44 THE AFFORESTATION OF SURPLUS LAND. 



found that the planting of mountain and heath land, including 

 the cost of the plants, can, on an average, be done at the 

 following rates : 



.<?. d. 



Planting an acre with spruce for . 3 10 



,, ,, ,, Scotch pine ,, .400 



larch . ,, . 4 10 



,, beech . . 5 



ash . .600 



oak .;. .600 



The cost of looking after the plantations, including rates 

 and taxes, may be put down at 4s. an acre per year all round, 

 up to the time when the crop is cut over. Eates and taxes 

 on mountain and heath land, such as is here under considera- 

 tion, cannot be high, since its letting value is small. I have 

 shown above that the average return from such land cannot 

 be placed at more than Is. an acre all round. Not all the 

 15 million acres of such land are suitable for successful 

 afforestation ; but I may safely say that the suitable part of 

 the land cannot be placed at a higher rental than half-a-crown 

 an acre. At 32 years' purchase such land would fetch 4 an 

 acre. If regular fencing is wanted extra expenditure would 

 be necessary, but on the other hand the plantations would 

 yield an annual shooting rent, and I have placed one against 

 the other by leaving both out of the amount. 



And here I may draw attention to the fact that in operations 

 on a fairly large scale fencing is not nearly so expensive as is 

 sometimes supposed. Assuming that 



.<?. d. 



To fence 1 acre costs . . .900 



,, 4 acres in one block costs . 4 10 an acre. 

 16 ,,.250 



64 ,, ,, ,,.126 ,, 



256 . 11 3 



and so on. 



