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February  18,  1904.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
stem  ;  why  this  leaf  is  hairy,  that  smooth  ;  and  let  him 
never  notice  a  characteristic  without  comparing  it  with 
similar  parts  of  other  plants,  and  trying  to  account  for  its 
presence.  From  such  observations  and  deductions  he  may 
then  be  led  to  study  the  nlant  in  greater  and  greater  detail, 
until  at  last,  though  probably  beyond  his  school  days,  he 
gets  down  to  its  anatomical  structure.  I  emnhasise  this 
because  there  is  a  tendency  to  begin  the  study  of  plant  life 
with  the  dissection  of  a  bean—  a  method  as  sensible  as 
beginning  “  the  proper  study  of  mankind  ”  wdth  a  dissection 
of  his  arm  or  brain. 
In  elementary  schools  the  greater  part  of  Nature-Study 
should  doubtless  be  confined  to  plants,  insects,  and  birds. 
Insects — as  for  their  arboreal  ancestors — have  an  undoubted 
attraction  for  small  boys,  and  as  their  capture  appeals  to 
his  love  of  sport  the  study  should  certainly  be  encouraged 
and  directed  on  right  lines,  great  care  being  taken  lest  he 
should  develop  into  a  mere  collector  of  butterflies  and 
moths,  against  which  Canon  Nolloth  lodged  a  timely  pro¬ 
test.  Rather  encourage  the  boy  to  make  a  small  collec¬ 
tion  of  type  insects  illustrating  the  various  orders,  and 
comparing  their  dillerent  structure  and  habits.  Especial 
attention  should  be  given  to  the  study  of  injurious  insects, 
for  w'here  is  the  farmer  who  knows  anything  of  their  habits 
except  at  the  time  when  they  commit  the  actual  damage  ? 
Only  lately  a  farmer  assured  us  the  same  fly  attacked  his 
Turnips  and  Mangolds. 
I  would  not  nut  much  emphasis  on  the  value  of  school 
gardens  as  aids  to  Nature-Study,  unless,  indeed,  it  were 
possible  to  have  them  in  large  towns  w'here  wild  plants  are 
unattainable.  Taken  as  a  whole,  garden  plants  are  much 
less  interesting  than  their  wild  relatives,  and  there  is  no 
country  school  whei’e  abundant  material  for  study  is  not 
available  wuthout  recourse  to  the  garden.  Besides,  in 
garden  work  one  is  tempted  to  forsake  the  study  of  Nature 
for  the  quest  of  the  “big  Gooseberry.” 
In  the  matter  of  birds,  not  very  much  can  be  done  in 
small  schools.  Birds  are  so  difficult  to  make  out,  and  so 
shy  of  approach,  that  it  is  onlv  the  commoner  varieties  that 
can  be  well  studied.  The  children  may,  however,  be  led  to 
collect  evidence  in  favour  of  or  against  birds  said  to  be 
inimical  to  the  farmers’  interests.  The  educational  value 
of  the  study  of  birds’  eggs  is  not  very  great,  and  probably 
the  study  of  either  eggs  or  nests  is  best  discouraged, 
bearing  in  mind  the  uneradicated  ancestral  instincts  still  in 
the  boys’  organisation. 
In  one  school  where  Nature-Study  takes  a  prominent 
place  in  the  curriculum  the  boys  hold  a  natural  history 
conversation  class  once  a  week.  Each  boy  brings  before 
the  meeting  any  observations  he  may  have  made,  and  the 
others  discuss  the  subjects  brought  forward.  Were  Pro¬ 
fessor  Miall  to  be  present  at  one  of  these  classes  he  would 
probably  see  reason  to  modify  his  opinions  as  to  the  non¬ 
observing  powders  of  the  young  rustic.  The  books  in  which 
the  observations  are  recorded  are  a  constant  source  of 
amusement  to  visitors,  w’ho  Vvould  be  still  more  amused  to 
hear  the  observations  stated  in  the  vernacular. 
To  introduce  Nature-Study  as  a  new  subject  into  schools 
the  teachers  themselves  must  first  be  interested,  and  the 
lines  once  indicated  thev  will,  as  they  have  always  done,  rise 
to  the  occasion.  Repayment  for  any  trouble  taken  will  be 
amply  made  in  the  greater  interest  added  to  country  life, 
which,  without  some  such  zest,  is  dull  indeed.  The  various 
county  councils  are  preparing  to  give  the  teachers  a  lead  if 
they  have  not  already  done  so,  and  the  magnificent  attend¬ 
ance  at  the  Beverley  conference  shows  that  the  elementary 
teachers  are  prepared  to  throw  themselves  con  amore  into 
any  scheme  which  they  are  convinced  is  for  the  benefit  of 
the  childreu  under  their  charge. — H.  S.,  Helmsley. 
American  People  not  Horticulturally  Inclined. 
At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Boston  (Mas.s.)  Florists’  Club  Mr. 
Orpet  referred  to  the  wonderful  up-growing  of  the  spirit  of 
horticulture  in  the  Fnited  States  in  the  la.st  few  years,  and  con¬ 
gratulated  the  gardening  fraternity  on  the  revival,  which  means 
so  much  for  their  welfare.  The  American  people,  he  .said,  are 
not  yet  a  horticulturally  inclined  race,  hut  he  believed  the  time 
would  come  when  flowers  and  gardens  would  be  appreciated  there 
as  abroad.  He  referred  approvingly  to  the  study  of  plant  life 
in  the  public  schools,  and  expressed  liLs  conviction  that  the  more 
people  take  up  horticufiuro  as  a  hobby  or  pastime  the  happier 
they  will  bo. 
Professor  Sclilicti  on  British  Forestry.* 
(Continued  from  fufjc  01.) 
Ob.jects  of  Management. 
The  management  of  forests  depends  on  the  objects  which 
it  is  proposed  to  I’ealise.  It  i-ests  with  the  proprietor,  in 
so  far  as  his  choice  is  not  limited  by  the  laws  of  the  country, 
to  determine  in  each  case  what  these  objects  shall  be,  and 
it  then  becomes  the  duty  of  the  forester  to  see  that  they 
are  realised  to  the  fullest  extent,  and  in  the  most  economic 
manner.  Here  you  have  the  fundamental  principle  in  a 
nutshell.  In  these  islands  nearly  the  whole  of  the  wood¬ 
lands  belong  to  private  proprietors.  They  desire,  in  the 
majority  of  caseis,  to  have  the  woods  so  managed  that  they 
either  lend  themselves  to  landscape  beauty,  or  to  the  rear¬ 
ing  of  game,  or  to  the  production  of  a  particular  kind  of 
produce  required  in  the  management  of  estates.  Either 
one  or  more,  or  sometimes  all  these  objects,  have  to  be 
kept  in  view.  Where  this  is  the  case,  the  economic  work¬ 
ing  is  sometimes  altogether  out  of  the  question,  or  at  any 
rate,  considerably  interfered  with.  And  yet,  even  in  such 
cases,  the  object  of  the  proprietor  may  be  realised,  and 
the  woods  can  be  made  to  yield,  if  not  a  full,  at  any  rate  a 
fair  return,  while  the  proprietor  must  put  down  any  defici¬ 
ency  in  the  return  against  his  pleasure,  or  against  shooting 
rents,  or  the  benefits  derived  by  the  rest  of  the  estate. 
Economic  Forestry. 
Where,  however,  the  manager  is  not  hampered  in  this 
way,  and  where  economic  forestry  is  aimed  at,  as  it  would 
generally  be  in  the  case  of  extended  afforestation  of  waste 
lands,  the  question  of  finance  would  stand  in  the  fore¬ 
ground.  The  forester  must  decide  what  to  plant,  how  to 
plant,  and  how  to  treat  his  woods,  so  as  to  realise  the 
highest  possible  net  returns.  The  answers  to  all  these  ques¬ 
tions  involve  practically  a  treatise  on  sjdviculture  and  forest 
management,  which  your  professor  will  no  doubt  propound 
to  you.  On  this  occasion  I  can  only  offer  a  few  general 
remarks.  The  financial  results  may  be  said  to  depend 
chiefly  on  (1)  the  soil  you  have  to  deal  with,  (2)  the  average 
annual  production  of  the  several  species,  (3)  the  value  per 
cubic  foot  of  timber,  (4)  the  cost  of  planting  and  subsequent 
treatment,  (5)  the  degree  to  which  the  trees  are  exposed  to 
injury,  and  last,  but  not  least,  the  rate  of  interest  on  the 
money  invested  in  forestry. 
Rate  of  Interest. 
It  has  been  said  in  public  by  an  eminent  authority  “  that 
no  British  landowner  will  invest  money  in  forestry,  unless 
he  is  assured  of  4  per  cent,  on  his  money.”  But,  I  say,  is 
this  reasonable  1  What  other  investment  of  equal  security 
gives  4  per  cent,  in  these  days!  Why  should  forestry  be 
expected  to  give  a  higher  per  cent,  than  agriculture  1  Let 
us  consider  the  case  of  Consols  for  a  moment  ;  they  give 
nominally  22  per  cent.,  but  look  at  the  ups  and  dowms  which 
they  undergo.  A  few  years  ago  they  stood  at  112,  now  they 
are  quoted  at  88,  a  fall  which  represents  ten  years  interest. 
Such  fluctuations  do  not  occur  in  forestry.  Once  that 
industry  has  been  established  on  a  safe  basis,  it  yields  a 
steady  income,  and  the  capital  is  safe  from  anything  like 
the  fluctuations  to  which  Consols  are  subject.  In  my 
opinion,  forestry,  conducted  on  proper  lines,  offers  an 
investment  at  least  as  safe  as  Consols,  and  it  seems  to  me 
unreasonable  to  expect  more  than  2^  per  cent,  from  it. 
There  are  millions  of  acres  in  these  islands  fit  for  planting, 
which  are  valued  at  such  a  low  rate,  that  they  can  be  made, 
if  put  under  forest,  to  yield  steadily  2-|per  cent  and  more 
At  the  same  time,  I  must  lay  stress  on  the  fact  that  all 
forest  operations  must  be  conducted  in  a  truly  economic 
manner.  Extravagance  has  no  place  in  forestry,  or  in 
agriculture  either. 
Soil. 
In  coming  to  the  question  of  soil  I  desire  to  impress 
upon  you  this  fundamental  rule;  “Never  attempt  to  plant 
a  species  which  is  not  thoroughly  suited  to  the  locality, 
that  is  to  say,  soil  and  climate.”  Every  disregard  of  this 
rule  is  likely  to  lead  to  financial  loss.  It  is  quite  astoni.sh- 
ing  how  often  this  rule  is  sinned  against.  Sometimes  the 
planter  has  not  sufficient  understanding  of  what  isj^he 
*  Au  aildrftw  at  the  Royal  Agticiiltural  C»  liege.  Ciienee.st;r,  reprinteil  from 
Ihe  “North  15  itlsh  Agi iculuirist.  ’ 
