AFFORESTATION OF CATCHMENT AREAS. 23 



with men drawn from the Unemployed Bureau, assisted by a few 

 permanent men. In 1908-9, however, a permanent staff was 

 engaged, though planting by the " unemployed " is to be 

 continued. In all 514 acres have been planted, and a further 

 141 acres are being planted this season (1908-9), 115 acres by 

 the unemployed and 26 acres by the staff. The average cost 

 for the three seasons for preparing the land, draining, fencing, 

 and planting, including expenditure on the nursery, was 

 ^11, 19s. 5d. per acre, but the Waterworks engineer, 

 Mr C. G. Henzell, observes that the cost of planting should not 

 have been more than ;£j, los. to ;^8, los. per acre, the excess 

 being due to the employment of inexperienced men. Much of 

 the work was badly done, and the failures have been quite 30 

 per cent. The men were not accustomed to spade-work, and 

 few were able to stand the rough weather. The permanent staff 

 are now engaged in replanting the gaps caused by dead trees in 

 the existing plantations, the number of trees requiring to be 

 replaced being 551,000. The planting has been done with 

 beech, ash, oak, alder, sycamore, Scots pine, spruce, and larch. 

 The larch has not been at all successful, and more than 30 per cent, 

 of the plants are dead.^ The Scots pine and the hardwoods 

 have done very well, but the spruce has not been so satisfactory. 

 No insect pests have been noticed except a slight attack of larch 

 Aphis (C/iermes /aria's). 



Mr Henzell, in his report to the Corporation for 1908, 

 observed that the work of afforesting the drainage area was of 

 great importance, and suggested that 100 to 150 acres should be 

 planted annually. To do this it was estimated that a permanent 

 staflF of ten men, used to spade-work and experienced in planting, 

 would be needed, together with six additional men in the planting 

 season, to be drawn from among the small tenants on the estate. 

 The men during the summer months would be employed in 

 keeping up the nursery, cutting down the growth round the 

 young trees, putting up fencing, etc. 



Liverpool.— Accord.mg to evidence given before the Royal 

 Commission on Coast Erosion by Mr Joseph Parry, engineer-in- 

 chief to the Liverpool Corporation Waterworks, the Corporation 

 possesses two catchment areas : one at Rivington, in South-West 



[ ' It is feared that the percentage of deaths recorded will not be found 

 to be a full measure of the loss incurred by the employment of unskilled 

 labour. — Hex. Ed. Transactions. '\ 



