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forming the south watershed of the Tngela despoil the damp air driven inland of much o 

 its moisture, beforehand, by dynamic cooling ; the greater aridity of the northern districts- 

 is moreover well known. 



2. Hilly ground with a favourable aspect. South and south-eastern slopes are the 

 best for forest vegetation, as they receive and retain the most moisture. Hills have the 

 advantage, besides, of securing drainage often an important factor in determining the 

 growth of trees. 



3. Good soil. As regards forests, the physical properties of a soil are of greater 

 importance than its composition, and deep, hygroscopic soil, moderately fertile, is prefer- 

 able to rich, shallow soil. 



4. Proximity to markets. The cost of transport of timber from the forest to a 

 market exceeds, as a rule, its standing value in the forest, and as the cost of transport is 

 reduced, the standing value of a crop of timber increases rapidly. Timber is more bulky in 

 proportion to its value than any other produce, and considerations of transport are of even 

 greater importance in forestry than in farming. For this reason, it is preferable to make 

 plantations in Natal, not far from a line of railway. In India, plantations are made in this 

 way, at intervals of 80 miles, along some of the lines, and in the Cape Colony and the 

 United States a similar plan has been adopted. When suitable Crown land is not avail- 

 able, private lands should be repurchased for planting purposes. It would be false 

 economy to restrict planting to Crown land, because in Natal the purchase of land would 

 increase the final cost of planting only by a small fraction, while it may be the means 

 of largely augmenting the returns. Thus, of two plantations, one on Crown land 

 on the Biggarsberg, and the other on purchased land, say in the Lion's River division, 

 the second should be expected to return a better interest on the outlay than the first, on 

 account of the faster growth of the timber. In Europe, it is customary to reserve for 

 planting, only the barren mountain lands that are unfit for agriculture, but this choice is 

 in a great measure due to the fact that the plantations are undertaken mainly for climatic 

 purposes, the interests at stake being large enough to warrant the execution of works to 

 this end ; land is also far more valuable than it is here, and therefore a more important 

 factor in determining the cost of a plantation. By purchasing private lands, the 

 advantage may result, that buildings are available and less delay is experienced in 

 starting work. 



The extent of each plantation should be not less than two thousand acres, as this is 

 a convenient size for a forest managed according to the rotation principle, and to give 

 sufficient work to one head forester entrusted with the execution of the planting. It 

 may be greater, with advantage, and I should not recommend that more than two 

 plantations, one of Conifers and one of Gums, be undertaken to start with ; each can be 

 made as large as necessary, and it is preferable to organise work on a large scale at one 



