620 



SCIENCE PROGRESS 



who has done so much to bring the question before the nation, 

 has assumed that at least 4,000,000 acres are suitable, whilst 

 the Royal Commission of 1908 proposed 6,500,000 exclusive 

 of 2,000,000 of poor tillage land. Widely as these estimates 

 may differ they are only of importance in enabling us to realise 

 the benefits of afforestation, for there can be little value in 

 calculating on such a basis the cost of so vast and complete a 

 scheme of afforestation as was contemplated by the Commission 

 of 1908. 



It suffices to know that there are available large suitable areas 

 which would be more profitably employed for the growth of 

 forest than for their present purpose. That this is the case is 

 testified by a number of forest owners and experts well acquainted 

 with the conditions prevailing in the most widely differing 

 counties. Further and more specific evidence is afforded by the 

 results of the inquiries instituted by the Board of Agriculture 

 and Fisheries in certain representative counties into the adapta- 

 bility for forestry of land below 1,500 feet elevation classed as 

 mountain and heath land. The -following are the summarised 

 results of these inspections : 



Reports on South Lancashire and Wiltshire, the latter with 

 20,584 acres of mountain and heath land, were to the effect that 

 the amount of land that could be afforested with advantage was 

 insignificant ; but even if these and some other localities had to 

 be omitted altogether — and further inspection of Wiltshire has 

 at least left some doubt as to that county — the fact remains that 

 very considerable areas throughout Great Britain are suitable. 

 In the case of Ireland, the very conservative estimate of 700,000 



' Below 1,000 ft. 



