REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY. ley) 
general condition of the woodlands?” ‘ Undoubtedly ; I had the 
advantage of going through our forests with the French professors. 
I had orders from the India Office to conduct them round, and I 
had letters to the principal landowners in Scotland; so that I had 
ample opportunity of learning the state of the forests there, and also 
of the Crown forests in England.” 
“T believe in France they are strongly of opinion that it is 
undesirable to plant oak by itself, and that it does better with 
beech?” ‘There are not above two or three forests in France in 
which the soil is capable of growing oak, pure ; and this is the case, 
not only in France, but in Germany, and in the Vosges forests, which 
I am acquainted with.”—“ I believe it is the case in this country, 
that we sometimes see oak by itself, and sometimes with larch, and 
sometimes with chestnut?” “Yes; they thought in this country 
that it was impossible to have too much of a good thing, and there- 
fore they planted the oak alone.”—‘ I suppose you would say it 
makes a great difference in the ultimate outcome of forests what 
species of trees are in association?” ‘There can be no doubt about 
it.” —“ I believe you agree with M. Boppé in thinking that in the 
New Forest a large area is going to wreck and ruin, and will ulti- 
mately go to waste?” ‘* Undoubtedly it is degrading, as we call it 
in France ; you can see that from the invasion of the heather, which 
is creeping on in every direction in the New Forest.” 
““T believe you have been several times applied to on behalf of 
the English Colonies to recommend officials to them to take the 
management of forests?” ‘ Yes,”—‘‘ Have you been able to supply 
them with competent officials?” ‘Yes; I could have recom- 
mended very clever officers, but they could not be spared at the 
time. I was able, however, to find some French officers to do what 
was required.” —“ You were unable to find any qualified English- 
men ; therefore you were obliged to recommend French officials for 
the purpose?” “ Quite so.” 
“With regard to the French school, I believe you are of opinion 
that the French School is a very admirable one, but that there are 
several reasons why it is not altogether adapted for English 
students. For instance, the loss of time involved in the use of a 
foreign language, the difference of the technical terms in England 
and France ; and then, again, the political difficulties which some- 
times arise, which have in one case, at any rate, produced very 
serious inconvenience; and also that it is undesirable to create an 
exclusive service for India with our own forest officials ; and lastly, 
