FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF AFFORESTATION 225 



foot, or 10s. per ton — that is, rather more than is obtained 

 for it at the present time — and until the Scandinavian and 

 Canadian supplies of pit wood and pulp wood are exhausted, 

 the prospects of high returns from this class of soil are 

 not great. 



To illustrate the above points, the costs and yields of 

 three typical areas may be estimated. 



No. I. may be regarded as a specimen of a block of 

 land which might be obtained in a poor agricultural 

 district, with land varying from 5s. to 10s. in annual 

 value, but containing no mountain or unenclosed pasture. 

 For timber-growing purposes the land in such districts 

 may be considered as good, and little or no waste would 

 be likely to exist. The only disadvantageous feature of 

 afforestation in such districts would be the limit placed 

 upon the size of the area by the more or less general 

 occupation of the land, and 500 acres has been taken as 

 the greatest acreage likely to be obtained in one compact 

 block, and purchased at an average price of £6 per acre. 



No. II. is representative of a hill district which possesses 

 a comparatively high value for grazing purposes, and 

 which is intersected by valleys of good land thickly 

 occupied by holdings. In these districts little absolutely 

 waste ground should exist, but the higher elevation and 

 poorer soil would reduce the timber-yielding capacity of 

 the area capable of being acquired for planting. A block 

 of 750 acres is assumed to be the size of this tract, and 

 the value of the land to average £4 per acre. 



No. III. is assumed to exist on typical mountain land, 

 and above the line of occupied holdings. Elevation 

 usually limits the size of areas of this class, but a minimum 

 of 1000 acres must generally be reckoned upon if a profit 

 is to be obtained. The average value of this land would 

 probably seldom exceed £2 per acre, while the yield in 

 quantity and quality would also be low. 



p 



