50 EXPLOITATION OF PLANTS 
another aspect, it would represent an increased annual 
rental of from 1s. 2d. to 1s. 74d. per acre. 
Reform in policy.—We can summarise the necessary 
reforms in policy as follows— 
1. Much denser planting. 
2. Subordination of the gamekeeper to the forester. 
3. Extermination of rabbits in afforested areas. 
To these may be added increase in size of the 
afforested areas. The tendency to form numerous 
small woods has been largely owing to the dictates of 
sport. By increasing the area of contiguous wood- 
land many advantages would accrue. 
Firstly, it would render possible the construction of 
good forest roads, thereby reducing the cost of transport; 
moreover, the utilisation of motor lorries would under 
these conditions become feasible. Large areas produce 
a constant supply of timber, so that the erection of plant 
for dependent industries becomes economically possible, 
and where considerable supplies are available, the cost 
of local conversion is more than compensated for by 
the diminution in the cost of transit. 
I now come to that part of my subject with which I 
propose to deal more fully, viz. the importance of 
ecological research to practical forestry. It may be 
said of forestry that much of the present practice is 
purely empirical and not based. on sound scientific 
principles. 
One only has to glance through~any textbook on 
forestry and read the conditions given as suitable for 
the growth of different forest trees, to realise how vague 
ue 
