2 26 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



owned), it might be possible to maintain a forest-corps in each 

 of the counties suitable to reboisement. In these corps (say) 

 conservators would be colonels; deputy conservators -majors; 

 assistant conservators — captains; sub-assistant conservators — 

 lieutenants ; head foresters — ^sergeants and sergeants major ; 

 foresters — corporals; and woodmen or labourers — privates. 

 Military pay would be confined to a small retaining fee, and 

 possibly some extra advantages as to old age pension, while 

 rewards would be issued to all ranks for proficiency in rifle 

 shooting, signalling, scouting, and other forms of military 

 proficiency. There should, of course, be a distinctive uniform, 

 as in the police or postal departments, one suitable for a daily 

 working dress, possibly including the kilt in the Highlands, and 

 the broad blue bonnet throughout Scotland, in accordance with 

 the modern national aspirations espoused by so many patriotic 

 societies. 



Such corps would possess the strongest esprit de corps, 

 not only from daily association in a common employment, but 

 because such association, involving regulation by civil superiors, 

 would in war time render military command by these civil 

 superiors an easy and really effective discipline, such as 

 hardly exists among territorial auxiliaries only very occasionally 

 embodied. There could also be no doubt as to the genuine 

 " territorialism " of such forest corps ; they would be actually 

 employed daily in open-air life in their own county, whose 

 features they would know intimately. They would be hardy, 

 healthy, active and sturdy, — no mean advantages to soldier or 

 civilian. 



Readers will doubtless observe many points and details 

 omitted in these short notes, which are put forward merely as 

 rough and early suggestions. 



