80 FORESTRY IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



districts ; others are chiefly imported, such as rubber, gutta- 

 percha, dye-stuffs, gums, turpentine, resin, pitch and tar, fibres, 

 oils and others. The value of these imports into these islands in 

 1913 reached the enormous sum of £26,120,000. 



Extensive areas are used in this country for the rearing of red 

 deer, grouse, pheasants and even rabbits, the first two especially 

 in Scotland. The forester is chiefly interested in rabbits, a plague 

 which more and more endangers a rational utilization of the land. 

 If a minute investigation were made into the damage done by 

 rabbits, not only to forests, but especially to agricultural crops, 

 people would be astonished at the amount. No doubt rabbits 

 provide a certain amount of food, especially to the poorer classes, 

 but that does not compensate for the damage done by them. 

 Fortunately, as will be seen further on, the Forestry Act gives 

 power to deal with the matter satisfactorily as far as forests are 

 concerned. 



No doubt, shooting rents are a convenient source of income. 

 If, however, the areas are compared with the income derived from 

 them, it will be found that the rent is not nearly as large as is 

 sometimes assumed. On an average, shooting rents fall short of 

 a shilhng an acre ; there are areas which yield half a crown, or even 

 more, but there are also extensive areas which yield only a few 

 pence an acre. On the other hand, much of the land can be made 

 to yield a considerably higher return if put under forest. 



The demand for firewood in this country is much smaller than 

 in continental countries, where the supply of substitutes and the 

 means of transport are less favourable. Before the war, the price 

 of firewood in many parts of the country barely covered the cost 

 of preparing it, and frequently not even that. During the war, 

 the demand and the price increased very considerably. It was 

 wanted not only for military operations, but also for domestic 

 use owing to the shortness of the coal supply, as well as for the 

 manufacture of charcoal, acetone and other substances. It is 

 impossible to say what development in this direction the future 

 may bring, but there will always be a considerable quantity of 

 firewood available from coppice woods and all the parts of trees 

 which are not fit for timber. 



Although the requirements so far enumerated demand atten- 

 tion, the crux of the question of forestry is the supply of the 



