288 TlMEHRI. 
new field can be cut for next year. Irrespective of the 
damage done to the forest, it is plain that such a process 
will soon exhaust any small area of land, as land once 
cleared and left to itself soon becomes thick with 
grass, vines and thorny bushes that keep down the forest 
growth ; and as much as twenty years will elapse before 
the same land will be cleared again for cultivation. Even 
this, however, is not done if it can be avoided, since the 
clearing of ( Mainoh bush', the local name for old clear- 
ings, is more troublesome and requires more labour than 
the cutting down of the original forest. 
Some may remark that where land is of comparatively 
little value a few squatters more or less can do no par- 
ticular harm, and that the country is covered with forest. 
To this I reply that the example is a bad one, and excep- 
tionally so in a colony like British Guiana where such 
large sums are annually spent on the importation of 
mmigrant labour; and particularly so at present, when, 
in order to enable the sugar-producers of the colony to 
merely keep on an equality with other sugar-producing 
countries, all possible and legal means to prevent idleness 
and consequent waste of our scanty supply of native 
labour, are imperatively necessary. 
Although the country may be covered with forest, there 
are only certain kinds of timber that are merchantable, 
and the extent of country from which it is derived is a 
limited one, owing to the short distance inland for 
which our rivers are navigable. The timber has already 
fallen off in value and quantity, for this area has already 
been cut over twice, and in some cases thrice ; and no 
legal restrictions exist on the subje6l. 
It must be remembered that my remarks are entirely 
I 
