WEBSTER'S 

 PRACTICAL FORESTRY. 



CHAPTER I. 



AFFORESTING WASTE LANDS. 



For the past five and twenty years I have not failed 

 to urge on the State and private owners of woodlands 

 the pressing necessity for planting up some at least 

 of the waste and unprofitable lands of our country, in> 

 order to provide a sufficiency of timber for the future- 

 and leave us less dependent on the supplies that are 

 annually sent us from abroad. When we consider that 

 the total area of woodlands in this country is only a little 

 over 3,029,000 acres, that fully 15,111,000 acres of waste 

 lands exist, and that we annually import over 10,000,000 

 tons of timber, at a cost of about 25,000,000, the necessity 

 for an increased area of woodlands, so that a portion at least < 

 of this vast sum may be kept at home, will be apparent 

 to all, and the more so as a dearth of timber is imminent, 

 and outside supplies are being rigidly conserved while our 

 home demands are ever on the increase. England being 

 a residential country, the retention of a certain amount of 

 heath, mountain and common lands, for the purpose of 

 deer forests, grouse moors, game coverts, and golfing links, 

 is imperative, and will considerably reduce the acreage of 

 land available for afforesting purposes. But I think that 

 1 am well within bounds in allotting out of the 15,000,000 

 acres of waste land 1,000,000 to afforesting and 14,000,000 

 to game preserves, deer forests and rough pasture. 



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