158 THE STATE AND PRIVATE FORESTS 



most profitably leave to private enterprise and those 

 to which it should confine its own operations. For 

 instance, as an illustration in point, from the statis- 

 tics which have been obtained during the war by 

 the measurements of crops cut over for war purposes 

 and others, it has been demonstrated that the growth 

 of larch and other species is far more rapid on the 

 West Coast, from Devonshire, through Wales, far up 

 into Scotland", than on the East Coast. This, with 

 the proximity of the Gulf Stream on the West is 

 understandable. But it has also been ascertained 

 that in some cases existing crops measured show a 

 much greater approximation to normal crops than 

 was anticipated. In fact, it may be taken as fairly 

 certain that in the West pit wood and crops of timber 

 size will be produced at an age below, and in some 

 cases considerably below, what obtains in Germany, 

 and it is considered probable will carry per acre 

 heavier crops than the German statistics reveal for 

 that country. In fact, it appears highly probable 

 that the fears that forestry will not prove a paying 

 proposition are, for some areas in the country, un- 

 founded. Rather that the reverse may be looked 

 for. 



A government lead in the matter, therefore, whilst 

 being a duty, may, it is hoped, prove a paying in- 

 vestment of the nation's money. Private enterprise 

 will not be slow to follow such a lead once it has 

 been demonstrated that commercial forestry is not 

 a leap-in-the-dark business. 



But the area which the State might acquire for 

 the purposes of demonstrating the value of com- 



