the storage and the careful distribution of water is not so pressing as on the plains of India or Australia. Avalanches do not threaten the destruction of our houses because no forest barrier exists to protect them. Our industries are carried on and our homes are warmed by the consumption of coal. And to many, perhaps to most of our readers, any interest that forestry may possess is relegated to the attention of landed proprietors or their agents, who desire to beautify their landscapes or to afford coverts for their game. And yet some of the statements, which are supported by corroborative evidence in the Report, are sufficiently startling to engage the attention of all who are interested in the true welfare of the nation. Some of these come to us in the shape of reproaches upon our national wisdom and our national intelligence. It is a reproach -lightly borne it is true, but none the less a reproach-that we are dependent upon foreign teaching for scientific instruction in forestry. And it is a reproach that whereas the area of woodland in the British Islands is sufficiently large, if properly managed, to supply in great measure the requirements of the country, there is an enormous, an unnecessarily enormous importation from abroad.1 To the former of these reproaches special point has been given by the fact that the colony of the Cape has been obliged to accept the services and to follow the advice of a French official in the management of their forests. And a similar expedient was found necessary when the British Government took over the island of Cyprus, the principal wealth of which depends upon the maintenance, or more strictly the reconstruction, of her forests. both these instances, an Englishman would no doubt have been preferred if 1 The amount of woodland in the United Kingdom now stands at two million seven hundred and eighty-eight thousand acres, on the authority of the evidence given before the Parliamentary Committee. No. 339.-VOL. LVII. one could have been found competent to undertake the duties. But it implies no reflection on the personal ability of these French gentlemen, who were kind enough to come to our aid in these two instances, to say that indirectly their presence was felt to be a reproach, for the services of M. de Vasselot di Régné, the present Inspector-General of Forests at the Cape, who had already distinguished himself in France by the re-afforesting of the dunes of La Conbra, and of M. Moudon, his worthy compatriot, who responded to the call of the Government of Cyprus, could not, in themselves, fail to be of value to any country. The success achieved in India by the comparatively small establishment of forest-officials, the greater number of whom, moreover, came to their work with no special or scientific training to guide them, has done much to remove this reproach, or, at any rate, to cause it to be regarded with more or less complacency. For not only have these officials, stimulated by the zeal and guided by the science of their late Inspector-General, brought up the tone of forest-administration in our eastern empire to the level of the most happily directed states of western civilisation, but they have from time to time assisted by their advice the Governments of our colonies whose forests they have visited on tours of official inspection. I am sorely tempted to linger on this part of my subject to set before my readers how, on the one hand, by restraining the destruction of the forests by the wood-merchants, who felled for the sake only of personal aggrandisement; and how, on the other, by guiding, without checking, the cutting of trees by the peasants for their agricultural and building necessities, an arduous course was steered between the necessity for restraining reckless waste, and the obligation for meeting legitimate demand; and how a revenue, which in the year 1886-87 is placed at a surplus of forty-one million seventeen thou N sand rupees,1 was built up from not only an entire absence of income, but from a rapidly diminishing capital. But I am reminded that the attention of the Committee was more immediately directed to our home forests, and the necessity that there was for removing the second reproach to which I have alluded—namely, the inefficient management of our British woodlands. 2 The value of timber annually imported into Great Britain was stated to be sixteen millions sterling, and the largeness of this amount was considered to be an evidence that practical forestry was neither understood nor practised in Great Britain. I am not disposed to accept this reproach as applying generally to the whole of Great Britain. In England, it is true, forestry has until quite recently been considered a branch, and not a very important branch, of land-agency. But on the less generous and the less productive lands of Scotland, a race of men have been trained to manage the forests of an estate, from which a great proportion of the annual revenue is derived, if not in a scientific, yet in a productive In the year 1881 a deputation of three professional foresters visited the principal woods of Scotland-Scone, Blair Athole, Beauly, Strathspey, Darnaway, &c.-and they have thus reported on what they there observed. manner. "These last" (the Scottish foresters) "have not made technical studies on the Continent. I shall not attempt to place this in English money. When the rupee was two shillings, a lakh of rupees equalled ten thousand pounds. Now the unhappy coin is gradually approaching half its former value. 2 The total product of the State forests of France is given in the Statistical Almanac for t year 1881 at two million four hundred thousand cubic metres of rough timber. Of this six hundred thousand cubic metres were composed of oak, valued at forty francs, and the remainder of various deciduous trees and pines, valued all round at twenty francs. The total result thus amounted to sixty millions of francs, say one and a half millions sterling of our money, less than one-tenth of our imports. The obligation to keep before them, in the domains which they administer, the raising of cattle, the preservation of game, the embellishment of the landscape, would, in any case, prevent them from applying strictly the rules of sylviculture. But they possess the two master qualities of the forester practical sense and local experience. And it is thus apparent as we go through the beautiful woods which are confided to their care, that they do not compromise the future by inconsiderate operations." This, however, is true as yet only of Scotland; and there, only on account of the low agricultural value of the soil. Generally speaking the Committee were amply justified in their conclusion, that "so far as Great Britain and Ireland are concerned, the management of our woodlands might be materially improved." Without touching more particularly upon the recommendations made by the Committee, the value of which must stand upon their merits, it is necessary in order to arrive at a true appreciation of the value of the inquiry to glance at the general lines, as shown in the following questions, on which it was conducted. 1. How far there is need of some means of giving instruction to those engaged in the cultivation of woodlands? 2. How far the establishment of a school or schools of forestry would meet such need? 3. Whether a board of persons, representing various interests and associations connected with agriculture, arboriculture, and sylviculture, should be formed, with the assistance of Parliament, for the purpose of examining, granting certificates, and generally promoting the improvement of our woodlands? 4. Whether by either, or both, of such means, the cultivation of woodlands could be made more remunerative? It will thus be seen that the question is, in its issues, almost entirely a matter for landed proprietors, for in England ninety per cent., and in Scotland the whole, of the forests of the country are in the hands of private individuals. And these are compelled, by the pressure of financial circumstances, to spend what money they may have to spend on undertakings giving speedy returns, and not upon an enterprise, the commercial value of which seems to them to lie rather in the building up of capital for posterity, than in the immediate realisation of a revenue for themselves. If only to show that this revenue is neither so uncertain nor so remote as some people seem to think, I will take my readers, if they will permit me, to the example of what has lately been done in the way of forestry in Switzerland. In that country some twenty-five years ago, attention was drawn to the enormous importation of wood, and to the low yield or capacity of the native forests. Reports were called for, and in the year 1863 the consumption of wood was officially stated to exceed the production by twelve million, eightynine thousand, two hundred cubic feet, the importation exceeding the exportation by fourteen million, eight hundred and twenty-three thousand cubic feet. The outcome of such neglect was stated to be certain ruin, if it was permitted to continue; and the result was the reorganisation of the Forest Department. But this work was for the Swiss Government comparatively an easy one, for of the nineteen per cent. of the whole area of the country which is under wood, three-fourths belong either directly to the State, or to the Communes, who are under the control of the State. And with regard to rights of private property also, communal governments have a habit of dealing in a summary way which would not be tolerated in England. In such an exigency private interests had to yield to the public good, and private individuals were restrained from the selfish and inconsiderate use even of their own forests. They were in fact prevented from wasting their capital to the de triment of others, as well as of themselves. They could not, for example, cut down the trees on lands which were unfit for any other product than that of wood. They could not fell the forests which were situated on steep slopes, the denudation of which would expose the neighbouring lands to destruction by avalanches or by floods. And the penalties for transgressing these rules were sufficiently deterrent - a fine of a franc for each square perch of land so laid bare, besides the obligation to place the land under wood again within not less than two years. Speaking generally, moreover, all operations in the woods belonging to private individuals as well as to the state, required the supervision and sanction of the State inspectors. The result of these vigorous measures will be best understood by a short statement of the financial results of the working of the cantonal forests of Vaud, which cover roughly twentyfour thousand, five hundred acres. 1884. Receipts, 15,0407. Expenses, 8,8007. Nett surplus, 6,2407. 1885. Receipts, 15,382. Expenses, 7,9177. Nett surplus, 5,5957. 1886. Receipts, 13,6117. Expenses, 6,6477. Nett surplus, 6,9647.1 Striking the average therefore of these three years, the nett surplus of the working operations in the cantonal forests was six thousand, one hundred and sixty-six pounds a year. Each acre of forest therefore gave a free revenue of over five shillings an acre. The country was thus in the space of twenty-five years-for the reports I have alluded to were dated 1859-60 placed in the first flight of European countries as to the results of For I find it its forest-working. stated that the French Forest Budget for 1886-7 (leaving Algiers out of the question) shows an income of twentyseven million, six hundred and thirteen thousand francs, and an expenditure of fourteen million, two hundred and thirteen thousand, thus giving a sur 1 I have taken each thousand francs as equal to forty pounds sterling. plus of thirteen million four hundred thousand francs. And as the total area of State forests is two million, five hundred and forty-five thousand acres, the free income amounted to 5.26 francs an acre. The forests of the Prussian provinces of Germany give an income of fifty-eight million, one hundred thousand marks, with an expenditure of thirty-four million, two hundred thousand marks, the surplus being twenty-three million, nine hundred thousand marks, which is equal to over six thousand, six hundred and forty-four acres to a net income of 3.6 marks an acre. Although no department or State machinery that we are likely to establish in Great Britain can hope to exercise such control, or to work with so free a hand, as the Government of Switzerland, yet, in some respects-in respect, for example of the advantages. afforded her by nature-England is well situated for the easy restoration of her forest-wealth. In the words of a professional visitor to our shores: "In spite of the deplorable effects of the rights of pasturage, the complete absence of underwood, and the direct destruction of the principal nutritive properties of the soil, we recognise that the oaks are of a very healthy growth. This is owing, no doubt, to the fact that under the maritime climate of Great Britain, practices which otherwise would be detestable, are inoffensive, thanks to the great moisture of the atmosphere." It is no uncommon thing, moreover, to see land which is of no greater agricultural value than from twelve to fourteen shillings per acre bear larches which when sold realise from one shilling to one shilling and threepence for each cubic foot. And I have heard quite recently of a crop of Scotch fir of seventy-five years old, standing on ground, the annual value of which did not exceed ten shillings, valued for transfer at no less than one hundred and thirty-two pounds an acre. This, no doubt was an extreme instance. Still a crop of larch standing on ground within reasonable distance of a railway or station-siding should be worth fifty pounds an acre when fifty years of age. And the thinnings in the interim should always yield something in the shape of revenue. It ought to be remembered, moreover, that while ordinary agricultural operations exhaust the soil, trees render it more fertile by the deposit of their dead leaves and detritus. This is well understood in Sologne, where the pine forms one of the regular rotation of crops, no manure being required for several years after its removal to make way for other crops. I will conclude this short sketch of what may be done in the way of forestry in this country by recapitulating briefly the functions which the report of the Committee contemplates entrusting to the Board of Forestry, which it is proposed to establish, as an essential feature of the scheme. These are: (a.) To organise schools, or at any rate, a course of instruction in forestry. (b.) To make provision for examinations. (c.) To prepare an official syllabus or text book. I wonder if I may venture to add to these functions one that appears to me to be the most necessary of them all, although I may only claim for it here a modest place, and say (d.) To prepare a map of the country, showing the woods now existing, and the places where each variety of tree finds its natural home. We have seen that the area of land at present recognised as woodland is two million seven hundred and eightyeight thousand acres; and I think I shall be well within the mark if I add at least an equal amount of land which is virtually waste-that is, either entirely thrown out of cultivation, or yearly receiving less attention from want of capital to expend on it. Much of this must be available for planting; for if we go back to inquire into its original condition we shall find that it was underwood, which has gradually yielded before the extension of agriculture. I have now in my mind the two excellent maps displayed by the Japanese Commissioners on the walls of their section in the Edinburgh Forestry Exhibition. Japan is divided naturally into five regions, each having its own climate, and in consequence its own flora. One of the maps explained this distribution very clearly, the names of the particular species of trees which predominated in each region being set down in an accompanying schedule. A second map showed the geological formations occupied by the forests of Japan. The object of having such a map of Great Britain would be to show what and where to plant, with the best hopes of success. And while the question is, as I have already said, a matter primarily for the consideration of landed proprietors, these might justly look to the proposed Board of Forestry for professional advice, and for such assistance, either by way of subsidy, or by temporary exemption from the payment of rates on newlyplanted lands, as it might be in their power to afford. In Switzerland the Confederation grants to the Communes and to the private proprietors alike a subsidy to the extent of from thirty to fifty per cent. of the total cost of planting, in the interest of the augmentation of the forest-surface, especially in the higher lands where the soil is otherwise unproductive. In addition to this concession young trees are supplied from the State nurseries at a price much below their prime cost. It will require most delicate handling to carry out these functions. The Board can in no sense be constituted as an Imperium in Imperio, such as those which I have shown above were entrusted to the State department in Switzerland. It must, by the justice and by the usefulness of its actions, appeal to the consideration, and command the acquiescence of an educated people. I cannot do better than bring in here a little story to fully illustrate my meaning. The department of the Hautes-Alpes in France was formerly subject to disastrous floods, which periodically washed away the best of the agricultural soil. These visitations were borne with more or less patience until the inundation of 1856 gave point to the frequently reiterated advice of M. Surell, engineer of roads and bridges, who insisted upon the reafforestation of the mountains as the only successful remedy. Four years were required effectually to public opinion; but in 1880 a law was passed prescribing planting, the preliminary operations of which were commenced the following year. move The difficulties were twofold - first the nature of the soil, rugged, crumbling, unfit to receive plantations; and secondly, the opposition of the mountaineers, who saw in the proposal the spoliation of their pastures, and consequently of their herds, their only means of subsistence. The latter difficulty was overcome by sowing half of the ground intended to be reclaimed with grass; and the opposition of the mountaineers, which "had been pushed to fury, sometimes even to crime," sank for the moment into passive sullenness. The regeneration of the soil was more tedious. This was accomplished by barring the interior of the deep ravines and accumulating the debris, by cutting horizontal banks supported by wattle fences, and by planting on these saplings of from three to four years old, which were cut close to the ground once or twice until the vigour of the shoots testified to the development of the roots and the activity of the vegetation. The kind of trees planted varied, of course, with reference to the nature of the soil. The success of these operations was rapid and complete. Those parts of the mountains which were thus treated were no longer recognisable the soil acquired such solidity that the most violent storms, notably those of 1868, which had formerly been the cause of such disasters in the |