70 TRANSACTION'S OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBOKICULTURAL SOCIETY'. 



younger plantations, which show no signs of growing fit for 

 anything better, for pit props. The first class should be planted 

 again as soon as possible ; in the second class, it may be that the 

 plantations had no chance of success from the start from various 

 causes, such as lack of soil or the planting of species not suitable 

 to the site, in which case the area should be either returned to 

 growing such herbage or heather as it will carry, and devoted 

 to grazing, or replanted with suitable species. If our woods 

 that have been neglected and overthinned in the past were now 

 carrying a full crop, the supply of home-grown timber would be 

 much greater than it is without reducing the area available for 

 sheep-grazing. 



The Board of Agriculture might, at the same time, carry out 

 investigations for the improvement of sheep-grazings, so that the 

 number of sheep in the country might be maintained, even though 

 a considerable part of the grazings were taken for afforestation. 

 It rhight well be that the shelter afforded by large plantations 

 would be one of the means by which this increase might be 

 obtained, but, so far as I know, nothing has been done in this 

 direction except a very moderate amount of heather burning, 

 and that in a spasmodic way, as the time of year when it may 

 legally be carried out is limited to a period that is not always 

 the most suitable. W. Steuart Fothringham. 



The Relation between the Price of Coal and of 

 Pit- WOOD. 



The extent to which the price of coal has been affected by the 

 increase in the prices of pit-wood is a matter of considerable 

 interest to every one and especially to the forester. The follow- 

 ing note shows, in an interesting manner, the relationship 

 between the prices of the two commodities. For the purposes 

 of comparison it is assumed (a) that it takes 6 to 8 lineal feet' 

 of all classes of pit timber to raise one ton of coal, and that, 

 therefore, an increase of is. in the price per loo lineal feet of 

 pit-wood is equal to an increase of Hid. in the price per ton of 



^ The number of feet of pit-wood required to raise one ton of coal varies 

 according to the seams being worked. 6 to 8 feet per ton is believed to be 

 a fair average, and was given by coal-owners. It is understood that in some 

 mines two, three, or four times this quantity is necessary, while in others less 

 than 6 feet may be required. 



