 1914, the Governors of our College put forward 

 a scheme for an instructional forest garden of 125 acres, but the 

 Development Commissioners considered this an unnecessarily 

 large area, and they recommended 30 acres as a suitable extent 

 for the purpose. 



"In May 19 15 intimation was received from the Board of 

 Agriculture that the Development Commissioners were prepared 

 to recommend a capital grant of ;^2 5o and an annual main- 

 tenance grant of ;^roo for five years towards the establishment 

 and maintenance of a forest garden at Craibstone, and this offer 

 was accepted by the Governors. But in October of the same 

 year intimation was received from the Board that, under the 

 conditions then obtaining, the Treasury were unable to sanction 

 the capital and maintenance grants proposed. Nothing further 

 has been done in the meantime with regard to this proposed 

 instructional forest garden. I may mention that Dr Borthwick 

 quite approved of our recommendations in regard to the Forestry 

 Department at Craibstone, and he shared our views that 30 acres 

 is not a sufficiently large area for a forest garden. 



" I have much pleasure in stating that through the initiative 

 of the Board a forest nursery of i^- acres was formed last year, 

 and in the spring of this year another i^ acres was added, thus 

 making a nursery of 3 acres in all. There are now about i|- 

 million 2-year seedlings and about ih million i-year seedlings in 

 the nursery. We have agreed, at Dr Borthwick's request, to set 

 apart sufficient suitable ground to line out the 2-year seedlings 

 next spring. The whole community of the North of Scotland 

 is deeply interested in this National Forest Nursery — the first 

 of its kind in Scotland — and our Agricultural College, on educa- 

 tional grounds and otherwise, is greatly indebted to the Board 

 of Agriculture for selecting Craibstone for this important 

 purpose. 



" Perhaps I may be allowed to say in conclusion, that the 

 interest already taken in the Forestry Department at Craibstone 

 by the North and North-East of Scotland justifies the Governors 

 of the College in believing that the work now being undertaken 

 by them will have a far-reaching and stimulating effect in 

 improving the methods and promoting the prosperity of the 

 Forest Industry in the North." 



