136 PROTECTION OF AFFORESTED AREAS 



appear from the country. It is improbable that it 

 will ever do so. In fact, in the years following the 

 appearance of a considerable area of forests in this 

 country, deer, under proper control as to numbers 

 per unit of area, will doubtless increase. In German 

 and French forests deer exist, the number of head 

 being strictly limited to what the forest can support 

 without excessive harm to the trees. In fact, at 

 times this number was exceeded in exceptional cir- 

 cumstances. The late King of Saxony was very 

 fond of deer shooting. I remember, during a visit 

 paid in 1904 to the School Forest of Tharandt, in the 

 vicinity of Dresden, I remarked to the forest officer 

 on the apparent excessive number of deer in the 

 forests. The officer replied that the number was 

 maintained in the forests by order of the King; 

 that he paid for the extra protection afforded to 

 the trees, for the high wooden palisading erected 

 round areas of young growth, and for feeding the 

 deer with hay and turnips throughout the winter. 

 The palisading cost half a mark per running metre 

 to erect, and for the protection of the trees in the 

 pole and middle-aged crops branches were tied 

 round the stems to prevent the bark being rubbed 

 by the deer when their horns were in velvet. I 

 quote this as an illustration in point. Sport will 

 not disappear from this country with the advent 

 of commercial afforestation. We should all be sorry 

 to see it disappear. But we shall have to adapt 

 our methods of obtaining our sport to the new 

 conditions which the national interests and the 

 national safety imperatively demand. 



