Io6 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



within seven years of a clean cut, given suitable soil and 

 altitude. If replanting is not done by the owners of land within 

 seven years, the State to leplant at its own expense. Owners 

 of land to have the option, twenty years after the planting is 

 done, of repaying the State the cost of planting. If the option 

 is not exercised by the owners within twenty years, the planted 

 area, on payment to the owners of a sum calculated upon the 

 original annual value, ascertained by mutual agreement previous 

 to planting, to become the absolute property of the State. The 

 promiscuous collecting of seed to cease — seed only to be secured 

 from estates within the United Kingdom known to produce 

 the best of a particular species. Private as well as State enter- 

 prise to be encouraged by advancing money for planting 

 purposes at actual cost to the State. Owners to be required 

 to invest during the war the sum of ;^45 per acre, for every 

 acre clean cut out, in the 5 per cent. War Loan ; said 

 stock to be earmarked for replanting purposes, and to be 

 made repayable when planting has been done. Government 

 departments and architects throughout the country, in making 

 out specifications, to provide for home timber being used as a 

 substitute for foreign timber, and in certain particular cases to 

 specify only home timber. Such forestry legislation, as indicated, 

 I am sure would be welcomed by the best proprietors. One 

 of the most important matters to decide is the question of what 

 represents the best trees to plant from the commercial aspect 

 of the question and in accordance with locality and soil. Larch 

 is one of the finest woods in the world. I have also great faith 

 in the Douglas pine as a forest asset, both as a furniture wood 

 when matured, and for mining purposes in its earlier stage. In 

 regard to the pit-wood question, there is no doubt that every 

 acre of poor hill-land should be planted up with suitable trees. 

 Home pit-wood will never again be summarily dismissed by 

 the home consumer, and, consequently, there is a great future 

 before it. It is hoped, indeed, that in the days to come 

 consumers will give home pit-wood the preference over foreign 

 pit-wood. The growing of pit-wood as a commercial proposition 

 ought to prove a financial success. 



." I was very glad to hear Dr Borthwick suggest that localities 

 near to consumers should be first considered. One has only to 

 consider the Ochil Hills, situated beside a mine-field, with 

 thousands of acres which would grow beautiful larch, at present 



