TRAINING OF PROBATIONERS FOR INDIAN FOREST SERVICE, 10g 
and it was resolved to transfer the two Forestry professors (paid 
by the Government of India only) to a University centre. 
Cambridge and Oxford entered into keen competition for the 
reversion of these Indian Forestry students; and Oxford, having 
apparently had most to offer in the way of immediate advantages, 
won the day, so that since October 1905 the lecture course in 
Forestry is being delivered there, and is to be followed by 
twelve months’ residence in a German Forest. 
This move to Oxford is perhaps, however, only of a temporary 
nature. Cambridge protested vehemently (and one can easily 
understand why) against Oxford receiving such one-sided support 
from the Secretary of State for India, and Edinburgh University 
naturally also joined issue; and the effect was that the Secretary 
of State has promised to reconsider his decision within the next 
three years, the Oxford training in the meantime being thus 
limited to the summer of 1908. Under these new temporary 
rules, the next competitive examination, to be held in August 
1906, is in the following subjects: —(1) mechanics and physics, 
(2) chemistry, and (3) botany. It seemsa pity that the 
examination shall not extend to al/ the main sciences directly 
cognate to Forestry, viz., (1) chemistry, (2) geology and soil-science, 
(3) botany, and (4) zoology—because a fairly well-correlated 
knowledge of the elements of these four subjects would 
undoubtedly form the best foundation for the study of the 
theory and the practice of scientific Forestry. 
Apart from the several Agricultural Colleges where Forestry 
now forms part of the curriculum prescribed for land-agents 
and other students, University courses of lectures are given 
at Edinburgh, St Andrews, Newcastle, and Bangor; and 
Cambridge will almost immediately also provide a course 
of technical instruction. 
How far these courses of instruction may go towards being 
considered ‘¢horough in all the four branches of Forestry, has 
nothing to do directly with the training of probationers for the 
Indian Forest Service. But that must certainly have a very 
direct effect, if it may perhaps be the intention of these 
Universities to combine within the next three years, and urge 
the Secretary of State to throw open the Indian Forest Service, 
from 1908 onwards, to the competition of all University students 
who have undergone an adequate course of instruction in all 
the four branches of Forestry. 
