56 FOEEST CULTURE AND 



bark would be brought withia stringent laws, and 

 many other losses be obviated. 



A gentleman at Hillesley counts, as late as this 

 very month, five splendid trees on an acre, cut down 

 by the splitters, while only about one tenth of the 

 wood is used; nine tenths being left to be swept away, 

 sooner or later, by bush-flres. This improvidence goes 

 on within a few hours' drive frona Melbourne. The 

 stately sea -coast Banksias (Banksia integrifolia), so 

 rare near Melbourne, and hardly occurring further 

 westward, have been nearly exterminated within this 

 month, as near to us as Brighton. On all this, local 

 forest surveillance can form far the best opinion. 

 Each Board should have its cultivator, who, simul- 

 taneously, could perform the duties of forest-ranger. 

 A few unprovided orphan boys might be occupied in 

 the simple nursery or planting work for the forests. 

 The officer intrusted with forest duties on behalf of 

 the Government might aid, by frequent visits to each 

 forest district, the various Boards with much advice. 

 The expenditure for such an organization in each 

 instance would be most moderate, would be product- 

 ive already of early remunerative gain, and cause 

 large and immediate savings. No statesman, I feel 

 assured, would wish to impoverish our woods at the 

 expense of th§ next generation, just as little as any 

 legislator would hesitate to re-vote annually, for each 

 forest administration, at least a portion of the revenue 

 raised from the woods under its control. A sound 

 economy of the State will not expect from a forest in. 

 populous localities any more than to devote its means 

 for self-support. One of the first duties devolving on 

 any forest department would undoubtedly be to cause 



