FORESTRY OF JAPAN. 113 



30 public agricultural schools which give some lessons in 

 forestry to the students, though they do not have distinct 

 forest courses. It was in 1900 that a temporary training 

 institute of forestry was started in the Meguro Forest Ex- 

 periment Station with the object of training officials to 

 be employed in the service of the State forests. The 

 students in this institute were instructed in Trigonometrical 

 survey, poligonometrical survey, besides the general knowledge 

 of forestry. It was the intention of the Government to turn 

 out as many graduates as possible in a comparatively short 

 space of time. The course of the school was to be finished in 

 one year. However, it was abandoned in 1905 after having 

 sent out a considerable number of graduates every year. The 

 number of the graduates of this institute amounted to 385. 



Section II. Forest Experiment Station. 



Scientific forest experiments were first conducted in Japan 

 in 1878 at a Forest Experiment Station established at Nishiga- 

 hara in the suburb of Tokyo under the auspices of the Home 

 Department. It was, however, brought under the charge of 

 the Department of Agriculture and Commerce in 1881, when 

 the aforesaid Department came into existence. The manage- 

 ment of this institution was taken over by the professors of the 

 Tokyo Forestry School at the same place when that school 

 was opened. Again it was transferred to the charge of the 

 Tokyo Major Forest Office, and subsequently in 1896 it was 

 taken under the direct control of the Bureau of Forestry. On 

 the commencement of the work of special exploitation of the 



