16 ENGLISH ESTATE FORESTRY 



affairs, which were not favourable for rural pursuits. The 

 Peninsular War, and the demand made by it upon the 

 country for men and money, kept the attention of landowners 

 from being directed to such work as planting, although it 

 went on to some extent in spite of all distractions in the 

 political world. At a later period the flourishing condition 

 of agriculture, and the large profits derived from the cultiva- 

 tion of wheat, drew the attention of landowners away from 

 the less profitable undertaking of timber-growing. Poor 

 pastures were broken up and rough ground cleared to make 

 room for this cereal, and landlords who had land fit for 

 anything at all were not inclined to sacrifice their high rents 

 for planting operations. 



That great stride in afforestation which went on in 

 Scotland in the early part of the century saw no correspond- 

 ing movement in England, for the conditions in the rural 

 economies of the two countries were very different. In 

 Scotland vast areas existed which were practically unutilised, 

 and incapable of being utilised except as most inferior 

 pasture, and the improving landlord saw a fine opportunity 

 for turning it to good account, and at the same time 

 beautifying his estate, by planting. In England, as we have 

 already seen, such work had already been done, although 

 on a better class of land than the Scotch planter dealt with, 

 and on possibly a smaller scale. In connection with English 

 forestry, however, the planting operations in Scotland about 

 this time were interesting, as they were the means, or to a 

 great extent the means, of introducing a system of forestry 

 and a class of foresters which have been largely instrumental 

 in altering the appearance of English plantations. Hitherto 

 English woods were chiefly planted and grown on the system 

 of coppice with standards, or more or less pure plantations, 

 such as beech or Scots fir. But the reputation which 

 Scotland gained as a nation of planters about this time 

 also gained Scotch foresters a reputation as well, and forty 

 or fifty years ago it was as much the correct thing for an 

 estate to have a Scotch forester as it was for a nobleman's 

 establishment to possess a French chef. 



Whether the influence of Scotch foresters has been 

 beneficial to English forests or the reverse, we do not pretend 



