FORESTRY AND AGRICULTURE. 17 



gain much from the other. This has been sufficiently 

 proved in certain of the more barren districts of Germany, 

 where forestry has kept in a healthy state agricultural 

 communities that otherwise would have dwindled away 

 and disappeared. It must be borne in mind that all land 

 suitable for cultivation, excepting such small areas as are 

 required for nursery purposes, will be excluded from plant- 

 ing in any well-considered planting scheme. Such land 

 will be used for agricultural purposes in the most economi- 

 cally advantageous manner for the benefit of the com- 

 munity, without in any way prejudicing the operations of 

 either agriculture or forestry. A few suggestions are 

 offered as to how this may best be done. 



With regard to grazing-land, a good deal of it must 

 necessarily be taken up by planting. It is questionable, 

 however, whether the loss in grazing will be in direct ratio 

 to the amount of land taken up. An undoubted benefit 

 will be derived by agriculturists from the shelter provided 

 by forests for stock on wind-swept hillsides and moors; 

 and those who know the value of this will admit that 

 it will very largely compensate for the reduction in 

 grazing area. 



In many districts of Scotland where an afforestation 

 scheme may be profitably . embarked upon, there will be 

 found included in rough hill or moorland pastures not only 

 a small percentage of more or less useful arable land in the 

 valleys and on the lower slopes, but also large stretches 

 of grazing-land which from altitude or other reasons will 

 be quite unsuited to tree-growth. The problem is to 

 utilise these areas to the best advantage. If judiciously 

 dealt with, a great part of them should prove to be of no 

 little agricultural and grazing value. These lands cannot 

 be left out of consideration in drawing up a scheme of 

 afforestation. 



The question of utilising the more or less arable land of 

 the valleys and lower slopes for crofters and small -holders, 



AF. 



