THE STATE AND PRIVATE OWNERS 245 



would cover the entire expense of working the various 

 depots, but the disposal of surplus stock could be easily 

 arranged by planting it on spare ground throughout the 

 county which is now lying waste and unenclosed, or on land 

 purchased direct for the purpose. With proper organisa- 

 tion, however, little loss from any direction need be 

 apprehended. There is, of course, a danger of red tape 

 and officialism being the cause of extravagance in certain 

 directions, but this would soon right itself. Nervous 

 ratepa3'ers might, for instance, conjure up a vision of a 

 highly paid tree inspector touring a county in a motor 

 car at their expense. Calling at the small farms of men 

 Avho have planted half a dozen trees, this official, with the 

 dignity of a bishop and the autocratic air of a field- 

 marshal, would issue peremptory instructions to move a pig- 

 sty ten yards from one tree, close a field in which another 

 was planted against grazing for the next ten years, and 

 prescribe some troublesome and expensive course of treat- 

 ment for a third. The final result might be an expense of 

 ten to twenty shillings for every tree that was planted, 

 and a gradual determination on the part of the poor planter 

 to cease taking advantage of the scheme, if only for the 

 purpose of getting rid of the annoyance of inspection. 



Experience of similar work elsewhere, however, would 

 lead one to anticipate little trouble in this direction. The 

 work done by the Heath Societies in Denmark and 

 Holland is a striking and eloquent testimony to the 

 results which can be obtained by affording the small 

 landowners advice and assistance in shelter-planting. 

 In Denmark, the Heath Society, chiefly working on the 

 wind-swept soils of Jutland, undertakes the entire opera- 

 tion of planting belts and small woods, varying from one 

 to twelve or thirteen acres in extent, the owner subse- 

 quently paying two-thirds of the cost. This society 

 receives an annual subsidy of £20,000 from the Danish 



