utilisation of our present home timber supplies. 95 



Restocking of Felled Areas. 



Mr Richardson, who was to speak on this subject, was 

 unfortunately prevented from attending, but the Secretary read 

 the notes which he had been kind enough to send in. 



On the subject of replanting generally, he pointed out that an 

 excellent opportunity would be given of rectifying mistakes 

 which may have been made in the previous planting of these 

 areas. He thought that the Government should make loans to 

 proprietors to enable them to carry out the work, even although 

 the rate of interest would be high to begin with. He suggested 

 that the size of plantations should be increased, and the form 

 improved, for the sake of economy in management, and that pure 

 crops, or at least pure groups, should be preferred to the usual 

 mixtures. He thought more attention should be given to spruce 

 which, with Scots pine and such hardwoods as elm, ash, Scots 

 plane, and perhaps some of the fast-growing poplars and willows, 

 in suitable localities should form the leading species in ordinary 

 planting operations. Larch should also find a place, but 

 Douglas fir, Sitka spruce and Japanese larch should be used 

 to a less extent. The plant should be adapted to the soil 

 and not the soil to the plant. Shelter-belts ought to be widened, 

 or otherwise enlarged, and worked for pit-wood so as to ensure 

 that their usefulness as shelter-belts would not be impaired. 

 Care should also be taken to see that the belts were running in 

 the proper direction to provide the shelter desired. In conclusion, 

 he suggested that there should be a scheme of co-operation 

 between planters and nurserymen, so that the former might 

 inform the latter some time ahead as to their probable require- 

 ments. If this were done, nurserymen would be in a position to 

 sell their plants at a substantial reduction on the present prices. 



The Establishment of State Forests. 



Mr Price said it was almost unnecessary for him to say 

 anything to an audience of the Royal Scottish Arboricultural 

 Society on the desirability of — he had almost said on the pressing 

 necessity for — State forests. Nor should he weary them by 

 quoting statistics to show how great was that need — nor yet 

 should he attempt to describe the forests held by foreign states — 

 for most of the members of the Society now before him had 

 themselves visited one or more of these. We had passed these 



