1164 REPORT—1885. 
acre in Scotland. Contrasting the Highland Society's statistics in 1855, with 
recent inquiries, such as that undertaken by Major Craigie himself in 1882, and 
with the latest official figures the conclusion arrived at was that where wheat is. 
still grown now, of course only on the best land, the yield is 31 or 32 bushels per 
acre against only 264 thirty years ago, barley yielding 352 against 323 at that date, 
while oats also advanced by several bushels, so that no grounds would appear to 
exist for the idea of a declining produce per acre. 
After dealing with questions of the greatly altered money value of the gross 
outcome of the several crops—wheat, which brought in over 2,000,0002. in 1855, 
now contributing 455,000/. only to the aggrevate receipts of the year, and both 
oats and barley fetching lower figures—an estimate of the acreable value at the 
present time was given. This the writer placed, taking all cereals into account, at 
4l. 16s. per acre, as against 5/. Os. Gd. thirty years ago. 
Attention was then devoted to the changes in the live stock of Scottish farms— 
both generally and in detail by means of tables, and the parallel changes in 
England and Ireland were noted. Cattle had, on the whole, increased, and sheep, 
which were more numerous in 1869 than in 1855, are but slightly under the 
higher level now. This was contrasted with the English reduction of 17 per cent. 
in the flocks of that country, This was a matter specially worthy to be noted in 
view of the assertion that deer were taking the place of sheep. There were 
apparently a million more sheep in Scotland in 1869, than in 1855, and in the 
next 15 years up to 1884, the decline was only from 6,995,000 to 6,983,000, or 
12,000 head; while in England in this period, the sheep were 38,394,000 fewer, 
and in Ireland 1,400,000 fewer. There was far less falling off in the Scottish 
flocks, than those of other European countries. 
The question was then discussed as to what was the yearly out-turn of meat which 
Scottish farmers produce, and estimates varying from 160,000 to 140,000 tons 
yearly were mentioned and explained, and the sufliciency of the scale applied to the 
United Kingdom generally for the particular features of Scotch meat production 
was discussed. Scotland was shown to be, if a largely wheat-importing country, a 
distinctly meat-exporting one, and an opinion expressed that the breeding of stock 
yet more largely in Scotland would be advisable and was perfectly practicable. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12. 
The following Papers were read :— 
1. On the International Forestry Exhibition. By Dr. Crompre Brown. 
The author said the richness and variety of the International Exhibition in 
Edinburgh, notwithstanding its deficiency, was fairly representative of British 
notions of arboriculture and forest economy; but the ignoring of sylviculture 
supplied an argument for the establishment of a National School of Forestry, in 
which might be taught and applied the advanced forest science of the day. It 
must be remembered that there was a great difference between arboriculture and 
sylviculture; and far-reaching results were to be expected from the scientific 
management of forests. ‘There was, therefore, great need for a National School of 
Forestry. The great benefits which might reasonably be expected to follow there- 
from were evident to everyone acquainted with the subject. It was chiefly the 
requirement of British colonies and lands similarly situated for the exploitation of 
forests that impressed him with the importance of having a National School of 
Forestry organised. The interest which our country had in the improvement of the 
forest economy of Great Britain supplied an equally urgent reason for such a measure 
being adopted. In every place where the British rule extended, except in India, 
there had been a ruinous neglect of forests. In South Africa alone millions of acres 
had been made desert from the destruction of the indigenous forests. This neglect 
