58 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



been a commercial enterprise, but has been done as the lumber 

 has been needed for home and general use. 



" It is not so many years ago that the scarcity was felt so 

 keenly that bamboo, which grows rapidly, was selected for house 

 building, furniture and other commodities. Brick, stone and 

 mud are used for houses because there is not wood enough. 



"There are fine forests in China yet, but they are inaccessible 

 and comparatively useless in preventing floods. No man can 

 hope to arouse the Chinese to the need of tree planting from a 

 patriotic standpoint, but it can be done from the viewpoint of 

 commercialism. 



" Forestry will some day become one of the greatest fields of 

 Government work in China. At present most of this work, the 

 amount of which is hardly worth mentioning, is done by German 

 foresters, but as fast as they can be educated Chinese will fill 

 such positions as State foresters, superintendents, surveyors, 

 rangers, clerks and timber experts. There are twenty-one 

 provinces in China, each of which will have to have a head 

 forester. 



" The first work to be done will be the mapping of the entire 

 country's forest area, a gigantic proposition, but one which the 

 Government stands ready to undertake when trained men can 

 be obtained. I hope to be in the field within the next three 

 years." 



Surely this indicates a rapid awakening on the part of China 

 to the requirements of modern times. 



Fortunately, Scotland is in some ways better off than China 

 as regards the possibilities of forestry development. We have 

 at least that spirit which prompts men to patriotic acts, among 

 which tree planting is not the least. 



The history of forestry development in most countries shows 

 that the various governments have had to overcome a large 

 amount of popular prejudice in their endeavours to protect the 

 forest in the interests of the country as a whole. The former 

 opposition to forest conservation and protection in Switzerland, 

 by those interested in grazing rights, is typical of what has 

 happened in other European countries, and even within our 

 own shores examples in plenty could be given of the active 

 hostility of those interested in grazing rights against the en- 

 closure of parts of the Crown forests. In Canada the same 

 lack of popular interest is felt. Apparently the man in the 



