Canadian Forestry Journal, June, 1917 



1169 



available for limber production. The 

 small average size of the farms, the 

 pressure of population, the depend- 

 ence of agriculture upon farm stock 

 give mountain land a high value for 

 grazing during certain seasons of the 

 year. 



The value of such land in many 

 localities may be taken at one sheep 

 per acre. To withdraw the land 

 from grazing, and it is probable that 

 the best grazing land only would re- 

 pay planting, would seriously disturb 

 the agricultural population. Such 

 disturbance could only be accom- 

 plished by a gradual change in the 

 habits of the population, and by 

 demonstrating that the profit from 

 forest planting is greater than the 

 profit from grazing, and that the 

 plantations are on the whole, by 

 affording employment for labor, more 

 of a source of support to the com- 

 munity than the animals they dis- 

 place 



A large proportion of the moun- 

 tain land cannot be expected to profit- 

 ably produce timber. Due chiefly 

 to the prevafling Southwest wind, 

 which dries the trees out and checks 

 growth, the upper limit of commercial 

 forest in Ireland is about 1200 feet 

 absolute elevation; the limit of the 

 growth is in the neighborhood of 1500 

 feet. Towards the West coast, where 

 the influence of the wind is more 

 strongly felt, the limit of commercial 

 forest is about 900 feet. As the 

 upper limit of tillable land over the 

 greater part of the island is around 

 700 feet there is not a great area, even 

 not allowing for the grazing, avail- 

 able for commercial forest. 



Woodlands Broken Up 

 The woodlands which go to make 

 up the 300,000 existing acres of tree 



Dry Matches 



After all day in a 

 boat, rainstorm 

 or wet snow. Ask 

 your dealer for 

 WATERPROOF 

 MATCH BOX 

 If he can't supply you, we will send prepaid 

 for his name and 50 cents. Dry matches 

 may save your life. 

 MARBLE ARMS MFG. Co. 

 Dept. 5160 Gladstone, Mich., U.S.A. 



Marbles 



growth are chiefly in bodies of 1,000 

 acres or less. Previous to 1899, none 

 belonged to the state. Small areas 

 were degenerated forest, the remnants 

 of early royal forests and perhaps of 

 the forest primeval of the island. 

 The greater part were plantations 

 made within the past century. I'n- 

 fortunately, the productivity of these 

 forests is not what it should be be- 

 cause of the lack of silvicultural 

 knowedge amongst farmers and land- 

 owners, this lack leading to poorly 

 planned, poorly thinned and poorly 

 tended plantations. The slow pro- 

 gress of forestry under private in- 

 itiative in the past was undoubtedly 

 due to the lack of silvicultural know- 

 ledge. Owners who made planta- 

 tions received such poor financial re- 

 sults that neither they nor their 

 neighbors were tempted to proceed 

 farther with forest plantations. 



The Department of Agriculture 

 and Technical Education, therefore, 

 had a varied problem to face when it 

 undertook the improvement of the 

 forest situation. 



The first necessity was the building 

 up of a competent technical staff. 

 Soon after the passage of the Act, a 

 Scotch forester, Mr. A. C. Forbes, 

 entered the service of the Department 

 as Chief Inspector of Forestry. The 

 Department at that time was unable 

 to devote money to forest work. The 

 duties of the Chief Inspector were for 

 a time confined to giving advice to 

 private owners and making a forest 

 survey of several Irish counties. 



One of the most pressing needs for 

 the improvement of existing wood- 

 lands was a higher standard of for- 

 estry knowledge. The Department, 

 therefore, acquired in Wicklow, a 

 well wooded county, the old home- 

 stead of Parnell, consisting of 300 

 acres of woodland and 200 acres of 

 grassland upon which to conduct ex- 

 perimental planting work and estab- 

 lish a training school for foresters 

 who might later enter the service of 

 the state or of various owners of 

 woodlands or plantations. Six work- 

 ing apprentices were taken in annually 

 and given a course extending over 

 three years. The number trained 

 annually is not now so great owing to 



