206 THE NEW FORESTRY. 



CHAPTER XX. 

 FORESTRY EDUCATION. 



SECTION I. SCHOOLS. 



WHILE not disputing the need of forestry education in this 

 country, we have long regarded comparatively recent agitation 

 on the subject as to some extent unreal. One might suppose r 

 from much that has been said and written, that sylvicultural 

 operations in this country would have to be almost suspended, 

 and that we must sit with our hands folded until a new 

 generation of foresters had arisen and set to work ; whereas, 

 on almost any estate in Great Britain owners might start the 

 newer and better system at once with the men and materials 

 at their disposal ; and some enterprising owners, like Mr. 

 Monro Ferguson, of Raith, have already begun and 

 reorganised their woods on the Continental system. In this 

 book we have carefully confined ourselves to the production 

 of timber. We know that British foresters and gardeners 

 cannot be matched as growers of fine trees, and expert Con- 

 tinental foresters have admitted as much. The man who can 

 grow fine trees can grow timber by simply changing his plan. 

 M. Boppe, inspector of French forests, in his report of English 

 and Scotch forests, speaking of learned treatises on forestry, 

 says, foresters "may very well neglect the text if only they 

 will adopt some of the principles which they contain," and 

 that " ten years of systematic treatment (of woods) would 

 form in itself the basis of a regular forest working plan, and 

 the doctor's prescriptions would no longer frighten the 

 patient" 



Regarding forestry education in the abstract, and without 

 prejudice, the problem is how to afford the best to those who 

 have to plan and superintend the work in our woods. Owners 

 of woods rarely profess to understand the practical duties of 

 the forester, leaving the business to their agents and foresters. 

 But experience has shown that agents usually know as little 

 about the subject as their employers, and the evidence given 

 before the Forestry Parliamentary Committee was strongly to 

 that effect. They were said to depend upon the woodmen 

 under them, who were also ignorant. A witness, Mr. Britton, 

 who had much experience in the home timber trade on estates, 



