48 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



^looo at the outset, with the prospect of an increase. As the 

 interests of Education in Forestry were closely bound up with 

 the success of the Agricultural Colleges, it was fitting that this 

 gathering should recognise them, and the Governors of the 

 College, recognising the help that this Society could give them 

 in their work, wished it all success and prosperity in this its year 

 of Jubilee. 



Mr P. Murray Thomson briefly proposed the toast of "The 

 Timber Trade." 



Mr Adam Spiers, in reply, said that members of the timber 

 trade were delighted to be members of the Arboricultural Society. 

 The only regret, he thought, that most of them would have was 

 that the Society was not in active operation over a hundred 

 years ago. Had that been the case, he thought the condition 

 of the timber trade would have been one of very much greater 

 importance than it was to-day. Indeed, the efforts that this 

 Society was making would, he was sure, be well rewarded in the 

 future, for every year it was found there were greater difficulties 

 in procuring supplies for this country. It was rather remarkable, 

 when they thought of it, that we imported into these islands from 

 twenty to twenty-five million pounds' worth of timber annually. 

 They found that the prices of Baltic timber had gone up from 

 about lo to 15 per cent, within the last few years, and they 

 had greater difficulty every year in getting the long lengths of 

 good quality that were being supplied to them up till recently. 

 The same thing was happening in America. There was no 

 doubt they could not well do without American oak supplies for 

 waggon building. We had to take American oak because we 

 could not get a supply at home. American oak was got in 

 much larger quantities, and could be delivered cut in sizes at 

 from 2S. 6d. to 2s. gd. a cubic foot. Some of the English 

 railway companies were prepared to give us for home wood from 

 2S. 6d. to 3s. per cubic foot in the rough. Cut into sizes, that 

 would cost at least from 4s. to 4s. 6d. a cubic foot. Ninety per 

 cent, of the light wheels used in this country were made from 

 American timber. The reason for that was not that our 

 manufacturers would take American timber in preference to 

 British, but because they could not get the latter in sufficient 

 quantity. Recently a protest had been made in St Louis 

 against the ruthless destruction of the hickory forests. He was 

 of opinion that if there was sufficient ash in this country no 



