THE AFFORESTATION OF SURPLUS LANDS. 193 



soil his Department was most anxious to encourage, and by 

 the training of young men of both classes in the science of 

 forestry they believed that, by making a small beginning now, 

 they might l)e enabled to lead up in the course of years to 

 great results. The time might come, therefore, when this 

 country would be able, far more than at present or in the past, 

 to rely upon its own resources for the production of forest 

 timber." 



If the Government were to establish a central authority 

 with a few experts to manage an\ land afforested on behalf 

 of the State, and to go about and advise intending planters, 

 a good beginning might be made. The collection of useful 

 statistics might be made part of their duty. Such statistics 

 are of the tirst im{)ortance, as will be shown in the next 

 section when dealing with the yield and financial results of 

 afforestation. 



Section III. — The Afforestation of Surplus Lands. 



The treatment of forests depends on the objects which it 

 is proposed to realise. It rests with the proprietor, in so 

 far as his choice is not limited by the laws of the country, to 

 determine in each case what these objects shall be, and then 

 it becomes the duty of the forester to see that they are realised 

 to the fullest extent and in the most economic manner. This 

 fundamental principle should never be lost sight of. In these 

 islands, nearly the whole of the existing woodlands belong to 

 private proprietors. They desire, in the majority of cases, to 

 have the woods so managed that they lend themselves either 

 to landscape beauty, or the rearing of game, or the production 

 of a particular kind of produce required in the management 

 of estates. In such cases, economic working is beset by 

 considerable difficulties. And yet, even under such conditions 

 the objects of the proprietors may be realised and the woods 

 be made to yield, if not a full, at any rate a fair return, while 

 the proprietor must put down any deficiency in the income 



M.F. O 



