THE PROMOTION OF SILVICULTURE. 99 



areas are forests managed according to correct silvicultural 

 principles. There is, unfortunately, no demonstration area in 

 Scotland. Students from Scotland should, for the present, make 

 use of the above-mentioned areas in England. 



The Sub-Committee proposes that the foresters and foremen 

 should be recruited by taking young men at the age of 18 or 19 

 into elementary forestry schools. It is desirable that these men 

 should have had some experience of woods. The schools should 

 be open to young workmen, who have attended continuation or 

 secondary schools. All would enter the forestry school as 

 workmen and receive wages, performing the ordinary operations 

 of forestry, and receiving instruction during six months. Those 

 who have proved to be intelligent and energetic will be allowed to 

 attend further courses for 18 months. Some of the latter would, 

 at the end of the two years' course, be fit for immediate appoint- 

 ment as foresters, others would obtain such appointments after 

 further experience as foremen, others would remain foremen, 

 others might be kept on as skilled woodmen. Several schools 

 suitable for the training of these men already exist, and others 

 will be organised as required. It is essential that men sent 

 by private proprietors should be admitted to these schools. 



The methods prevailing in British forestry in the past have 

 yielded a considerable amount of experience of what, and how, 

 to do, as well as what, and how, not to do. The experience thus 

 gained will enable the Forest Authority to commence operations 

 in a rational way, but the further development of silviculture 

 requires a considerable amount of laboratory research and 

 experiments in the forest. On the intelligent prosecution of these 

 will depend the ultimate success of the scheme of improving 

 existing woods, creating and tending others, and the adoption of 

 the best method of treatment. Forestry can as little do without 

 continual research as any other branch of industry. The various 

 problems awaiting research and experiment in the woods are too 

 numerous to be dealt with in this place ; they all tend towards 

 providing the most favourable conditions for a healthy and 

 vigorous development of the growing woods, such as the action of 

 different soils on tree growth, the effect of climatic conditions, the 

 damage likely to be done by insects and fungi, the rate of growth, 

 the quality of timber and endless others. 



H 2 



