society's meeting with interim forest authority. 53 



been started for practical men since the Botanic Garden course 

 was instituted. When the Board of Agriculture for Scotland 

 asked the opinion of this Council on this scheme, we gave it 

 our approval on condition that the school was to be open to 

 apprentice foresters (including women) as well as soldiers. I, 

 myself, pointed out to the Council that it was rather unfair to 

 set up a school of this kind for discharged men and shut the 

 door against apprentice foresters — that is, men who have not 

 reached military age, and have had no chance to fight. But 

 from a paragraph which appeared in the Press recently, it seems 

 that apprentice foresters are not to be admitted at present. I 

 understand that there is not sufficient accommodation for them. 

 If that is the only barrier, I think it could easily be removed by 

 an extensidn of the building. At any rate, it is most essential 

 that apprentice foresters should be taken in hand at once, and 

 that provision should be made for their receiving a thoroughly 

 good technical training if afforestation is to make any progress 

 at all. In connection with the Birnam School, which we sug- 

 gested should include women as well as men, I would just like to 

 say that I personally have no objection to women taking up 

 forestry or gardening, and I have had a good deal of com- 

 munication and discussion with people since the war started 

 in connection with the employment of women in gardening. 

 But I do not think there is very much prospect of success for 

 women either in forestry or in gardening. I know a number of 

 lady gardeners, and I think I only know one who would attempt 

 to undertake all the operations connected with gardening. But 

 she is an exception. It involves that a woman must remain 

 single." 



Mr Acland. — " I quite see that point." 



Mr Richardson. — " In connection with universities and 

 colleges, we have had before us a scheme of the Edinburgh 

 and East of Scotland College of Agriculture, for the granting of 

 diplomas to foresters, and we gave it as our opinion that the 

 candidates for these diplomas must have at least three years 

 practical training before they get the diploma, one of which 

 they should have before they enter the College. Quite recently, 

 in the University of Edinburgh, it has been proposed to grant a 

 certificate and a diploma to discharged officers, a certificate for 

 one year, and a diploma for two years' training. That is all the 

 training they are to have. It is absurd to attempt to train men 

 VOL. xxxiii. part i. c 



