ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL INDUSTRY OF FORESTRY. I 37 



work should be regular and constant in quantity each year, and its 

 amount should steadily increase. To commence with, a definite 

 acreage would be fenced off, prepared and planted each year, 

 and in connection with this a definite and regular amount of 

 nursery work is required in growing the seedlings to supply the 

 plants. After a few years the first planted division will be ready 

 for thinning, and continuously thereafter this work will be added 

 to the planting. Ultimately the cutting operations will be added, 

 division by division. Thus it will be seen that a steady and in- 

 creasing amount of labour will be called for year by year, until 

 the entire forest has been fully constituted. It will be noticed 

 that while those different operations can be carried on at different 

 times, most of the work falls to be done in the winter months. 

 This suggests the suitability of combining the forest work with 

 agricultural employment, the latter work being more constant in 

 the spring, summer and autumn months, and the possibility of 

 connecting with such a scheme of commercial planting, small 

 agricultural holdings to be let to employees with enough land 

 to keep them employed at such times as the forest does not 

 require their labours. This, too, would help to spread the work 

 provided over a larger number of men, and there can be no 

 doubt that ordinary agriculture and forestry are sufficiently 

 kindred employments to let a man be good at both, and that in 

 most forestry work there is sufficient elasticity as to times and 

 seasons to allow successful farm work to be carried on along- 

 side. 



Any large scheme of commercial planting can thus suitably 

 include a scheme of small holdings, and in the selection of 

 areas for planting care should be taken to secure suitable land 

 for small holdings near by, so that both schemes may develop 

 hand in hand. Apart from the employment of the men, there 

 will be considerable mutual advantages as regards horse labour, 

 not only in winter, but in carting thinnings and cut timber during 

 the intervals in summer when farm work slacks off, and on days 

 when the weather does not suit for tillage or harvest. Of course 

 the arrangement of the work, so that it may be carried on har- 

 moniously, efficiently and economically on these lines, implies 

 supervision by a competent head forester. 



The second condition of the proposal, . namely — ultimate 

 financial success, involves the necessity for careful selection of 

 suitable areas, and also strict provision to secure constant good 



VOL. XXI. PART II. K 



