IMPRESSIONS OF FORESTRY IN THE SCHWARZWALD. 175 



the future, and it is to the work of the pubHc or private nursery- 

 man alone which we must look in the first instance. Second, 

 a sufficient supply of skilled labour is necessary. In building 

 up the forest, permanent provision should be made, by pro- 

 viding holdings or otherwise, for keeping skilled forest workers 

 on the land. 



With such objects in view, the combination of small farms and 

 forest, as one finds it in Baden, appears worthy, to some extent at 

 any rate, of imitation. 



During a century the price of timber in Germany has risen 

 more or less steadily at the rate of i per cent, per annum. That 

 is to say, it has doubled itself in one hundred years. 



The steadily rising price of timber, and its increasing scarcity 

 all over the world, is a matter of great moment in an industrial 

 country like our own. 



So far, anything of consequence which has been done for forestry 

 in this country has been done by private individuals. Under 

 present conditions they could not reasonably be expected to do 

 very much more than they are doing. The position of munici- 

 palities, up to the present, with regard to forestry has not been 

 such as to encourage the hope that they could deal effectively 

 with the question. It seems quite obvious, therefore, that any 

 large scheme of forestry to be effective could best be undertaken 

 by Government, or at anyrate should be under its help or 

 guidance. 



Will any British Government ever take up seriously the 

 question of reforesting suitable parts of the country on a large 

 scale ? 



