2o8 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Fig. 15. Gives a representation of a tree grown under similar conditions, 

 and of the same age — 140 years ; height 102 ft., diameter 33 ins. 



Fig. 16. The young pine shown here is the result of a sporadic reproduction 

 on the borders of a young growth of beech and oak ; age 22 

 years, height 17 ft., diameter 6^ ins. Soil, Class II. 



Fig. 17. The tree depicted here was produced in the same manner. The 

 pine depicted in Fig. 1 1 is the nearest old tree, and probably the 

 parent ; height 26 ft. , diameter 3^ ins. ; the age is 22 years. 



Fig. 18 (a and 3). Sporadic growth (of the same), age 22 years. The young 

 tree shown in (a) is 27 ft. high, and has a diameter of 4J ins., 

 that in {/>) 26^ ft. height, and 7 ins. diameter. 



Fig. 19. Shows a tree grown sporadically on an open space ; 20 years old, 

 20 ft. high, with a diameter of 3 ins. Soil, Class IV. 



Fig. 20. Depicts a young pine of the same age, and grown under the same 

 conditions, with a height of 20 ft. and a diameter of 5 ins. 



25. Forestry at the Edinburgh University. 



( IVitk Plate.) 



The Practical Course at Raith. 



The first or elementary course in forestry at the University 

 of Edinburgh is delivered during the winter session. In order to 

 illustrate the lectures the students, when possible, make excursions 

 to neighbouring woods on the Saturdays throughout the session. 

 In this way a general acquaintance is made with the various 

 species of forest trees, with methods of forming plantations, 

 planting, with the appearance of the young plants, etc. The 

 various silvicultural systems on which woods are grown are also 

 illustrated where possible. 



These object-lessons enable the student to obtain some idea 

 of what forest management aims at. It does not, however, give 

 him any opportunity of carrying out, himself, ordinary forestry 

 operations such as the sowing of seed in the nursery, lining 

 out transplants, planting out the latter to form woods, measuring 

 the volume of standing timber, or acquiring the rudiments of 

 that most important portion of a forester's equipment, a know- 

 ledge of how to thin woods. And yet, unless the student has an 

 opportunity of doing all these works himself, with his own hands, 

 and is carefully instructed how to do them whilst he is a student, 

 it is unlikely that he will be capable of properly supervising 

 others in performing these operations, and be in a position to 



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