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forests again do not appear to present an insurmountable difficulty, 
for people who are interested in the matter say that there would 
still be sufficient room for deer if all the suitable forest land were 
lanted. Sheep farms, however, seem to offer serious difficulties, 
notwithstanding the fact that, very often, neither landlord nor tenant 
seem keen on retaiming the farms, for it appears that through 
deterioration of land, the rapid increase of bracken-covered areas, 
and depreciation in the value of sheep, a much smaller number of 
sheep is reared than was formerly the case, whilst rents have 
fallen in value by about two-thirds. e farmer, however, sticks to 
his land, hoping for better markets or afforestation, whilst the land- 
lord is equally loth to deprive his tenant of the farm, for if he does 
so, he is bound by law to take all the sheep at a valuation. The 
question of depriving shepherds of their means of livelihood by 
restricting the area of sheep farms scarcely needs consideration, for 
a comparatively small number of men would be inconvenienced an 
they would find ample forest work on the ground upon which they 
had been brought up. 
Owing to the districts being so sparsely populated the housing of 
workmen is a question which requires careful consideration, for any- 
one who contemplates afforestation on an extensive scale must be 
prepared to erect workmen’s houses and make arrangements for the 
transit of goods from the nearest town, which may be 15 or 20 miles 
away, and it would be better to calculate expenses from the 
winter condition of the country rather than the summer. Another 
expense which must be foreseen is the erection of deer fences and the 
making of good working roads where these do not already exist. 
they are spending ; but their estates are of great educational value 
and they deserve the thanks of all who are interested in sylvi- 
culture or arboriculture for the valuable experimental work they are 
carrying on. ‘ : hae 
The value of afforestation from a purely esthetic standpoint 1s 
very noticeable in the Highlands, for after passing miles of bare 
Abies nobilis, Douglas fir, beech, oak, lime, ash, sycamore and birch. 
In the following notes, descriptions are given of the wooded 
areas on the estates visited during the tour. Some of the details 
were obtained on the estates and others have been taken from the 
Official Guide issued to members of the excursion party. 
