WHEN AFFORESTATION COMES. 131 



commercial success. If it could ever be supposed to produce 

 here in Scotland the same quality of wood that it does in the 

 west coast of America, then it would be a brilliant success. 



These remarks may suffice as to what to grow ; as to 

 distribution and mixture of varieties I can give no advice. 

 I should think that altitudes up to 1500 feet might suit either 

 the Scots fir or the larch. The only remark I would make 

 before leaving this part of the subject would be, try and make 

 your planting fairly continuous and not patchy. 



I referred to the want of a cheap form of transit from the wood 

 to the sawmill, and from the sawmill to the seats of commerce ; 

 in these facilities this old country is notoriously deficient. 

 These, of course, will not be severely missed for many years 

 to come, but still they ought to come up for early consideration, 

 splendid waterways for the flotation of logs are an almost 

 universal appanage of all the great wood-exporting countries, 

 both of the old world and the new. The Tay, the Spey, 

 and our own Dee have in olden days been so used, and it is 

 hoped they may be so used again ; I see nothing to prevent 

 it if the fish do not prove more powerful than the tree. The 

 Caledonian Canal and many of the western arms of the sea 

 might also be requisitioned in the same way, but these would 

 only tap a very small area of the lands which we hope may 

 some day be covered with forest. Light railway lines up the 

 side valleys, more suitable railway trucks, cheaper railway rates 

 for what will be a welcome new traffic to all Scotch railways, 

 these are all essential, but I doubt if they will ever be obtained 

 without nationalisation of the railways. In all these arrange- 

 ments the use of the handy man will come in ; steel cableways, 

 for instance, a specialty of a well-known Aberdeen firm of 

 engineers, would in all probability be found indispensable. 



At the present time timber can be brought from Russia, 

 1500 miles away, to Aberdeen, at 7s. to 7s. 6d. per ton; from 

 Ballater to Aberdeen, 44 miles, the rate is practically the 

 same. Sawmills on a good scale as to size, and not in the 

 present retail style, must be erected at convenient converging 

 sites close to water-power itself, or where water-power can be 

 electrically transmitted. Better machinery must be brought 

 into use, thinner saws used, and a neater finish given to the 

 output, which is at present alas ! too often, rough, wasteful, 

 uncouth, in striking contrast to the make from over the seas. 



