RE-AFFORESTATION AND THE SUPPLY OF PLANTS. II3 



They were further faced with the difficulty of getting suitable 

 labour for nurseries. No industry gave more generously of its 

 personnel to the army, and even the elderly men and women 

 were frequently unable to remain at their ordinary work, but 

 were tempted away by the larger wages offered in districts 

 where munition factories had been set up. 



With the signing of the armistice, it was speedily apparent 

 that there was going to be an unprecedented demand for plants, 

 and it was soon evident that existing stocks would be inadequate 

 for the purpose. Fortunately the situation as regards labour 

 had been somewhat relieved by the prompt action of the Board 

 of Agriculture in initiating steps to secure the release of skilled 

 nurserymen as speedily as possible, and this ensured that this 

 year's sowings would be sufficiently large to affect in time the 

 situation appreciably, but the stock of two-year seedlings and 

 older plants fell far short of the needs of the forester. It must, 

 however, be remembered that this would not have been the case 

 had it so happened that the cessation of hostilities had taken 

 place a few months later than it did. Had the Armistice not 

 been signed until spring, it would have been too late to initiate 

 measures for extensive planting operations this year, and the 

 stocks in the nurserymen's hands would probably have been more 

 than sufficient for the immediate requirements of the industry. 



The shortage of plants became acute towards the end of 

 March and April, and would have been felt to an even greater 

 extent had it not been for the long-continued frosts which were 

 experienced from Christmas onwards until April, and which 

 prevented planting operations being undertaken on so large a 

 scale. 



The present shortage of plants is not wholly due to labour 

 difficulties and to the nurseryman's unwillingness to run the risk 

 of growing stock which he might not be able to dispose of. 

 The weather and the seasons during the past few years have, 

 from the nurseryman's point of view, been most unfortunate. 

 In 1917 the crop of cones on the Scots pine was not a large one, 

 and in 191 8 it was practically a failure. This could not have 

 been foreseen, and unfortunately most of the surplus seed of the 

 two previous years, which in ordinary circumstances would have 

 helped to tide us over the lean years, had been exported to 

 France to help in restocking the woodland areas which had been 

 felled by the British Government for war purposes. 



