REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY. 149 



tree at all. We are now growing it here in a climate which is not 

 the true climate of the larch." — " Do you think that we could grow 

 the Corsican pine, the Pimis Laricio, at a profit in this country 1 " 

 " I do not see why we should not ; it is a very good wood ; but it 

 grows much more rapidly here than it does in Corsica. It does not, 

 however, follow that because the wood is good in Corsica it will be 

 so in Britain. If you take a section of the Pinus Laricio grown 

 here, and a section of it as grown in Corsica, and compare the two, 

 you will find that there is a considerable difference in the wood." — 

 " Have you any experience of the Douglas pine grown in masses in 

 this country ? " "I have seen a great deal of the Douglas pine ; it 

 has been in this country for about sixty years. I have taken 

 sections of the Douglas pine grown in this country, and compared 

 it with others grown in America, and the difi"erence is so enormous 

 that I cannot suppose that the wood of the Douglas pine of this 

 country will ever be equal to that grown in Vancouver. If my 

 memory serves me, I have found five annual rings in Vancouver- 

 grown specimens to one of trees grown in this country. The same 

 may be said with regard to the growth of the cedar of Lebanon ; in 

 its native country, where it only grows four or five months of the 

 year, its timber is close-grained, hard, and durable ; whereas the 

 wood of English-grown trees is valueless." — " May I take it that 

 in your opinion many trees grow too quickly in this country 1 " 

 " Yes, the northern ones and those from drier climates." 



" You spoke just now about the larch growing in this country 

 in quite a different climate to that to which it is accustomed ? " 

 " Yes." — " Do you think that has anything to do with the develop- 

 ment of larch disease, of which we have heard so much ? " "I 

 think that is quite probable. That disease might have a much 

 more rapid development in a moist climate like Great Britain than 

 in Eastern Europe or Siberia." — " That does not hold out a very 

 encouraging prospect for the future of the larch in this country 1 " 

 " It does not." — " Do you think that the disease has anything to 

 do with the seed 1 " " No, it is outside it altogether." 



" Of course the education of foresters who are intended for the 

 Indian service, or for the Colonies, would be carried much further 

 than that for woodreeves or land agents ? " " Certainly." — " But 

 there would be a great deal that is common to the two courses, 

 would there not ? " " Yes, all the elementary principles would be 

 common to the two." — " Therefore, the Government having already 

 established a course of instruction for the higher order, that esta- 



