COMMITTEE ON COLONIAL BOTANISTS REPORT. 3 



with, and that he rather encouraged the sale of forest land to Dr. j.c. Brown 

 private individuals ? I have heard that Mr. Montagu waa Aug. 14, ises, 

 opposed to granting licences, and that he proposed the sale 

 of the forests. 



19. Did that promote the sale of Crown lands ? I cannot 

 tell. 



20. Parliament then reverted to the old system of granting 

 licences. How many years is that about, do you recollect ? 

 I suppose about ten years. 



21. Did not those who had bought ground consider them- 

 selves ill used when the icence system was re-adopted ? 

 They did. I am aware of the fact. 



22. Is there much wood destroyed in these forests ? A 

 great deal. There is very much waste. 



23. A number of young trees are cut down to get at 

 a large one ? In that way a great deal is destroyed ; and 

 also frequently a tree is half felled, and found unsuitable, 

 and it is left to decay. Sometimes large valuable trees are 

 cut down, and only a small portion of them used. Perhaps 

 a few beams of twenty feet long are required ; these are cut 

 out, and the rest left to decay. One case of this kind is 

 mentioned in my report on the Conservation of the Forests^ 

 appended to the Colonial Botanist's report for 1 863. The 

 tree measured three feet six inches in diameter, and twelve- 

 inch beams only were required. No other appliances than 

 the axe and the adze being at command, it was cut to the 

 required length, and chips were cut off the one side and the 

 other till it was reduced to a slab twelve inches thick, and 

 this was sent to a saw-mill to be cut into such breadths as 

 were desired. 



24. Mr. Busk^] Is the charge for licences, then, only 

 calculated for the worked timber ? Yes. In the forests of 

 George and the Knysna a load of wagonwood consists of two 

 complete " loops." A load of yellowwood consists of eighty 

 cubic feet, if one log, or of fifty planks of twenty feet by 

 twelve inches by one inch. A load of stinkwood consists of 

 ten planks, twenty feet by twelve inches by three inches, or 

 fifty cubic feet. 



25. Would it not be an improvement to alter the terms of 

 the licences to rough measurement, in order to prevent the 

 waste exemplified in your previous answer ? I fear it would 

 be impracticable, more especially in regard to wagonwood. 



