lOO TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



caused through the failure of graziers to make a profit out of 

 sheep Stocks. 



The investigation proves that the views of succeeding 

 Councils of the Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society have 

 been sound, and that if the resolutions of the Society had 

 received parliamentary support before 1919, the extent of land 

 under deer might have been less than it is now. The points 

 of interest to silviculturists disclosed by the Report are : — 



1. That as sources of employment the deer forest and the 



hill farm are practically similar and of very small conse- 

 quence. 



2. That the diminution due to deer forests in the production 



of meat only represents 0*36 per cent, of the total 

 meat consumption of the United Kingdom for one day. 



3. That the diminution of wool due to the same cause 



represents o'209 per cent, of the total consumption 

 of wool. 



4. That the fenced plantations in the deer forest barely 



altogether exceed 45,000 acres or 1-3 per cent. 



5. That in Mar Forest, larch planted 100 years ago makes 



good timber at from 1200 to 2000 feet; Gleney contains 

 spruce, 80 years old, 70 feet high at 1600 feet; and in 

 Ballochbuie are found the straightest and tallest pines 

 in Scotland over the 1000 feet contour line. 



6. That at Ardverikie (elevation 1142 feet) both larch and 



spruce have attained from 48 to 55 feet in forty years. 



The Committee unanimously arrived at the following con- 

 clusions : — 



1. ''We have not inspected a sufficient number of deer 



forests to justify us in generalising on the scope deer 

 forests afford for small holdings. We can only say that 

 most of those we have visited are quite unsuitable for 

 the purpose, unless the small holdings were combined 

 with some additional profitable occupation, such as 

 silviculture or sea fishing, on which the small holders 

 and their families could rely for an income at seasons 

 when the holdings do not require their attention." 



2, " Where the ground is suitable for silviculture, production 



could be increased by this agency to a point far beyond 

 the pastoral value, while the labour absorbed by the 



