INTRODUCTION 



When viewed in an economic or commercial 

 sense, the various species of Conifer ce are perhaps 

 the most useful and valuable of all trees to man- 

 kind. Regarding their utiht}^ it ma}^ truly be 

 said that from the time we get up in the morning 

 till we retire at night, from the cradle to the 

 grave, we are daily availing ourselves in one way 

 or another of the products of coniferous trees. 

 For general utilit}^ the timber is not surpassed 

 by that of any other trees, and possesses qualities 

 that render it peculiarh^ suitable for building 

 and general constructive purposes, while, being 

 obtainable in such vast quantities, the price is 

 comparatively cheap. Before the war our imports 

 of coniferous or soft-wooded timbers were as 

 follows : 



Conifer woods, logs and sa\Mi . . £23,000,000 



Conifer wood, pitwood . . . 4,500,000 



Conifer wood, wood-pulp . . 5,500,000 



The arts and manufactures also are largely 

 indebted to coniferous trees for many of their 

 staples — tar, pitch, petroleum, turpentine, resin, 

 balsams, spirits, paper pulp, etc. Tar, which at 

 present is largely imported from the Baltic ports 

 and Southern United States of America, is 



XV 



