society's meeting with interim forest authority. 31 



perhaps steps have already been taken by the Board of 

 Agriculture ? " 



.Mr Duthie. — " Yes, there was a question in our trade paper." 



Lord Clinton. — "There is a general order that all names 

 should be sent to the Ministry of Labour.'' 



Colonel Balfour. — " I think rabbit trappers should be included 

 in those who ought to be released." 



Lord Clinton. — " Forestry comes second or third on the list. 

 Rabbit trappers would require to be included as forest labourers." 



Colonel Balfour. — " Yes, that is what I mean." 



Mr Acland. — "If there is still anything which you think the 

 Central Forest Authority can do, of course it is up to us to do it. 

 Does Lord Lovat confirm Mr Duthie's theory that the seed from 

 the Swiss border does not really come from Germany ? " 



Mr Duthie. — " I was told on the very best authority that it 

 does not. I made particular inquiry last year about the larch 

 seed. It comes from the French side of the Swiss frontier." 



Lord Lovat. — "There is practically no larch on the French 

 side." 



Mr Richardson. — "In regard to the training of foresters, I 

 have been asked to speak because I had some connection with 

 a school of forestry for practical foresters, and also for gardeners, 

 established in the year 1892, and I may say, in connection with 

 this, that Scotland was the pioneer country in this kind of instruc- 

 tion. Prior to 1892 some lectures were given, but the school 

 was organised then, and some considerable time before the Forest 

 of Dean School, which is pretty much on the same lines, was 

 started. The Forest of Dean School, however, was established 

 in a forest, whereas this was not. The course referred to was 

 started in the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, and it was 

 devised for practical foresters and practical gardeners. One of 

 the conditions which was imposed on them was that before they 

 entered the school they must have had three years of practical 

 experience in forestry or gardening. Some of the men who 

 entered had had longer experience than three years, but that was 

 the minimum. The course was spread over about three years, 

 and the men who entered it — 16 foresters and 16 gardeners — 

 were put in the place of the garden staff. They had to do the 

 garden work, the foresters .doing the work in the Botanic Garden 

 and the Arboretum, while the gardeners were placed in the glass 

 department, etc. The classes were held in the evening, only 



