IIO TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Such a decision would relieve the Indian Treasury. If the 
Government of India can annually obtain probationers well 
qualified in Forestry by open competition, then all they would 
need to provide will be a special course of lectures on ‘Indian 
Forestry” at Oxford, or else organise a six to eight or twelve 
months’ course at the Imperial Forest School at Dehra Dun. 
The latter would probably be the preferable method, as well 
as the cheaper ; it would be best for the work of the Department, 
and best for the young officers themselves. It would train 
these most easily and quickly to practical work in jungle and 
office, would accustom them to camp life and methods, and 
would make them of greater use when only commencing their 
official life. And the opportunity it would also give of making 
all of them study Hindustani would be of much advantage, both 
to the young officers and to Government, because there is no 
province in India where a knowledge of Hindustani is not 
almost essential for the proper performance of a Forest officer’s 
duties, in addition to the prescribed official language of each 
province, in which lower and higher standard examinations have 
to be passed as stepping-stones to promotion. 
As it will no doubt interest our readers to learn something 
about Forest work in India, a short account of the chief timber- 
trees will be found on page 111, and notes on Indian Forestry 
during 1905 on page 128. 
