226 
TME TROPXCAL AGRICULTURIST. [October i, 1887. 
originally appointed in 1885, and was reappointed 
in 1886, when, in consequence of the general 
election, it had not time to consider the report. 
The Committee directed its attention to the fol- 
lowing points : — (1) How far there is need of some 
means of giving instruction to those engaged in 
the cultivation and management of woodlands ; 
(2) how far the establishment of schools of forestry 
would meet that need ; (3) whether a board of 
persons representing various interests and associ- 
ations connected with agriculture, arboriculture and 
silviculture should be formed with the assistance 
of Parliament for the purpose of examination, 
granting certificates, and generally promoting the 
improvement of our woodlands : (4) whether by 
either or both of such means the cultivation could 
be made more remunerative. 
In the course of the report it is pointed out that 
the woodlands in private hands amount to 1,466,000 
acres in England, 163,000 in Wales, 829,000 in 
Scotland, and 330,000 in Ireland ; and there is no 
doubt that the management of these 2,788,000 
acres might be materially improved. Attention is 
particularly called to the New Forest, where over 
40,000 acres of waste land are lying idle and 
worthless. It is also stated that there would be 
considerable advantage in an extensive system of 
planting in many parts of the kingdom, especially 
in the West of Ireland and in the Highlands of 
Scotland. It is to be noted that nearly every other 
civilized State possesses one or more forest schools, 
while in this country no organized system of 
forestry instruction is in existence excepting in 
connexion with the Indian service. The general 
conclusions to which the Committee came may be 
gathered from the words of the report : — 
Your Committee recommend the establishment of a 
forest board. They are also satisfied by the evidence 
that the establishment of forest schools, or at any rate, 
of a course of instruction and examination in forestry, 
would be desirable, and they think that the consider- 
ation of the best mode of carrying this into effect might 
be one of the functions intrusted to such a forest board. 
As regards the Board of Forestry, the Committee sub- 
mit the following suggestions : — 
1. That the Board should be presided over by a re- 
sponsible official (an expert by preference) appointed by 
the Government, and reporting annually to some depart- 
ment of the Government. 
2. That the Board should be so constituted as to 
comprise the principal agencies interested in the pro- 
motion of a sounder knowledge of forestry, especially 
the various teaching and examining bddies, as well as 
the professional societies. 
3. That the following bodies should be invited to 
send delegates to the Board : — 
The Royal Agricultural Society of England, the High- 
land and Agricultural Society of Scotland, the Royal 
Dublin Society, the Office of Woods and Forests, the 
LinnEean Society, the Surveyors' Institution, the English 
Arboricultural Society, the Scottish Arboricultural So- 
ciety, and that the director of Kew Gardens should be 
a member ex officio. 
That the Board should also comprise three members of 
each House of Parliament, and a certain number of owners 
or managers of large woodlands, a preference in the 
latter case being given to those who are in a position 
to afford facilities for study in their woods. 
4. That the functions of the Board should be : — (a) 
To organize forest schools, or, at any rate, a course 
of instruction in forestry; (b) to make provision for 
examinations ; (c) to prepare, an official syllabus and 
text-book. 
5. That the examiners should be required to ex- 
amine in the following subjects — namely : — (a) Pract- 
ical forestry; (b) botany; (c) vegetable physiology 
and entomology, especially in connexion with diseases 
and insects affecting the growth of trees ; (d) geology, 
with special reference to soils ; (c) subjects connected 
with land agency, such as land drainage, surveying, 
timbur measuring; &o. 
The expense of secretarial staff and examiners need 
not, in the opinion of the Committee, exceed £500 a 
year, and the cost might be considerably reduced 
by fees for diplomas. 
The fact that the Indian Government already incurred 
some expense in promoting the education of forestry 
students for the Indian Service suggests the adoption 
of the Iioyal Indian Engineering College at Cooper's- 
hill as a nucleus for the proposed forestry in- 
struction. 
Inducements might be offered to the agriculural 
colleges and the Surveyors' I nstitution to send their 
students for examination, by a system of exemption 
from examination in certain preliminary subjects, in 
respect of which the candidates could produce a certi- 
ficate of proficiency. — London Tunes. 
THE WEIGHING AND SAMPLING OF INDIAN 
TEA. 
At the annual meeting of the London Wholesale Tea 
Dealers' Association, held on Thursday week, Mr. 
Francis Peek (Peek, Winch & Co.) presiding, gome pro- 
posals for reforming the present system of weighing, 
docking, and sampling Indian tea were discussed, aud 
the secretary read the report in which the following 
reference to these subjects was made: — 
Your committee, in accordance with their usual custom, 
have now the pleasure of submitting their annual re- 
port and statement of accounts. Amongst the various 
subjects which have occupied the attention of your 
committee, the following are of special interest to the 
members, viz. : — The opinion was invited of the trade 
last year upon the weighing of Indian teas upon the 
average net principle, and some cases of irregularity in 
weights were reported, when notice was given to the 
Customs' authorities and the Indian tea importers that 
the trade would cease to buy upon average net 
weights unless greater care was exercised in correctly 
packing the tea. Your committee would now be glad, 
to receive a further expression of opinion as to the 
desirability of continuing the average net weight sys- 
tem or otherwise. Your committee hoped last year 
to obtain a further reduction in the warehouse charges 
for sampling teas, and they are glad to report that, 
after much opposition, the proprietors agreed to redue e 
the rates to 3d a chest, 2d a half-chest, and 2d a box 
from June 1st last. This, the members will notice, is a 
reduction of 50 per cent on chests and half-chests upon 
the charges made two years ago. The subject of a 
change in the mode of sampling teas is now being favour- 
ably considered by the leading dock companies, and 
your committee venture to think a reasonable scheme 
will be proposed, and, if sanctioned by her Majesty's 
Customs, your committee hope will work satisfactorily 
to the benefit of the trade and purchasers of tea gener- 
ally. It is with great satisfaction that your committee 
mention the fact that, after many interviews and 
lengthy correspondence, the London and St. Kath- 
arine's Dock Company have met the reasonable 
wishes of buyers in covering them against loss 
by fire for all teas lying in their warehouses, and 
there is reason to believe the East and West India 
Docks will follow their example. The proprietors 
of Chamberlain's and Butler's Wharves have agreed 
to make an allowance to dealers to compensate 
them for the cost of insurance, whilst the proprietors 
of the City Warehouse and Oliver's Wharf have 
arranged to cover and insure the teas in their keep- 
ing. The subject now rests with the trade to consider 
the saving effected by purchasing teas lying where 
these allowances are made, and the following resol- 
ution will be submitted to the meeting, to which 
your particular attention is requested, viz. : — " That, 
as the London and St. Katharine's Dock Company, 
Butler's Wharf, Chamberlain's Wharf, Oliver's Wharf 
and the proprietors of the City Warehouse, either, 
cover and insure the buyers of tea, or make an allow- 
ance in respect thereof, it is obviously to the inter- 
ests of the trade to give a preference to teas stored 
in these warehouses, and that notice be given to all 
importers and brokers that this meeting pledges itself 
to give such a preference in purchasing teas, and to 
