72 AFFORESTATION DURING THE WAR 



areas, the contention was put forward that it was 



necessary to allow such areas to lie fallow for several 



years on account of the danger of a particular weevil 



(Hylobius) which attacks and destroys young newly 



planted-out conifers. This idea has been current 



in the country for a number of years, and is only 



another illustration of the well-known axiom, that a 



" little knowledge," etc. The habits of the beetle 



were known ; one of the continental methods of 



dealing with it was partially known. This method 



forbids making adjacent fellings and plantings in 



successive years entirely on account of the habits of 



this insect which I have not space to go into, nor is it 



material. But the continental rule applies to large 



areas of properly managed forest, and the rule can 



only be applied with success to such. In this country 



the rule, applied to the small separately owned and 



independently managed areas of woods, achieved 



no result. Because, even if a proprietor allowed 



the newly felled over area to lie fallow for four years, 



he had no control over what his neighbour was 



doing. Consequently, when he eventually planted 



up the area, having lost four years' increment by 



leaving it unplanted, as likely as not his neighbour 



had just felled a wood near the adjacent boundary, 



and thus provided a breeding-place for the beetles, 



who found no difficulty in getting over the boundary 



line, being possessed of legs and wings, and killing 



the newly planted young trees. It is extraordinary 



how such a fallacy can have attained the hold and 



belief it has. And it carried dire results in its train, 



for it actually encouraged methods of haphazard 



