English Timber and Underwood. 115 



were ever higher than they are to-day in some of the best 

 markets, such as those for constructional and interior work, 

 &c. Our native oak is proverbially the finest in the world, 

 and, given as much care and knowledge in its conversion and 

 seasoning (which is rare) as foreign oak receives, it should 

 be preferred for many high-class purposes. Yet the price 

 obtained for even good English oak is invariably very poor. 



Again, take any of our native conifers — -our much-maligned 

 Scots pine, for example. It is common knowledge that, for 

 estate and other purposes, enterprising firms in the foreign 

 trade are sending foreign Scots pine all over the country (in 

 some cases at a high cost for railway transport), and the price 

 to the consumer must be, in many cases, very much greater than 

 that for which native supplies could be obtained. Yet we have 

 in our midst, even in many of the districts to which the foreign 

 timber is sent, supplies of native Scots pine (surely suitable for 

 creosoted boards and other purposes) for which there is scarcely 

 any demand. 



Such anomalies are numerous, l)ut the examples given 

 suffice to emphasise the importance of considering the causes, 

 and pointing to the remedy. 



Several general causes have contributed to the present 

 unsatisfactory position, the principal being: — (1) Failure to 

 appreciate the change of conditions and the need for methods 

 different from those which prevailed when English timber was 

 required for a single market (such as the dockyard), or for the 

 requirements of local builders and wheelwrights, and under- 

 wood by local bakers, hurdle-makers and others. (2) Failure to 

 keep in touch with other than local markets, and reliance on 

 purely local competition and demand. (3) The absence of 

 co-operation and proper methods in the marketing, essential to 

 successful competition with highly organised foreign supplies. 



It must also be remembered that many unfortunate circum- 

 stances combined thirty years ago to bring about a complete 

 change in our rural conditions, and severe depression in all 

 branches of rural life. Our previous period of exceptional 

 prosperity also completely unfitted us to fight severe foreign 

 competition, or to meet the altered conditions. 



The Marketinc op English Timber. 



In early times, apart from the question of hunting and 

 sport in the forests, and the value of wood for fuel and other 

 primitive purposes, a woodland had considerable value for the 

 production of food for swine. The crop of acoi"ns, beechmast, 

 &c., was then very important. We know also that one of 

 the most esteemed trees, centuries ago, was the yew, which 

 furnished bow staves. 



