IMPORTS AND EXPERTS AFFECTING BRITISH HORTICULTURE. 187 



The present total area thus shown in Great Britain, 2.768.243 acres, 

 is 42,127 acres in excess of that returned ten years ago. This extension 

 was, however, confined to England and "Wales, the total area of woods in 

 Scotland showing a decline of 10.356 acres. The decrease north of the 

 Tweed has occurred notwithstanding the fact that 35,407 acres of land 

 are returned as having been planted or replanted during the past ten years, 

 so that it would appear that the clearance of woodland areas by storms 

 and from other causes has been considerably greater than the owners of 

 land have been able to make good. 



Some indications of the extent of planting or replanting which has 

 apparently taken place within the past twenty-four years may perhaps 

 be given by comparing the returns of plantations collected for 1891, 

 1895, and 1905 respectively. The areas planted or replanted in the 

 three periods appear as under for the agricultural divisions above 

 referred to : — 



Divisions 



1881 to 1891 



1891 to 1895 



1895 to 1905 



L — Eastern and North- Eastern 

 IT.— South-Eastern and East ilidlan I . 

 in. — West Midland and South- Western . 

 IV. — Northern and North- Western . 



Acres 

 5.87-> 

 12 A* 1 

 1-L270 

 14,643 



Acres 

 3.145 

 4.176 

 4.4-4 



4,156 



Acres 

 11,297 

 15.580 

 16.156 

 16.614 



Exglaxd . . 



VT.— Scotland (Eastern; 



47,273 

 11,120 

 19.957 

 20,590 



15,961 

 2.533 

 8.335 

 6,074 



59.647 

 8.629 

 22,768 

 12,639 



Great Britain . 



93,940 



32,903 



103,683 



It will be noted that, whereas the earlier and later periods extended 

 over ten years, the intermediate period embraced only four years. 

 By dividing the figures in each case by the numbers of years repre- 

 sented, the apparent average annual rate of planting thus obtained 

 may be considered to indicate approximately the relative amount of 

 activity in woodland extension during each period. Subject to the 

 caution already given as to the possibility of more complete returns, 

 it would appear that planting was carried on in Great Britain, as a 

 whole, during the past decade at the rate of 10,368 acres per annum 

 as compared with 8,225 acres during 1891-95 and 9,894 acres during 

 1881-91. 



This tendency to reduced activity in the middle pericd, followed by 

 greater activity after 1895, is suggested both in England (as a whole) 

 and in Wales. In the Eastern counties, as well as in the group of 

 counties lying on the Welsh Border, there is a suggestion of continuously 

 progressive activity during the whole twenty-four years, but in all other 

 parts of the country the general indication is in the direction just 

 mentioned. In Scotland experience seems to have been more varied. In 

 the Eastern and Lowland division the rate of planting has, on the whole, 

 increased, whereas in the Western and Highland division it seems to 

 have substantially diminished. This seems to be largely due to some 

 exceptional activity in Inverness and Ross and Cromarty during the 

 decade 1881-91. 



