CHAPTEE XLVII 



FURTHER PROBLEMS OP ECONOMIC BOTANY 



INDIA, which opened out so wide a field of activity for Hooker's 

 old age, brought up a few problems of economic botany during 

 this period. 



One was the question of tropical forests. The re-afforesta- 

 tion of parts of England was much discussed in 1909 ; in 

 July he sends Gamble one of the contributions to the debate, 

 remarking : 



It recalls a notion I have long held (always laughed at 

 where expressed) that it is rather to tropical forestry than to 

 temperate that we shall have to look for a check to the timber 

 famine, and that this may seriously affect the hoped for 

 profits from British forests. 



The rapid growth of tropical timber, like teak, must tell 

 in the long run, and scientifically arranged transport should 

 make cheap use of the vast waterways of the Amazon basin. 

 But an illuminating statement of the case in reply convinces 

 him that this cannot come to pass for many a long year, when 

 the over-population of the temperate zone will have left no 

 space for forests. 



Another was the revival of attempts to introduce fodder 

 plants into the dry alkaline districts of the North- West. 



To J. 8. Gambk 



January 14, 1903. 



I am in correspondence with Sir W. Wedderburn on the 

 subject of introducing drought-resisting plants on the Eeh 



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