151 



faith in traditional practice, when it is, as is so often the case, unscien- 

 tific, may be dispelled. It is through education alone that we can 

 arrive at improved forestry. 



30. This was recognised by the Select Committee upon Forestry of 

 the House of Commons in its report in 1887, which performed a very 

 valuable service by its exposure of the prevalent ignorance of scientific 

 forestry and of well-known facts of tree-cultivation amongst those pro- 

 fessedly engaged in its practice and study — an ignorance the continued 

 existence of which manifests itself in some of the writings in current 

 periodicals. The remedy it suggested of a State Forest Board, including 

 representatives of science and of bodies interested in forestry, charged 

 with the superintendence of the formation of forest schools and the pre- 

 paration of forest literature, was superseded by the later institution of 

 the Board of Agriculture, in which were absorbed such functions in 

 regard to forestry as the (xovemnient of the day accepted. We are so 

 accustomed to anomalies in our administrative system that the discovery 

 of an additional one hardly surprises us. Yet it is difficult to under- 

 stand why it is that a Board which deals with subjects so essentially 

 based on science as does the Board of Agriculture should not have on 

 its staff scientific men representative of the fields of science within its 

 purview. But I do not know that either agriculture or forestry is so 

 represented. It seems odd that this Board should be dependent for 

 scientific advice upon outsiders, and now that it proposes to undertake 

 the responsibility of the publication of a journal which, I take it, will 

 be a means for the circulation of accurate information ivpon scientific 

 questions, I do not see how its functions can be adequately performed 

 without scientific help from within. No one of us would expect to see, 

 either to-day or to-morrow, in this country a Board of Agriculture with 

 an organization like that of the similar department in the United States, 

 which excites our admiration by the excellence of the practical informa- 

 tion it circulates. But there is a wide interval between the complete- 

 ness of the American department and the incompleteness of ours ; and 

 if I may make another suggestion to the President of the Board of 

 Agriculture, I would ask him to consider whether it would not strengthen 

 the Board in the discharge of its rapidly growing functions if it had 

 competent scientific advisers upon its staff. Such a man for forestry 

 would, I believe, do much for " the increase of sound technical knowledge" 

 in Britain, and promote to no little extent its interests. 



31. Since 1887 we have made some advances along the lines of im- 

 proved literature and of teaching pointed out by the Select Committee 

 as those by which reform could be accomplished. 



32. If one looks at the literature available up to a recent period to 

 anyone desirous of learning something about forestry, one need feel 

 little surprised at the ignorance which prevailed. It was alike meagre 

 in amount and deficient in quality, consisting chiefly of the records of 

 empirical practice of men who had had no scientific training. It is 

 satisfactory to note that these are now being replaced by works having 

 some pretension to scientific method and accuracy. From Cooper's Hill 

 there is issuing, more slowly than could be wished, Prof. Schlich's ex- 

 cellent " Manual of Forestry," and from his colleague Prof. Fisher we 

 may, I believe, soon expect an important forestry book. You all know 



