THE CONFERENCE AND DINNER. 185 



for afforestation, you have already heard that our opinion is 

 that it is very good." 



Herr Czillinger said : — " I thank you for the honour you have 

 conferred on me and my country in electing me an Honorary 

 Member, and I have to convey the best wishes of my country to 

 you on the occasion of your Diamond Jubilee. When I look 

 back on the pleasant days I have had, and the striking scenes I 

 have contemplated, it seems to me that all these beautiful planta- 

 tions and valuable experiments during the last few decades have 

 been made with the greatest skill and the most careful selection 

 of the proper places. I think that the establishment and develop- 

 ment of national economic afforestation in Scotland is closely 

 associated with the work of this Society. During the last sixty 

 years, under difficult conditions, this Society has struggled on. 

 It has many arboriculturists among its members who are 

 keenly interested in afforestation, and there must be a successful 

 future in store for it. I sincerely trust that the noble ideals of the 

 Society may soon be realised, and that the beautiful Highlands 

 may before long be covered with noble forests." 



M. S. J. Rauner said: — " My first duty is to thank you for 

 the honour you have conferred upon me in electing me an 

 Honorary Member of your Society. I will do all I can to assist 

 as a member of your Society. All our experience and investi- 

 gations will be at your service. I should like to say something 

 about the impressions I have received. When I left Russia, I 

 never expected to see so many interesting things in forestry as I 

 have seen in your country. Russia is a forest country, and you 

 can see the different conditions of tree-growth in the mountains, 

 the flat lands and the steppes. I have never known such a suit- 

 able climate for woodlands as you have here in Scotland. Every 

 day you have to thank the Lord that He has given you such a 

 country, where the conditions are so favourable and the climate 

 so suitable for growing trees. I saw some Douglas firs, the ages 

 of which were only 80 years. On the Continent, such growths 

 could never be attained even at 100 or 120 years, so that you 

 can grow crops in Scotland at a lower rotation than we can. 

 The common Scots pine is grown at a rotation of 120 years in 

 our country. Nearer to the western part, which is more acces- 

 sible to the market, everything grown at 80 years is the same 

 size as everything at 60 years in this country, so that you have a 

 preference of 20 years. You have ascertained which trees are 



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