154 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



17. Report on Tour of Inspection of Woods and 

 Afforestable Lands in Scotland. 



Made by the Society's Foreign, Indian, Colonial and 

 OTHER Guests, in connection with the Celebration of 

 THE Diamond Jubilee, and also with Thirty-seventh 

 Annual Excursion. 



( With Three Plates.) 



On the 1 6th of February last, the Royal Scottish Arbori- 

 cultural Society reached the sixtieth anniversary of its foundation. 

 The Diamond Jubilee Celebrations which were arranged and 

 carried out to commemorate that important event took the 

 form of a tour of inspection of woods and afforestable lands 

 in Scotland, to which were invited representative foresters from 

 all parts of the world. The meeting lasted from 27th June to 

 loth July, during which time a very comprehensive programme 

 was carried through. On the loth of July, a Conference on 

 forestry was held, at which the Foreign, Indian and Colonial 

 representative foresters had an opportunity of stating their 

 views in regard to the suitability of Scotland for afforestation. 

 Their unanimous pronouncement on that occasion, which was 

 entirely in favour of afforestation, is probably the most authorita- 

 tive, and therefore the most valuable, statement which has ever 

 been made with regard to Scottish forestry. A reception and 

 dinner in the evening brought the celebrations to a close. 



The tour was started at Perth, on the morning of the 29th June. 

 Most of the Foreign and Colonial representatives had spent the 

 week-end as the guests of Captain Stirling of Keir, Sir John 

 Dewar of Dupplin, and W. Steuart Fothringham, Esq. of 

 Murthly. Motor cars were in waiting to take the party on its 

 tour of inspection. The first place to be visited was the 

 Lynedoch Old Pleasure Grounds, where were seen the first 

 two Douglas firs to be brought into this country. As 

 plants they were sent with others by David Douglas, and 

 were planted in 1834. The larger tree now contains- 573 qr.- 

 girth cubic feet over bark. The total height is 115 feet. Most 

 of the young Douglas trees on Lord Mansfield's estates were 

 raised from seed obtained from these trees. 



The next stage reached was the Drumcairn Plantation, 

 which consists of conifers and broad-leaved species, in pure 



