282 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
XXV. On the Advantages of Growing Pit-wood Timber. 
By W. MaItLanp Stewart, Edinburgh. 
From the highest authorities we are assured that ere long 
there will be a shortage in the world’s available supply of 
timber, and prices will advance in consequence. To meet 
this coming shortage, a lively interest is being taken in this 
country, with a view to promoting the growing of trees on 
those commercial lines which have already been adopted in 
Germany, France, and other countries with such excellent 
results financially. 
An early training in forestry, and a somewhat long experience 
in the management of estates and woods, have afforded me 
ample opportunity of noting the growth of various classes of 
trees on different soils and in different situations, and also of 
seeing the results, good or bad, the failures, and the causes of 
failure. Actual experiences have a value which should be 
communicated to others, in the hope of aiding in the good 
cause of furthering afforestation on improved methods in this 
country. 
In spite of the success gained abroad, and the almost 
absolute certainty that the same success could be achieved 
here if forestry were carried out on similar lines, the owners 
of the land are not too eager to lay out further large sums of 
money in planting. Some are unable to do so, others are 
reluctant to lay out capital with no return to speak of for sixty 
Or seventy years, others remember the disasters of the past, 
viz., thé larch disease, the results of storms, the increasing 
competition and loss of markets. They notice large well- 
grown forests unable to make a fair return owing to in- 
accessibility to markets. They are aware that prophets and 
enthusiasts have arisen in the past, as in the present, and that 
the older prophets have been proved somewhat wrong in their 
methods of planting as judged by results, and, in consequence 
of this, they are naturally slow to believe in the prophets of 
the present day. Personally, I should have absolute faith in 
planting on commercial lines; but this is only an opinion, and, 
though based on long experience, is not necessarily convincing. 
The blow-downs, the larch disease, the want of markets, and the 
faulty planting and thinning could all be avoided, or obviated 
