PROSPECTS AND POSSIBILITIES OF FORESTRY 45 



deep beds of sand and gravel, the yield per acre would prob- 

 ably be fairly uniform, as we find it to be in most cases 

 where such soils are concerned. But where the solid rock 

 comes within 2 or 3 feet of the surface, as it does on a 

 great deal of mountain and hill land, a difference of 1 foot 

 in the depth of the surface soil or gravel, as the case may be, 

 may make a material difference in the yield of timber per 

 acre. The presence of springs or iron pan is another 

 frequent occurrence on hillsides, and affects the returns to 

 a great extent also. 



In short, the larger the area dealt with, the greater the 

 probability of having to enclose more or less unprofitable 

 ground becomes, and the smaller the probability of obtaining 

 a high yield per acre. The principle of calculating the 

 prospective returns of unplanted land from those derived 

 from existing plantations of small extent may be quite as 

 misleading as calculating the probable yield of farm crops 

 per acre from the produce of a few square yards, and, in the 

 absence of large areas of woodland to guide us, it is well to 

 allow for the yield of large areas being lower than that of 

 existing plantations of small extent. This, in itself, is no 

 argument against planting on a large scale, as, although the 

 acre yield may be low, the working expenses are, or ought to 

 be, low also, and the nett returns are usually higher than 

 when the expenses swallow up a large share of the gross 

 returns, as they invariably do on small areas of wood- 

 land. 



In attempting to calculate the probable financial result 

 of planting waste land, any approach to exact figures is of 

 course out of the question. All that is wanted is that the 

 planter should be furnished with a reasonable guarantee that 

 the time and expense involved in such an undertaking will 

 not be abortive, but yield an adequate interest on the capital 

 expenditure. Take the case of a landowner possessing 

 ten thousand acres of " mountain or heath ground," as the 

 Agricultural Returns term it, and which bring in a nett 

 return of 2s. 6d. per acre, and the bulk of which is well 

 adapted for planting purposes. Before embarking on plant- 

 ing operations on a large scale, say up to 1000 acres or so, 

 he may possibly be curious to know how such a proceeding 



