TRANSACTIONS 



OF THE 



SCOTTISH AEBOBICULTUfiAL SOCIETY. 



I. Address delivered at the Twenty-second Annual Meeting. By 

 John Hutton Balfour, M.D., M.A., F.R.SS.L. and E, 

 Professor of Botany in the University of Edinburgh. 



I AM deeply sensible of the honour which yon have conferred upon 

 me, in electing me President of the Scottish Arboricultural 

 Society, and I shall now endeavour to discharge a part of the 

 duties of that office, by giving you a short address, at the com- 

 mencement of another Session. 



Since we last met we have to record the death of one of our 

 oldest Members, who may be called the father of the Society, 

 William Thomson, Chopwell. He was born in Fifeshire, on 

 the estate of the Earl of Moray, in 1828. When he was quite 

 young the family removed to Inverness-shire, where his father 

 acted as Forester on the estate of Petty till the year 1843. 

 During this time William attended school at Ballochy, where he 

 obtained the rudiments of his education. In 1843, his father, 

 having been appointed Forester to the Earl of Stair, removed 

 to Wigtonshire. Here the son acquired his first knowledge of 

 forestry. Lord Stair's woods and plantations in Galloway are 

 very extensive and varied, and afford ample opportunities for 

 acquiring a knowledge of arboriculture. Thomson's father was a 

 thorough practical forester, and gave excellent instruction to his 

 son, who, after serving his apprenticeship, went to Cally and acted 

 as journeyman. When twenty years of age William accepted the 

 superintendence of the woods of the Marquis of Londonderry at 

 Wynyard Park, and remained there till 1851. After filling 

 various situations with credit and efficiency, Mr Thomson was, on 



VOL. VIII., PART I. A 



