April 6, 1912, 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



285 



SCOTTISH FORESTRY 



REPORT, 



The report of the Scottish Committ<^e on 

 Foi"^stry, recently issnedj is a valuable docu- 

 ment, and one that Hhould mark a definite 

 advance in the d-evelopmeut of forestry in 

 Scotland. It has been an open secret in 

 forestry circles for some time that the com- 

 mittee bad decided to recommend Aberdeen 

 as the most suitable centre for the higher 

 forestry teaching of Scotland, and the fact 

 that Aberdeen has been suggested by the 

 Commissioners for such has given much satis- 

 faetion in the north. It is felt that an 

 opinion coming from -such an influential 

 committee cannot fail to carry weight, and 

 to render it impossible for fthe powers that 

 be to overlook or ignore tlie claim which 

 was recently laid before them for the de- 

 velopment of the Forestry School at Aber- 

 deen. There are, broadly speaking, two cry- 

 ing needs in Scotland in connection with 

 forestry — the necessity for an ofiicial survey 

 of the area suitable for atfore-station, and a 

 model forest where forester apprentices can 

 be trained and the science of sylviculture 

 built up. This report brings us within the 

 practical realisation of these two needs, and 

 it points to Aberdeen as the centre best 

 located in every way for the establishment 

 of a university s'chool of forestry, being 

 nearest to the hub of the existing wood- 

 lands and largest afforestable area. The 

 Commissioners add that it would follow 

 from this that the location of the demonstra- 

 tion forest area sliould be fixed mainly with 

 reference to Aberdeen, though it would still 

 be desirable that the forest should be, as 



possible 

 Scotland. 



all parts of 



n ^ W 



The quotation given prompts the query 

 Is th-ere, then, within easy reacli of Aber- 

 deen such an area? As a matter of fact 

 there is not one but several areas within 

 the present jurisdiction of the Aberdeen 

 Forestry Department. They are to be found 

 m Kincardineshire, Morayshire (Speyside), 

 and in Eoss-shire. TTiere are to be found in 

 eaah of these districts— apart from Aberdeen- 

 shire— areas which would amply fulfil the 

 requirements la*d down in the rieport. The 

 Kincardineshire area is within thirty miles 

 of Aberdeen, and is, besides, much"' larger 

 than that stipulated for by the committee. 

 It could, besides, be taken over with co 

 paratively little delay, and in other respects 

 this area is easily adaptable for the earlv 

 operation of a forestry school. Indeed, to 

 tind forests of any size in Britain the autho- 

 rities must oome to the north-east of Scot- 

 land It IS there, and there alone, that 

 torestry as an industry can be said to exist in 

 Scotland, and it is because of this that the 

 committee has very properly recommended 

 tnat the centre of forestry teaching should 

 De placed at Aberdeen. Our chief woodlands 

 are all in the north-east and north of Scot- 

 iana, and it is there where the teaching 

 wntre should be placed, and not in the south 

 Where there is little or no timber grown. 



*o look at the map of Scotland 

 accompanying the committee's report, and 

 the iniportant table given of the afforested 

 ana aftorestable acreage in each county, to 



inl ^^'^ ^^'^^S^t out. In deal- 



iltZ X the subject of forestry, let us not 



scKfi x'^ '^^^ theoretical or purely 

 scientific subject that can be carried on in 



Wlf' """T ''"^ laboratory. It is an in- 



effiStl^^rauThVl^c^^^'' ''^'^ 

 lands and forests. 



fOT^Sf arrangements mult Vmade 



stL£ f mstruction in the State demon- 

 this ?p° f'''"*"^ ^'^^ P"^^*« f«^«sts. For 

 withir^" ^^'^ Forestry Centre must be 

 inl are.f^f T""^' ^^'^ 8^^^^* timber-grow- 

 have apJp^V''?,'^""^^^- students must 



S^Srrlf ' ^^^^^"^ ^^l^^re sylviculture 



must 1^ """l "P"*" ^ commercial scale. They 

 the wlml^'' ^T^' "^'^^ industry so that 

 tical anilf-^'*n/^f teaching may be prac- 



tlici wwi r- considerations such as 



«o which have very properly led the com- 



ood 



In devising a proper 



mittee to recommend Aberdeen a«i the centre 

 for forestry teaching in Scotland. 



Keeping all these things in view, one 

 need not be surprised to learn that the 

 authorities in charge of the Forestry School 

 at Aberdeen are to take immediate action. 

 Tlieir contention is to be pressed home, and 

 pressed home at once. It is felt that there 

 has been of late years far too much cry and 

 little 'oo (wool), "^but with the issue of this 

 valuable and practical report decisive action 

 will now be taken. Now that the public in- 

 terest is thoroughly aroused on the subject, 

 and with the driving power of the com- 



WORK FOR THE WEEK 



THE ORCHID HOUSES. 



THE WAEM HOUSE.— Dendrobiums com- 

 prise some of the moist easily grown orchids 

 in cultivation, and also some of the most 

 difficult to manage. Because a plant is diffi- 

 cult to grow it tshould not be discarded, but 

 rather persevered with, so that we may pro- 

 duce it year after year in perfection- It is 

 to the difficult species I refer, such as D. 

 Johnsoniae, D. superbum, D. superbiens, D. 



■ * 



AUBEIETIAS OX THE FACE OF A EOUGH WALL. 



mittee's report beliind it, one cannot but 

 think that afforestation in Scotland should 

 now be pushed forward to the stage of prac- 

 tical and detinite work. W.K, 



Conifers. 



which 



April is a good month in 

 conifers, as they are 



Lift them 



to transplant 

 about to commence new growth, 

 with a ^ood ball of soil attached to tlK 



a good 



roots, and give them a good watering wlien 

 they are placed in their new positions. Hol- 

 lies can also be successfully transplanted 

 now. Some of the variegated varieties make 

 ideal specimens ; while drooping standard 

 hollies are very ornamentaL — J. Gardner. 



Goldei, D. atroviolaceum, and D. Phalaenop- 

 sis Schroderianum. I think I am quite right 

 in assuming that a great many growers are 



not as successful with this latter orchid as 

 they would wish, and it is to this that I am 

 referring particularly this week. 



DENDROBIUM PHAL.ENUPSIS. — The 



chief points of culture to ob^^ervo are as fol- 

 lows: Keep the plants in conijiarativ^ly ^nla]l 

 re(eptacleri, and grow all that mIII adiiiit of 

 it in pans, for they are usually more at home 

 w 1 te n suspended f ro m t he roof th an w hen 

 standing on the stages. Strong, erect-grow- 

 ing plants must of necessity rstand on the 

 stages. Tlie roots will remain a long time 

 in a sound and healthy condition if not over- 



