24 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



with an income of some ^{^200,000 a year. As a matter of 

 general principle the Commissioners were of opinion that the 

 demands of Scotch agriculture and forestry should be met from 

 the Scotch Fund so far as possible, before recourse is had to 

 the Development Fund ; but recognising that the primary object 

 of the Scotch Fund is the encouragement of small holdings, they 

 have agreed that expenditure for that purpose may properly be 

 regarded as having priority over the other purposes to which the 

 Fund can be applied. 



It is however at present a matter largely of estimates, and 

 therefore of some uncertainty, what amount will be spent for land 

 settlement in Scotland ; and it has accordingly been arranged, 

 with Treasury approval, that such schemes as the provision of 

 new buildings and farms for the agricultural colleges, extension 

 work at the colleges, and live stock improvement shall continue 

 to be assisted from the Development Fund, and that about the 

 €nd of the financial year 1915-16 (by which time there will be 

 actual experience of the real demands on the Scotch Fund for 

 land settlement) the Treasury shall decide whether such advances 

 are to be regarded as grants or loans. 



This arrangement does not cover advances for forestry purposes. 

 The question of the terms on which the Development Fund 

 should provide money for these purposes will require to be settled 

 separately on each application. 



Forestry and Afforestatioji. — The requirements for this purpose 

 are difficult to estimate, apart from the renewal of the annual 

 grants of ;^57oo per annum for education, the provision of 

 technical advice, and research. Considerable schemes are known 

 to be now before the Government Departments concerned, but 

 have not yet reached the Commissioners. They see no present 

 reason to depart from their former estimate, that probably 

 j;^35o,ooo will cover all the expenditure which can profitably be 

 incurred by 1 916. If it is found possible to obtain a suitable 

 demonstration area or areas without purchase, the greater part 

 of this sum will be available as a reserve to provide loans to 

 local authorities for afforesting watershed areas under their 

 control. The actual issue of any such loans will be spread over 

 some 20 or 30 years, but it will obviously be necessary in such 

 cases to earmark at once a sum sufficient to provide any funds 

 which the Treasury on the Commissioners' recommendation may 

 undertake to lend. 



