468 LETTERS TO THE EDITOB. [April 



i^ETTERS TO THE pDITOR. 



THE WIND AND THE WOODS. 



SYR, — On page 3v0, four lines from the bottom, to my surprise I 

 find — "■ but at a later period the margins should not be thinned 

 at all." My \\'ritten words were to the following effect — " but at 

 a later period the full advantages of their shelter can be secured by 

 not thinning the margins at all." I remember I used tlie word 

 " may " instead of " can," and hence I suppose arose the confusion. 

 To exclude the outer rows of trees from the operation of the 

 ordinary thinnings would be contemplated only in exceptional cases, 

 where shelter might happen to be of paramount importance. 



N. isr. 



9(/i Ulaixh 1885. 



STEEL RAILWAY SLEEPERS 



SIE, — The Administrative Council of the Belgian State Railways 

 have reported that it is inopportune to substitute steel sleepers 

 for properly creosoted wooden ones. The engineers say that oak 

 sleepers best stand their test. — I am, etc.. Old Ways. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 



E. Edmond Hodson, Ventnor. — The name of the one specimen 

 sent is Cuprcssus Laivsoniana ; and that of the other, Biota orientalis, 

 aurca, often called Thuja uurca. 



C. BKADFOiiD AND SoN, Yeovil. — See our article, " A Commercial 

 Classification of WiUows." 



The editor would be pleased to receive short notes of the dates of 

 leaf opening, and the like, from various districts. See Mr. Lindsay's 

 paper in this number. 



