62 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



quality combined, while British beech, sycamore, alder, and 

 birch are equal to and often better than the imported material. 

 As to conifers, much inquiry and observation have convinced 

 Mr Margerison that there is no reason why we should not grow 

 them of equal quality and in as large crops as those of 

 Continental production, provided the system of cultivation is 

 similar. English spruce, Scots pine, and even larch, where the 

 disease is not too prevalent, form profitable crops, and the 

 product is as good or better than that of Continental origin. 

 These are the principal trees which, in the author's opinion, it is 

 at present worth growing, and where the conditions are favour- 

 able, their cultivation will yield a fair profit. Where forestry 

 does not pay in this country, this is often owing to injudicious 

 planting and faulty methods of management — "a bold, con- 

 tinuous, well-planned policy ?£//// pay." Mr Margerison concluded 

 with some observation on forestry and the unemployed, to which 

 we shall return later. 



Another paper dealing primarily with facts was that 

 delivered by Mr Joseph Parry of Liverpool, who gave an 

 account of the work done by the Liverpool Corporation at 

 Vyrnwy and Rivington. The Corporation commenced 

 systematic planting operations in the Vyrnwy area in 1896, 

 but it was not until 1903 that much progress was made. 

 Between the years 1897 and 1907 they have planted 

 1,034,056 trees, and the work is now being continued at 

 the rate of 300,000 trees per annum. The total area selected 

 for planting on the watershed is 1202 acres, and when 

 planting is completed the total number of trees put out 

 will be about 4,000,000. The trees here planted are chiefly 

 larch, spruce, Douglas fir, silver fir, Corsican pine, alder, oak, 

 and ash. The expenditure on planting has been at the rate 

 of ;^6, 15s. 3d. per acre, but this includes the cost of clearance, 

 which will not have to be incurred again ; it also includes a 

 large outlay for plants, which will in future be supplied from the 

 Corporation nurseries at a much lower rate. As regards the 

 Rivington area, operations were undertaken in 1904, when to 

 begin with an area of 57 li acres was selected, which was 

 afterwards increased to 1243 acres. In the period of three 

 years which has since elapsed, 349 acres have been planted, 

 and the total number of trees on the area is now 1,291,295. 

 The species are chiefly beech, ash, oak, sycamore, spruce, alder, 



