Canadian Forestry Journal^ December, 1918 



1961 



structed for Lheiii a new machine to 

 replace the one destroyed, which will 

 be ready for use at the beginning of 

 the next forest fire season. 



If the results attained are satis- 

 factory, it is expected that the whole 

 of the coastline will be regularly 

 patrolled by this means, at a very 

 considerable saving in men and with 

 an increased efficiency. The great 

 rapidity of motion of the hydroplane 



combined with its wide range of 

 cruising radius, would appear to 

 make it the very finest means of fire 

 patrol it is impossible to conceive. 

 It is to be noped, therefore, that the 

 experiment will be made in due 

 course and without a repetition of 

 the unfortunate accident which put 

 an untimely end to the experiment 

 so far as the present season is con- 

 cerned. 



Women a Success in Planting Work 



By G. P. Gordon, B. Sc. iOxon.) 



British Experiments Show Good Results in 

 Care of Forest Nurseries and Even Felling. 



During the year 1915, the Royal 

 Scottish Arboricultural Society placed 

 a number of women in forestry work 

 on various estates throughout Scot- 

 land. These women were employed 

 in estate nurseries and at certain 

 branches at forestry work; in addi- 

 tion they took part in general estate 

 work. 



The women so placed were drafted 

 from the working classes, and they 

 had not undergone any course of 

 training preparatory to their taking 

 up employment in forestry. Many 

 of them were unemployed women, 

 who were idle because of slackness 

 in certain industries, e.g., fishing, 

 spinning mills, etc. 



Experience of working squads of 

 these women throughout Scotland 

 has proved that this type of worker 

 without training is not altogether 

 suited for rural work on the land. 

 Although in many cases good individ- 

 uals and good squads were eacoun- 

 tered, the average individual was too 

 unsettled to obtain the maximum 

 value from her work. It is thought 

 that women of this class, for true 

 economy, must be constantly in 

 touch with their own homes, as the^^ 

 were found to be less adaptable than 

 more intelligent and better eduicated 

 women. Further, it was found that 

 the supervision of this class of worker 

 was somewhat costly, as initiative 



so necessary in land work was almost 

 entirely lacking. 



Adapting Female Dress. 



A problem which had a consider- 

 able influence on the efficiency of 

 these workers was the question of 

 dress. It was found that ordinary 

 foot wear was quite unsuitable, and 

 experiments were made with clogs, 

 high boots, leggings, etc., and finally 

 it was decided that stout boots and 

 leggings were the most useful. The 

 ordinary apparel of the women was 

 found to be unsuited for wet weather, 

 and experiments were made with 

 waterproof skirts, which were not. 

 however, found to be very successful. 

 In nursery work skirts are always a 

 drawback, as they damage young 

 plants in the nursery lines, and also 

 break down the edges of seed beds. 

 In addition, in wet undergrowth 

 they are a decided hindrance to 

 freedom of action. For outdoor land 

 work it is essential that women have 

 the equivalent of a man's jacket, 

 which can be donned during a shower 

 and cast off in hot weather or for 

 strenuous work. 



A characteristic squad is seen in 

 the illustration. It comprised some 

 twenty women obtained through the 

 Labour Exchanges in Glasgow, Edin- 

 burgh and Leith. 



The question of housing this type 



