128 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



I need not discuss the question whether a demonstration area is 

 desirable or not, because that is a matter upon which our Society 

 made up its mind many years ago, and the fact that the 

 question of a demonstration area is being considered by the 

 Government is entirely due to the Society's suggestion that it 

 was desirable. There was a Committee appointed, as you may 

 remember, about three years ago of which I was chairman as 

 then President of your Society. It was desired to form a scheme 

 for education and development in forestry, and we were requested, 

 not I think in our public remit, but privately, to endeavour to 

 select a suitable area for demonstration purposes, and to make 

 a recommendation privately on that subject to the Secretary for 

 Scotland. Until we began to look for a suitable area I do not 

 think any of us had realised how very difficult it would be to 

 find one. We heard some witnesses in that Committee — some 

 of them I am glad to say are here. None of them was able to 

 help us to an area which was both suitable and obtainable. 

 The Committee made one or two recommendations. They were 

 confidential, and I must not enter into them on this occasion. 

 We made certain recommendations, and afterwards, when the 

 Advisory Committee was appointed in connection with the new 

 Board of Agriculture for Scotland, they again were asked to 

 make a recommendation. The area recommended is part of 

 the estate of Ballogie and part of the adjoining estate of Finzean 

 in Aberdeenshire. It is of course subject to the criticism that it 

 is not in the centre of Scotland, and not equally convenient, as 

 an ideal area would be, to each of our three teaching centres. 

 That difficulty was one which we have had to face from the 

 beginning, simply from the fact that a suitable area was not to be 

 found in the right spot. What we want is an area close to Perth. 

 We started thinking that would be the ideal site, and I think 

 still that would be the best. But in the upshot it proved that 

 no area thereabouts is available — unless the Government is 

 going to find some way of taking it by compulsion — which any 

 of the owners are prepared to put at our disposal except in a 

 tentative way for a few years. 



I " Now — and this is really the only other point I have to mention 

 — if we are to be satisfied with a demonstration area of so many 

 acres of ground covered with trees or not covered with trees, it 

 can be obtained anywhere. But our recommendation has been 

 made throughout on the assumption that it is not worth while to 



