40 TRANSACTIONS OF ROVAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



they who know it feel is a world apart) lies almost untouched. 

 The blackberry pest is creeping in as in South Africa, but where 

 are all the valuable timbers of the extra-tropical regions of the 

 world ? Not yet introduced ; and the white man has been over 

 ICO years in the country ! How has this curious position come 

 about? 



The average Englishman knows not forestry, and since he has 

 been in Australia he has never taken the trouble to introduce 

 the great range of valuable extra-tropical trees which might be 

 introduced into the forest, with all the chance of their spreading 

 naturally, as have the birds and the beasts and the fishes. 

 What, then, should be done now practically to remedy this? 

 The answer is — Organise the forests and do a little experimental 

 planting in each forest. Along with the watch-tower system do a 

 certain amount of planting. This would not cost much, but the 

 experience gained would be invaluable. Not a day should be 

 lost in doing it. It will soon be found out which trees are going 

 away on their own account and enriching the forest. Two 

 pines have become quite naturalised in South Africa ; many 

 others are becoming so. 



The ordinary Australian forest is very deficient in softwood. 

 At its northern limits, in Queensland, are valuable softwood 

 forests ; in the south, Tasmania has a small supply of its fine 

 Huon pine, etc. But the ordinary Australian forest is as 

 deficient in softwood as are the northern forests of the world in 

 hardwood ; and it is softwood that is wanted. Nine-tenths of 

 all the wood used in the world is softwood, and people will have 

 it, do what we may to push hardwood. 



Along with a separate planting centre at each forest station 

 there are wanted two or three national arboretums at Melbourne, 

 Ballarat, Bendigo, and other centres. Only in this way can we 

 prove exactly what is to be got out of the forest industry in 

 Victoria. America has several arboretums ; each country in 

 Europe has them ; and Japan, with its expenditure of ^^"2 50,000 

 yearly on forests, has, naturally, not neglected them. Cape 

 Town has a fine forest arboretum at Tokai ; there are various 

 other arboretums in South Africa. I recently made a study ot 

 the two national arboretums in the forest of Soignes, at Brussels 

 (cf. pp. 1-14). (I pray that the devastation of war may have spared 

 these). In Australia there does not exist one national arboretum. 

 It is true that there are various small collections of trees, the best 



