THE PLANTING OF WASTE LAND FOR PROFIT. 261 
of the total area classed as waste land is plantable with a 
fair chance of profit—though this might easily be very much 
higher in localities within easy and cheap access of wood- 
consuming centres (such as coal-mining districts), and though 
ultimately the plantable area might also be largely increased 
when once such first plantations provided shelter, and created 
or improved a local demand for timber. A large proportion 
of our waste lands is above the 1ooo feet contour line, and 
in the open, wind-swept, unsheltered condition of the country 
very little of this higher land can possibly be planted at present 
with any fair chance of profit; while there is also a large 
percentage of peat-bogs where no timber-crops will thrive until 
the bog is cut away so far as to allow the young trees to get 
their roots down into the mineral soil. It is just as impossible 
to grow timber with profit on deep bogs, as on bare wind- 
swept mountain slopes having little or no soil left on them. 
Assuming, however, the total area now plantable with a 
fair prospect of profit to be about one-fifth of the waste land 
throughout the whole of the United Kingdom, this means that 
there is scope for planting to the extent of over 34 million acres 
(see Table), which can be begun as soon as ever funds are 
obtainable for this purpose from either public or private sources. 
Probably plantable 
Waste Lands. with a fair chance 
of Profit. 
Acres. Acres. 
England, . : ; 2,305,823 461,164 
Scotland, . ‘ é 9,374,512 1,874,902 
Wales, ; : : 1,250,813 250, 162 
Treland, j ‘ d 3,779,640 755,928 
Total, : : 16,710,788 35342,156 
And this would mean a total investment of about 420,000,000 
spread over whatever number of years (say 20 or 30 to 40 or 
50) might be taken in completing operations (see par. 6). 
But, even if such a total area were well stocked, and the old 
portions mature, the yield would be less than half the amount 
of pit-wood timber annually required by our coal-mines alone. 
VOL, XIX. PART II. S 
