258 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FORESTRY 



granted to encourage private forestry, and when com- 

 bined, as they should be, by the periodic inspection of 

 the woods by a quahfied forester, a system of good forestry 

 would gradually be built up in the country which would 

 not fail to be of benefit in the long-run. 



Another form of assistance found useful on the Conti- 

 nent is that of granting a bonus to planters, amounting to 

 about 50 per cent, of the cost of planting. Compared 

 with loans, this form of assistance might provide greater 

 inducement to an owner to plant, but it seems better 

 adapted to the small farmer than the larger landowner, or 

 to the planter of waste land which has never before borne 

 a crop of timber. Loans or premiums, however, given 

 without further investigation or subsequent inspections 

 are apt to lead to bad results. The mere fact that a man 

 has been able to plant a few acres without putting himself 

 to much trouble or inconvenience, may lead to careless- 

 ness or neglect in the future treatment of the crop. 

 This need not, nor would it be the case in all instances, 

 but the mere granting of money for bad and unpro- 

 ductive work should be carefully guarded against, and 

 the recipient of a loan or premium should be compelled 

 to accept the advice, and carry out the instructions of a 

 trained forester, until the loan is repaid, or the premium 

 paid over. The latter, in any case, should seldom be given 

 until two or three years after the commencement of 

 the work, and until its completion in a satisfactory 

 manner. 



The third and last form in which the woods or tree 

 growth of the country may occur are State forests, 

 managed chiefly with a view to supplying an adequate 

 stock of timber for the industrial development of the 

 country, and also to utilise land which cannot yield a 

 high return when under agricultural crops, or employed 

 for the grazing of cattle. 



