350 
The Principles of Forestry. 
I 
foresters who are employed under their orders in our own private woodlands, I 
not only the elements of sylviculture, but also the best known methods of , 
conducting ordinary forest work, such as planting, thinning, pruning, the 1 
management of coppice, and the best way of disposing of the crop, &c." 
It may be well to point oiit that Colonel Pearson lays great 
stress upon tlie necessity of a large area of forest land being I 
allotted for the special purpose of teaching, and under the direct | 
control of the professor of forest economy. 
M. Boppe, too, lays great stress upon this point. He says : — ' 
" The science of forestry is, however, a science of observation, based upon 
facts which must be studied both from a practical and theoretical point of ' 
view. It is, therefore, absolutely necessary that a forest school should have 
attached to it a forest which has for some time past been under scientific j 
management, serving, so to speak, as a natural laboratory for experiments, , 
and without which the best theoretical teaching in the world would be of I 
no avail." j 
Mr. J. C. Rogers, Secretary to the Surveyors' Institution, in 
his evidence given before the Inquiry in 1885, concui's in the 
general advisability of instituting a forest school ; but modi- 
fies the term school to a system of instruction which would in- j 
volve no prolonged residence, and which would terminate with i 
an examination. He also expresses his opinion that a large 
amount of good would result from such a course. He takes no j 
pessimist view of the knowledge of forestry possessed by land , 
agents, but considers that the knowledge they possess requires 
gathering up and systematising. In 188G he dwells strongly 
in his evidence on the matter being a purely national one, and 
considers it " hopeless to expect the landowners to expend a i 
large amount of capital in view of remote contingencies." I 
He then proceeds to lay down his scheme of instruction, j 
which it is not necessary here to follow in detail ; but the final j 
report in 1887 proves conclusively that it was practically adopted ' 
by the Select Committee. The recommendations of Colonel 
Pearson, already and hereafter referred to, agree substantially 
with those of Mr. Rogers, owing no doubt to an interchange ot 
views between them. 
Mr. Barron, of the Elvaston Nurseries, says : — 
" Your forester ouglit to be a practical man with a scientific knowledge, 
and at the same time he should be able to take the tool out of the wood- 
man's hand and show him how to use it." 
Could there be more sound common-sense advice given than 
this ? It strikes at the root of the whole matter, and lays before 
us the ideal forester. 
Again, in reply to Dr. Farquharson, he says : — 
" First of all, they (the students) ought to become acquainted with the 
species which are grown in this country, and also the sexea and the mode of 
raising the seeds." 
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