THE WOELD'S FOREST SUPPLY 
27 
of regulating the flow of streams and rivers ; to the strip- 
ping of the Apennines of their trees is said to be due in 
great measure the rapid flooding of the Tiber, Po, and 
other ItaHan rivers, owing to the rapidity with which the 
rain or snow falling upon their steep, rocky slopes is 
delivered into the plains below. 
Imports of Timber into Great Britain. — Great Britain is the 
largest importer of timber in the world ; whilst she has a 
plentiful supply of stone and slate, and manufactures her 
bricks, cement, iron, and steel, for practically the whole of 
the enormous quantity of timber used she is dependent on 
foreign supplies, and to her more than to any other country 
is it a matter of importance that the sources from which 
she draws her supplies of this valuable product should not 
be dried up or so diminished as to curtail her allowance. 
According to the Board of Trade returns the value of timber 
imported into Great Britain in 1907 was £27,094,365, and 
the total quantity imported close on 10,000,000 loads, or 
about 500,000,000 cubic feet. In addition to the above 
must be added ^61, 920,026 for manufactured wood in the 
shape of furniture, fittings, doors, windows, etc., woodware 
and turnery imported during 1907, making up the total 
import value of wood and wooden goods to over i!29,000,000. 
As regards the value of timber imported from different 
countries into Great Britain, at the present time they 
stand in the following order :— Kussia (1), Canada (2), 
Sweden (3), United States (4), Norway (5), "Other 
Countries" (6), British India (7), Germany (8); and as 
regards quantity of timber they stand as follows: — 
Eussia (1), Sweden (2), Canada (3), United States (4), 
Norway (5), British India (6), "Other Countries" (7), 
Germany (8). The larger proportion of the deliveries for 
1907, over two-thirds of the whole, was divided amongst 
