THE FOREST OF DEAN : AN OBJECT LESSON. 283 



It is due to Mr. Stafford Howard, Commissioner of Woods, 

 and Mr. P. Baj'lis, Deputy Surveyor, Forest of Dean, to say 

 that they recognised the unsatisfactory state of things and set 

 to work some twelve years ago to mend matters. There were, 

 however, great difficulties in the w^ay. In the first place, the 

 areas, so ruthlessly thrown open, had to he re-enclosed, and 

 this could he done only gradually ; however, good progress has 

 already heen made, and it is believed that the whole area of 

 11,000 acres allowed hy law has once more been brought under 

 proper control. In the second place, the authorities had to 

 consider what to do with the existing woods. In consultation 

 with the late Mr. Hill, of the Indian Forest Department, they 

 decided to underplant with beech the limited area of woods 

 under fifty years old, where the mischief could still be 

 remedied, as quickly as the occurrence of beechmast years 

 permits. The older oak woods, about ninety years old, demand 

 a somewhat different treatment, and this was commenced by 

 Mr. Baylis about ten years ago. In these woods only oaks of 

 some promise are left, all others being cut out; then all blanks 

 are filled up, chiefly with larch, oak and other trees, such as 

 sycamore and ash, and in certain places spruce and Douglas 

 fir. As soon as these young plantations have made a fair 

 start, beech will be brought in over the whole area, so as to 

 return to a state of affairs similar to that which existed a 

 hundred years ago. 



Some authors have of late been writing about " The New 

 Forestry." Alas ! it seems what is really wanted is to return 

 to " The Old Forestry," and to eliminate as quickly as possible 

 the errors introduced into British forestry by the nineteenth 

 century forest experts. These gentlemen were in too much of 

 a hurry. " Quick returns regardless of consequences " was 

 their maxim, and now they have almost ruined national 

 property of an enormous value, inasmuch as they have con- 

 siderably reduced the fertility, or yield capacity, of the soil. 

 It may indeed be said that the competency of a forester can 

 be judged by examining the soil in his forests: if there is a 



