WORK IN THE WOODS 229 



plants they are called, remain in the break for one or 

 two years according to whether they are planted out 

 to form woods as three- or four-year-old plants. The 

 breaks will require hoeing between the lines during the 

 summer to remove weeds and let in air into the soil. 



I have given above briefly the main outlines of 

 nursery work. There are numerous other jobs, as 

 must be the case in work of this kind, which can be 

 adequately undertaken by women. In fact, in my 

 opinion the^main portion of the staff of a nursery would 

 better consist of women and girls than of men and 

 boys. They will require training, but so do the men 

 and the boys. This year will perforce see many 

 women employed in nurseries, and whether they take 

 a liking to the work, for an aptitude they surely 

 possess, will depend upon whether due recognition is 

 paid to their cotnfort and necessities, which must be 

 different from those of men and boys. 



(b) Work in the Woods. — At first sight it may appear 

 that there is little place for women's work out in the 

 woods. If we confine ourselves to the popular idea 

 of the work of a forester, that he must be always 

 cutting down trees — few seem to realise in this country 

 that the trees have first to be planted, and that is 

 probably the reason we have so many million treeless 

 acres — if, I say, we only consider the one aspect of 

 forestry, that of felling trees, it may be conceded that 

 the women woulcl not be as much in their element here. 

 But there is not in my mind, or in the minds of any of 

 us I trust, the idea of eliminating the mere man alto- 

 gether, either from the woods or any other walk in 

 life. Out in the woods, anyway, he will have to 



