MANUAL LABOUK. 159 



amount of skill, foresight, power of reflection and experience is 

 required, attainable only after prolonged labour in the forests, 

 which all workmen are not equally capable of acquiring, and 

 is not found in an equal degree in all forest countries or 

 districts. All industrial operations are more or less dependent 

 on the skill of the workmen employed, and the demands 

 which forestry make on labour form no exception to the rule. 



It is necessary to distinguish woodcutters of different 

 grades of utility, and to distribute the work among them 

 according to their capability. Whilst for work in high forest, 

 clear-cuttings, coppices or thinnings, the ordinary labour 

 force may suffice, natural regeneration-fellings and cutting of 

 uneven-aged crops and mixed woods demand much more 

 skilful hands. There is a great difference between working 

 forests for fuel, and working them for valuable timber or where a 

 careful and detailed mode of converting the timber is required. 



Besides the demands made on skilled labour by special 

 conditions of forest management, which vary with the locality, 

 there are others of a general nature that must be made on 

 every woodcutter, or gang of woodcutters, as regards order, 

 capacity for labour, and control. A consideration of these 

 points leads to a statement of the conditions of agreement 

 between the labourer and the forest-owner, which should be 

 explained thoroughly to every woodcutter before he engages 

 to work in a forest. Although these conditions vary for 

 different forests, or localities, in order to provide for important 

 local requirements, there are others which prevail throughout' 

 a whole province or country. Such general conditions are, 

 therefore, decided usually for extensive forest tracts, leaving 

 the specially local conditions to be added where necessary, 

 penalties for breach of agreement being included. 



The following are the usual clauses in an agreement with a 

 woodcutter : 



I. GENERAL CONDITIONS. 



A. OBLIGATIONS OF THE WOODCUTTER. 



(a) Regarding his conduct during the engagement. 



(b) Regarding felling. 



(c) Regarding conversion of timber. 



(d) Regarding removal of timber. 



