24 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



would of course be a forest at the doors of the lecture-room. 

 This, unfortunately, is impossible, and therefore the next best 

 expedient should be aimed at, viz., an area sufficiently near to 

 admit of a visit there and back v^^ithin a day. To effect this 

 vital object, some sacrifice of the extent to be acquired may be 

 accepted, for it is of pre-eminent importance to be able to 

 demonstrate />/ situ, at once — on the same day if possible — 

 the theory expounded in the lecture-room. Failing this, the 

 length of the journey should be sufficiently moderate to keep 

 the railway fare within the limit that can be reasonably afforded 

 by the students proceeding to the forest for a few days' camp. 

 It would, undoubtedly, be desirable to acquire two areas, one 

 for the treatment of conifers and the other for broad-leaved 

 trees, as the conditions of environment necessary for the proper 

 development of these two classes differ so greatly. The latter 

 area should be situated in the south, and would presumably be 

 nearer Edinburgh than the conifer area, for which probably 

 Perthshire would be found a suitable locality. The various 

 modifications of coppice, selection-coppice, and coppice-with- 

 standards would also be demonstrated in full detail in the broad- 

 leaved area. 



An extremely important feature of the administration would 

 be the registration of recorded results, and the subsequent 

 compilation of yield tables from such data. Then only will it 

 be possible to assess properly the quality of the locality. It is 

 at least doubtful whether the elaborate tables based on German 

 researches are of much practical use in Great Britain, where the 

 local physical conditions differ so greatly from those obtaining 

 on the Continent. It is the lack of such data that militates 

 so greatly against progress in silviculture with us. Under 

 the present conditions of forestry in England, it would seem to 

 be a sine quCi non that the forests should be entrusted to the 

 management of an officer who has been at least partially 

 trained in a Continental school. It is indeed scarcely possible 

 for any one who has not had the advantage of studying 

 professionally the noble ideals presented by the best Continental 

 forests, to realise the correct objects of management. 



The forest selected should be in as satisfactory a condition 

 as regards silviculture as can be obtained, and should be as 

 fully stocked as possible, so that, after a few years of correct 

 treatment, it may be expected to present to students the salient 



