REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY. 359 
believe the large Scottish forest owners would very considerably 
increase their returns from the forests if they decided to work 
their forests systematically. Supposing those lands were in the 
hands of the State, and the State were to say, we will make a 
working plan of operations; we will cut down so much every 
year for the next thirty years. Suppose the Government made 
an announcement of that sort, the result would be that enter- 
prising people would take to trading in timber, because they 
could rely for a series of years upon a stated quantity being 
thrown into the market. Under present circumstances a Scottish 
owner one year cuts down perhaps a 1000 acres, and the next 
year perhaps some other consideration arises ; perhaps he does not 
want money, or somebody gives him £1000 for the right of 
shooting the deer upon the forest ; then the merchant will be left 
high and dry.” 
“ You made a distinction, as regards the management of woods, 
between woods managed upon commercial principles and woods 
managed according to the express views and tastes of the owner?” 
“T made that distinction.” —‘“ Looking upon this question purely 
in a commercial light, do you think that the establishment of a 
school of forestry would tend to increase the value of our wood- 
lands by drawing attention to the defects in the management of 
our woodlands as a question of commerce, quite apart from the 
treatment of timber according to the views or tastes of the owner ?” 
“T think it would ; it would be a saving of time if nothing else.” 
“ Do you think the remark has had any foundation, that more 
success would be attained if greater care were paid to planting 
protection belts round the conifers?” ‘There are some plants 
which are flat-rooted and some deep-rooted. Upon the Continent 
they pay great attention where there is danger anticipated from 
storms to having deep-rooted species upon the windy side. There 
is no doubt more attention is paid to that on the Continent than 
there is in Scotland ; I have seen in the Thuringian Forest mixed 
forests of spruce and silver fir; the trees were standing in rows ; 
and upon the windy side, where they had for the leading tree a 
silver fir, they stood well, and where the leading tree had been a 
spruce they were all blown down.”—‘“ Do you think much of the 
damage which now occurs might be prevented by the adoption of 
some such principle?” “ Yes, very much ; but damage by storms 
will always occur.”—“ As to whether there should be one or two 
schools of forestry, that would depend upon the number of 
