72 FORESTRY IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



The forester is specially interested in the proper utilization 

 of small wood, which is not fit for timber, or used as fuel. 

 Such wood can be utiUzed (a) In dry distillation leading to the 

 manufacture of charcoal, acetone, methyl alcohol and other bye- 

 products. (6) Small wood, such as is derived from coppice of 

 ash, oak, beech and birch, which is not fit for pit-wood, is used 

 for chair legs, tool handles, bobbins, barrel hoops, toy-making, 

 hurdles, turnery generally. Industries of this class have been 

 established in the Chiltern hills, Tintern woods and elsewhere. 



9. Activities of Private Individuals and Corporations. 



It has been shown above that 96-3 per cent, of the existing 

 forests are private property. As a matter of fact, the amount of 

 enterprise in forestry shown by private proprietors has been an 

 outstanding feature in the past. They had to work out the best 

 and most remunerative methods of treatment of the indigenous 

 species as well as to experiment with exotic species, such as Douglas 

 fir and Sitka spruce, which promised to be more remunerative than 

 the former. In nearly every case the incentive to progress came 

 from individuals and not from the State or corporations. Only 

 in recent years has a change come, when the State has taken up 

 the subject of forestry, and when Corporations set about to secure 

 the catchment areas of rivers for their water supply. Some of the 

 latter have adopted schemes of afforestation of parts of the 

 catchment areas, and up to date about 10 square miles have 

 actually been planted. 



The catchment areas have been estimated to contain some 



