RELATION OF FORESTRY TO AGRICULTURE, ETC. I 37 



prepared to take over a holding that would render it necessary 

 to provide a certain amount of additional labour in order to fill 

 in all the time they have at their disposal. I submit that unless 

 the needs of this particular class are provided for, small holdings 

 would not be possible unless all the small holders are placed in 

 a position to find occupation to fill in all the time they have on 

 their hands. There is another thing that ought to be borne in 

 mind, and that is fruit-growing. We see, year by year, in the 

 Blairgowrie and in other districts where strawberries and 

 raspberries and small fruits are grown, that they have to 

 introduce outside labour to a great extent. Some may say that 

 it is a very desirable thing that people should be taken from the 

 cities in this way and a healthy occupation given to them, but I 

 also say these people ought never to have been in the town. 

 Let us provide employment for them so that they may never 

 have to leave their native glen. It has given me very 

 great pleasure to listen to the ideas Mr Gammell has so ably 

 propounded, and I think a great many of the points he has 

 mentioned ought to be elaborated upon and impressed upon 

 people, because I think there is a certain amount of prejudice 

 throughout the country that requires to be removed. I know 

 quite a number of farmers who are quite ready to admit that 

 shelter is a very good thing — that it improves the stock and 

 improves the crop — but they complain that on account of these 

 very shelter belts they are unable to get their corn into the stack. 

 I think that is one point which the forester should always bear 

 in mind when he is preparing a shelter belt, that he should allow 

 the sun at least to get scope for the purpose of ripening the 

 crops. I have no doubt that if these little points are kept in 

 mind they will tend a great deal to remove any prejudices that 

 do exist. 



Mr Gilbert Brown said : — " 1 have listened with very 

 great interest to what has been said regarding the question 

 under discussion. So much has been said not only to-day 

 but for the past few years, and those who have spoken 

 have dealt so fully with the subject that there is really 

 nothing new to bring up. If I may be allowed, I will 

 confine my few remarks to various conversations I have had 

 with different farming men throughout the north of Scotland on 

 this question of forestry. It has been hinted that in some 

 agricultural communities forestry is viewed with some little 



VOL. XXVII. PART II. K 



