NATIONAL AFFORESTATION 



Regarding the scarcity of home-grown 

 timber and need for tree-planting, the earliest 

 warning I have been able to find is that in 

 August, 1608, Philip Cottingham, of London, 

 Carpenter, was sent over to Ireland to report 

 on timber for the Navy and sent fifty-six tons 

 to the Thames as a specimen. In " Practical 

 Husbandry," published in 1656, the author 

 writes as follows: "Now, the multitude of 

 timber brought yearly from Norway and other 

 parts does plainly demonstrate the scarcitie 

 thereof here; also it may be conjectured what 

 a miserable case the Kingdom will be plunged 

 into in an Age or two hence for want of 

 Timber." Again, Evelyn in his " Silva," 

 published in 1662, gave an historic account of 

 the sacredness and use of standing groves with 

 reference to an enquiry regarding oak timber 

 for the Navy. A few years later, in 1675, 

 Dr. Thornton said: "The deputies or lieu- 

 tenants of the Duke of Newcastle, Justice of 

 Eyre of all His Majesty's forests North of the 

 Trent (after 1660), have allowed such and so 

 many claims that there will not very shortly 



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