Sir Robert Wright, to attend this meeting, and would offer 

 you his apologies. 



As you know, the functions of the Board of Agriculture for 

 Scotland only came into operation ten months ago, and since 

 that date there have been many matters other than forestry 

 requiring immediate and urgent attention. It is almost un- 

 necessary to say so, but the creation of a Government 

 Department involves in the first instance a vast amount of 

 organisation, and it takes time to achieve the output of work 

 which should follow, after an establishment of the kind is in 

 existence for some years. 



Advisory Committee. 



In connection with forestry, I may generally report that 

 after the Board was formed it was decided by the Secretary 

 for Scotland that it would be desirable to appoint a Committee 

 to advise the Board and in the first instance to deal with the 

 selection of a Demonstration Area, and also the erection of 

 a Forestry School, both of which were specially recommended 

 by the Departmental Committee which issued its report 

 towards the end of 191 1. 



The Secretary for Scotland appointed an Advisory Committee 

 in July 1912, and since then four meetings have been held, 

 as also additional meetings of a special Sub-Committee. 



Demonstration Area and School. 



The first duty of the Committee, as already mentioned, 

 was to aid in the selection of a Demonstration Area, and 

 in this matter the Committee have found themselves in a 

 dilemma. The Departmental Committee recommended that 

 the School should be placed in the Demonstration Area, 

 and that both should be at a point equally convenient of 

 communication to all the existing teaching centres. The 

 Committee's difficulty has been to find a suitable extent of 

 land with woodlands and plantable ground for sale near the 

 centre of Scotland, and they have been compelled to look 

 elsewhere, but it is hoped that soon they will be able to 

 make a definite selection for the consideration of the Board 

 and of the Secretary for Scotland. Ultimately the Development 

 Commissioners and the Treasury will have to be consulted, for 



