146 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICUI.TURAL SOCIETY. 



be applied. In these circumstances the Commissioners say the 

 question of the terms on which the Development Fund should 

 provide money for forestry purposes in Scotland will require 

 to be settled separately on each application. As already 

 mentioned the application for a grant for survey and research 

 officers is under consideration, and the price of the promised 

 Demonstration Area is offered partly by way of grant and partly 

 by way of loan. 



Estimate of Future Position of the Development Fimd. — In 

 estimating the future expenditure and funds available for 

 particular purposes, the Commissioners stated in their second 

 report that for the period to 191 6, ;^35o,ooo would be sufficient 

 for forestry, and they adhere to this estimate in their third and 

 last issued report. This sum, they say, will not permit of 

 afforestation upon any large scale, as it is scarcely sufficient to 

 deal effectively with 100,000 acres, unless other funds are 

 available. They accordingly propose to restrict themselves to 

 two lines of action — 



1. The purchase and planting of experimental and demonstra- 



tion areas of perhaps 5000 acres each, in five or six 

 different districts ; and 



2. Providing loans to Local Authorities already possessing 



suitable land. 



The first of these proposals is evidently the scheme submitted 

 by the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries before referred to, and 

 these areas will therefore be situated wholly in England, as the 

 Commissioners go on to say that the Government Department 

 concerned has already put before them proposals leading up to 

 the first of these two measures. 



England has already secured, free of cost, in the Crown Forest 

 of Dean, a large and very suitable demonstration area, and these 

 five or six areas will be additional experimental areas for that 

 country. 



The second proposal will also affect England more than 

 Scotland, seeing that the watershed areas in England are much 

 more numerous than those in Scotland. 



Loans to Local Authorities for the afforestation of their areas 

 will not be all required at once, but the Commissioners say that 

 it will be necessary to earmark a sufficient sum to meet the loans 

 recommended. 



