226 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



York, Baltimore, Buffalo and San Francisco, from which I trust 

 you will permit my giving the following extract : — 



The increase in prices during the last ten years has been as 

 follows, in dollars per looo feet board measure : 



These increases must have produced a rise in prices in the United 

 Kingdom. As a matter of fact, as I showed at a conference 

 held last year at the invitation of Lord Carrington, the average 

 increase all round since 1895 amounts to about 20 per cent., the 

 increase not coming suddenly, but quite steadily year by year. 

 As the United States must call more and more upon the timber 

 resources of Canada, and as the population of the latter country is 

 rapidly increasing, there cannot be a shadow of a doubt that 

 the export of timber from North America to these islands must 

 decrease, leading to a further increase in prices. In how far 

 the countries round the Baltic can counteract that effect may be 

 considered as problematic ; at any rate, until now they have not 

 been able to do so. These countries have also to meet the ever- 

 increasing requirements of many other countries, such as 

 Germany, Belgium, France, Holland, and many others. 



These things prove that we have a fair field before us for 

 increased afforestation of surplus lands, even if looked at from a 

 financial point of view. I hope that the Commission on Land 

 Erosion and the Committee on Irish Forestry will see their way to 

 formulate practical proposals dealing with the subject on broad 



lines. 



I am, Sir, your obedient Servant, 



W. SCHLICH. 



Oxford, dih April. 



