238 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FORESTRY 



other hand, must run on strictly economic lines, other- 

 wise confusion and loss would eventually result, and the 

 whole system be thrown into disorder and discredit. 



But probably the most important difference between 

 the individual and the State is the position of the former 

 with regard to the planting and preservation of small 

 areas and patches of land. As already stated elsewhere, 

 the State, and to a certain extent the corporate body, 

 must deal with areas of 300 acres or more if profit is the 

 object in view. But the individual, who often plants 

 trees for his own sake rather than with the idea of 

 making money, can utilise odd corners, rocky knolls, or 

 ravines for tree-planting which would otherwise lie waste 

 and become an eyesore. This idea is a very old one in 

 Britain, and has lately been carried to its extreme limit 

 by a society rejoicing in the somewhat high-flown title of 

 The Midland Re-afforestation Society, which has under- 

 taken the task of planting the pit or spoil heaps of the 

 Black Country. 



The economic importance of shelter and ornamental 

 trees has usually been ignored or disparaged. The timber 

 they produce is often small, knotty, and defective in many 

 ways. In field and hedgerows they may interfere with 

 the operations of agriculture or the ripening of crops. By 

 roadsides they may be a sort of danger in stormy weather, 

 and the cause of slow evaporation from the surface in 

 wet periods. All these objections may be made by 

 persons of scrupulous economy who believe the world 

 was made to make money in. With all due respect to 

 these authorities, however, it may be pointed out 

 that the civilised world is usually made up of many 

 features which are not strictly economic, while others 

 are positively wasteful. Yet both classes are considered 

 the accompaniments of civilisation and refinement. A 

 moderate number of ornamental trees in any country is 



