126 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



" 'J'o those who share my behef, the letter of the Secretary of 

 the Development Commissioners offers very cold comfort. It 

 indicates that our ideals are very far from being understood, and 

 that in their place some rigid uniform system seems to be here 

 as ever the ideal of the bureaucratic mind. 



'* For the time we must be content with stating our beliefs and 

 our readiness to give reasons for them if they are required. 



"In conclusion, I would say a word to those who may have 

 thought that I have dwelt too much on a single aspect of the 

 question of afforestation, that of the landowners' share in it. I 

 hold no brief for the landowners, nor do I for one moment 

 claim the high honour of being able to speak on their behalf, 

 but this I say without fear of contradiction, that the question of 

 afforestation in Scotland is in the main a landowners' question. 

 Practically everything that has been done for forestry in Scotland 

 in the past, and that is much more than some adverse critics 

 would care to admit, has been the work of the landowners. I do 

 not believe that the lairds of to-day are at all behind their pre- 

 decessors in their will to work for the development of the natural 

 resources of Scotland, and do not doubt that schemes of afforesta- 

 tion founded on a wise consideration of the best interests of the 

 country as a whole, and on full and fair compensation for any 

 unavoidable disturbance of existing interests, will find willing 

 support from the owners of the soil." 



The Chairman then said : — " In order to get some results from 

 the meeting this afternoon, we shall propose certain resolutions. 

 I think it would be a good thing if the Secretary were to read 

 the proposed resolutions now, before we enter upon the 

 discussion." 



The Secretary then read the following resolutions : — 



I. Resolutio7i re Demonstration Areas. 



" The members of the Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society, in 

 Annual Meeting assembled, desire to express their satis- 

 faction at the announcement made by the Secretary for 

 Scotland to their deputation recently received by him, 

 that the Advisory Committee on Forestry to the Board ot 

 Agriculture for Scotland had recommended the purchase 

 of Ballogie estate on Deeside as a demonstration area, and 

 to urge the Government to acquire that estate without 

 further delay. 



