FORESTRY IN BRITAIN, 57 
undesirable to increase the forest area.” The significance of this 
dictum, if it be established, to Britain, dependent so largely upon 
her agriculture, is evident. Wet years, unfavourable to farm crops, 
are, under existing conditions, more numerous than favourable dry 
ones, and any extensive tree-planting in agricultural areas might 
therefore prove disastrous. But I may here emphasise the point 
that, whilst for the growing of specimen trees we may agree with 
Evelyn when he says, “If I were to make choice of the place or 
the tree, it should be such as grows in the best cow-pasture, or 
upland meadow, where the mould is rich and sweet,” yet, the 
harvest which scientific sylviculture reaps comes from land unsuited 
to agriculture, which would otherwise lie barren and waste, and 
therefore schemes for the afforestation of such areas in non- 
agricultural districts need not be prejudiced by the prospect of an 
increased local rainfall. At the same time we must not fail to 
learn the obvious lesson that afforestation is not, as some suppose, 
a simple matter of employment of labour, but that it involves the 
consideration of weighty scientific problems. 
Forests, as a source of fuel, have not the direct importance to 
this country, rich as it is in coal-supply, that they have in States 
less favoured, but their economic importance to us as a source of 
timber needs no comment. ‘There are no means available through 
which to estimate the annual output of timber from our plantations, 
but indirectly we can gauge the insufficiency of our woodlands to 
supply the timber necessities of the country by reference to the 
returns showing the amount and value of forest produce annually 
imported. This has been steadily increasing, until in 1893 its 
value exceeded eighteen million sterling. Of course a considerable 
proportion of the materials thus imported could not in any circum- 
stances be produced in Britain. But, after allowing a liberal 
discount for these, there remains a large bill which we pay for 
produce, no small portion of which could be furnished at home. 
No one would suggest that in the limited and densely populated 
area of Great Britain timber-trees of kinds suiting our climate could 
be grown sufficient to supply all our demands; that would be 
impossible. But few would venture to deny that we could do very 
much better for ourselves than we do, and that our payments 
abroad might be materially reduced. It is admitted that well- 
grown home timber is, of its kind, equal, if not superior in quality, 
to that which is imported ; it is surely, then, legitimate to expect 
that a large supply of well-grown timber would enable us to hold 
