DEPUTATION TO PRESIDENT OF BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 485 



gain. The producing power would be increased from 2s. per acre 

 for mutton to at least 20s. annually for timber. To our trade we 

 owe the increase in our population, and to that extent we owe the 

 necessity for trading in wood. In this branch of industry we differ 

 from almost every other nation, and I conceive it to be the duty of 

 the Government, as it is the aim of the Royal Scottish Arboricul- 

 tural Society, to remove the existing cause of that difference. We 

 cannot always draw upon the surplus growth of foreign countries, 

 because, apart from the fact that these supplies are getting more 

 difficult of access, the populations are increasing, and, with the 

 increase, the consumption of timber with them will increase in 

 ratio. Our own demands for timber are rapidly increasing, the 

 production is limited and more difficult of access, and the quality 

 decidedly inferior.. Under these circumstances, it appears to me 

 to be the duty of the Government to step in and remedy this state 

 of things. I quite admit that this is as much a question for the 

 people as for the Government, but I believe that if the present 

 aspect of affairs were sufficiently appreciated by the Government, 

 and the people shown the necessity for going on with such an 

 undertaking, and shown the great amount of wealth sent annually 

 abroad for material we could easily produce at home, the Govern- 

 ment would, I think, get a mandate to proceed. 



Mr A. Pitcaithley, Scone Palace, said : I cannot add very much 

 to what has been said by the gentlemen who have already spoken. 

 I may add a word to what Mr Munro Ferguson in his paper has 

 referred to — how poorly we compare with foreign countries in area, 

 and how poorly also we compare with the quality of these areas. 

 The question why the quality of home timber is not up to that of 

 foreign is simply answered by Colonel Bailey. It is the want 

 of education, though there are no doubt some other small side 

 issues connected with it. For instance, the protection of game 

 may prevent the forester from carrying out ideas, and there are 

 other reasons ; but it is an undoubted fact that the great failure to 

 produce an article which can compete with the foreigner in quality 

 has been the want of education. We have not had information 

 how to grow our forests as they ought to be grown : I allude 

 particularly to our coniferous woods, as Scotland is more a coni- 

 ferous country than one of broad-leaved trees. What we have to 

 compete against principally is Baltic timber. We have much 

 to learn regarding the suitability of different soils to different 

 trees, We often find a particular forest of one particular 



