Canadian Forestry Journal, August, ipij. 159 



seen that many of the forests are 1914, was 63,498 acres. The expen- 

 necessanly not in a normal condition diture under this head durino- the' 

 and that, although it is not intended financial year, 1913-1914 was £89 

 to allow the younger growth to 806. The cash revenue derived froi 

 reach the dimensions or ages of the the plantations in the s^me period' 

 virgin timber, a considerable period was £29,252. These figures include 

 of time must usually elapse before those for the Railway Sleeper Plan 

 there will be much mature timber tations, the management of which 

 available from them again. is undertaken by the Forest Depart- 



The State Attitude. ment, and also include the cost of 



Until 1876 no control or technical raising transplants for sale to the 

 control was exercised over the Public and revenue derived from this 

 Crown Forests of Cape Colony, but ^"^ from sales of seed, amounting to 

 in that year a Department of Forests ^bout £19,000. 

 and Plantations was constituted, and Use of Vacant Land 



in 1881 a Superintendent of Woods A good deal of the vacant ground 

 and Forests was appointed. In 1891 included in the Forest Rese?ves is 

 this post was abolished and the four suitable for afforestation, and steady 

 Conservancies into which the Colony progress is being made with the 

 had been divided were thereafter latter at the rate of about 6 000 to 



administered independently by four 7^000 acres annually 

 Conservators, until in 1905 a Chief The earlier plantations are begin- 



Conservator of Forests was again ning to yield considerable returns 



appointed. , , ^ ^ from thinnings, but mature timber 



In the Transvaal and Orange Free will not be ready for cutting for 



State, l^orest Departments were con- some years 



stituted by the Crown Colony Gov- The Department also undertakes 



ernments as subdivisions of the res- the reclamation of drift sands on the 



pective Agricultural Departments coast, where required, in addition to 



in about 1903 In Natal no settled protecting the natural vegetation 



policy was followed, but the post of with a view to preventing the forma- 



Conservator of Forests was twice tion of new drift sands 

 made and twice abolished, the To encourage the general affores- 



administration ot the torests being tation of the Country by tree-olant- 



in the hands of the Director of ing by farmers andU^ers for'pu - 



Agriculture from 1908 onwards poses of shelter, wood for fuel and 



\\hen Union took place in 1910 other local uses, ornament, etc 

 the four Departments were immedi- With this object, the Forest De- 



ately combined under one Chief partment disposes of forest trees and 



Conservator of Forests, and uni- seeds at very low prices and it is 



b°een introduce"""'"'"" ''' ""'' ''7'''' ^^^?^ ^° give'advice as to the 



J lS^2^ V . T^ selection of species, methods of cul- 



In 1913 Par lament passed a Forest tivation and so on. Its officers also 



Act for the Union. This Act which give lectures at some o? the Agr^ 



came into force on the 1st Novem- cultural Schools ^ 



fZv \ consolidates and amends During the financial year 1913-14 



he Forest Lavvs previously in force about 2,634,000 transplants were 



n the various Provinces comprising sold from the Government nursedes 



the Union ; and relates to forest ten- and 581,500 were issued erltL to 



ure forest reservation demarcation other Government insSutifns By 



and the regulation and protection of far the greater proportion of these 



Tu ■ « ^ , r , ^ ^^^^^ was planted in the Transvaal 



The afforested area of the Govern- and Orange Free State on the tree 



ment plantations on the 31st March, less high veld. 



