FORESTRY AND AGRICULTURE COMPARED. 31 



it is of great importance that the thinnings are made in the right 

 way, as too heavy thinnings may disastrously affect the final 

 returns. As a consequence forests are not always suitable as 

 security for loans, nor fit objects for leasing. 



(7) Forests more than other lands are burdened with rights 

 and privileges belonging to third parties, such as the right to take 

 produce from the forest or to use the land for grazing cattle on it. 

 These rights usually interfere much with the management and 

 usefulness of the property. 



(8) As forest work is to a great extent independent of the 

 seasons of the year, it can be combined with agricultural work. 

 In many civiHsed countries a deficiency of agricultural labourers 

 has become very pronounced. The deficiency has partly been 

 made good by the introduction of machinery, but that has not 

 met the whole case. It is here that forestry can help. The bulk 

 of forest work can be done between late autumn and early spring, 

 when work in the fields is at a minimum. Consequently, a larger 

 number of agricultural labourers will be available from early 

 spring to late autumn, if the same men are also employed on 

 forest work during winter. By developing an arrangement of 

 this kind on estates both agriculture and forestry would benefit. 

 The system is of special usefulness in providing healthier condi- 

 tions in districts like those of the Scotch Crofters. By afforesting 

 part of the area, work is provided for the crofters during winter, 

 which will enable them to live more comfortably than if they have 

 to rely on their small holdings only. It is also useful to small 

 holdings generally, provided the forests are distributed over the 

 country in blocks of suitable size. As long as each block is large 

 enough (say 500 acres and upwards) to make it worth while 

 putting a man in charge of it, it can profitably be managed for a 

 sustained yield. 



All these points should be considered in allotting the land to 

 agriculture and to forestry respectively. 



