96 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
from abroad should not be grown in this country, provided 
improved sylvicultural treatment and a systematic working of 
the forests are introduced. 
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Our TimBeR Imports. 
The next subject, then, before me is to inquire whether there is a 
sufficiently large field open to us for extended action. An examina- 
tion of the tables of imports and exports which are issued annually 
show that the nett imports represent a sum of money by no means 
to be despised. Taking, for instance, the returns for the years 
1890-94, it will be seen that the average annual imports, in- 
cluding wood-pulp timber, came to 7,600,000 tons, representing a 
value of £19,000,000, of which sum about four millions went to 
the colonies and fifteen millions to foreign countries. By going 
back some years, it will also be seen that the average imports 
have increased by about £2,000,000 during the last eight years. 
Here, then, are facts which claim our attention, and we may 
well ask ourselves, whether, if not the whole, at any rate a con- 
siderable portion of that timber could not be produced, at paying 
rates, in this country? A detailed examination of the returns 
shows that, as far as the climate is concerned, about seventeen 
millions worth of the timber could be grown at home, leaving 
about two millions for timber which comes from species which 
have no chance of thriving in these islands. Of the 17 millions, 
no less than 14} millions represent coniferous timber, while the 
other 24 millions are made up by oak and other hardwoods. 
And what are these conifers? They are—(1) Baltic red pine, 
or our own Scots pine; (2) Baltic white pine, or the common 
spruce; (3) American white pine, the bulk of which consists of 
Weymouth, a tree which, introduced into this country about 
one hundred years ago, has been proved to be quite at home 
with us, yielding heavy crops of timber. 
All this timber could be grown in these islands, and, as far as 
Scotland is concerned, the conifers would require special attention. 
But have we the land for the purpose? To produce all the timber 
mentioned above, we should require at least five million acres. 
Are they available? A definite answer to this question could only 
be given after a detailed investigation, taking one county after 
another. But a general idea may be obtained by looking at the 
official Agricultural Returns. There we find that there are in 
