200 TRANSACTIONS OK ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICUI/IURAL SOCIETY, 



criticism and advice. I do not think I ought, in the dual 

 capacity of SmalJ Holdings Commissioner and an indifferent adept 

 in forestry, to say anything about the cost of small holdings. 

 That will all be duly made public in the reports to Parliament, 

 and when they do come out, then I ho^je my Chairman will be 

 able to come and discuss the matter with Lord Lovat." 



The Chairman said : — " In thanking Mr Sutherland for his 

 remarks, I should also like to take this opportunity of thanking 

 the Board of Agriculture for the way in which they assisted us 

 in making possible the tour which we have just given to the 

 foreign representatives. I am sure the whole Society is most 

 grateful to the Board of Agriculture for their very practical 

 assistance in this matter. In regard to other matters which 

 Mr Sutherland has mentioned, I can only say I look forward 

 with anticipation to the day when the Board of Agriculture 

 shall create the first small holding in Scotland in connection 

 with afforestation. That day is still to come. I do not 

 know whether Dr Somerville has anything to add?" 



Dr Somerville said: — ** As you know, I have done my little in 

 the earlier stages in the development of forestry to help it on, 

 and like you I sometimes feel disposed to despond. I suppose, 

 however, that the historian of the subject, half a century or so 

 ahead of us, may find that all the little pushes that each of us 

 has given to the cart have been the means of getting it along 

 to some appreciable extent. No doubt, this Society and its 

 members individually have laboured hard in the face of great 

 discouragements, and I could name men whom you see here, 

 and, unfortunately, I could name those that I do not see here, 

 who have given of their best, cheerfully and ungrudgingly, to 

 the service of what we believe to be one of the main industrial 

 and economic questions in Scotland." 



The Chairman said : — " I do not think we could do better than 

 adopt as our resolution the latter part of the resolution which 

 has been come to by the foreign representatives, as follows : — 

 ' That it is the finding of this meeting that afforestation can be 

 undertaken on a large scale, and the meeting is of opinion that 

 the Society should receive that active support of the nation which 

 is necessary to bring this about.' For the word ' nation ' I should 

 propose to substitute the word 'State.'" 



Mr S. J. Gammell said : — " I should like to suggest one other 

 alteration in the resolution. Our foreign friends have all along 



