Tree Plantinq in the Slack Country. 71 



to convince the nation that it was possible to make very good 

 use of these thousands of acres of artificially made desert. 

 Right at the start the arguments convinced many influential 

 people as to the commonsense nature of the proposals. 

 Although these Midland districts were probably never a great 

 forest country, it is known that years ago there were a large 

 number of trees in the locality. Taking a rough square of 

 land from Walsall to Stourbridge in the north and south, and 

 from Wolverhampton to West Bromwich in the west and east, 

 it is quite certain that a couple of hundred years ago the land 

 was pleasantly rural. Of course as the mining operations 

 extended the whole face of the countryside was transformed. 

 For a long time no attempt was made to restore the district to 

 its original condition, and gradually the legend arose that 

 nothing would grow in the Black Country on account of the 

 terrible smoky atmosphere, which meant certain death to every 

 green thing. At the time of the founding of the Midland 

 Reafforesting Association this idea was widely held and, even 

 nowadays, most people have a vague idea that it is of no use 

 trying to grow anything in the locality. Luckily the Associa- 

 tion was able to point to two old plantations which had been 

 formed by the Earl of Dudley, probably about 1810 — 1820. 

 These are at the Wren's Nest and Dudley Castle Hill, and 

 should be visited by all those who are sceptical as to the 

 possibilities of tree planting in the Black Country. It is known 

 that towards the end of the eighteenth century the whole of 

 these districts were covered with quarries in connection with 

 the limestone which is found there. When the quarries were 

 worked out the Earl of Dudley carried through the planting, 

 and it is possible to see the results at the present time. These 

 wooded tracts resemble patches of virgin forest, despite the 

 fact that in no part can one get away from the crash of 

 hammers and the shriek of railway whistles. With regard to 

 the question as to whether the material of which the surface 

 soil is composed in the neighbourhood of mines would be 

 suitable for the growth of trees, the following cases are of 

 interest. Those who have any doubts shovild visit a small 

 collection of trees in close proximity to the Old Hawn Colliery, 

 at Halesowen. Here it is possible to see a wych elm tree with 

 a circumference of nearly seven feet at a distance of a yard 

 from the ground. This tree is growing in pure coal dust ! 

 Other instances to which attention may be called are the trees 

 at Haden Hill, and at the Timbertree Mound, near Cradley 

 Heath. In the first named plantation the trees are mainly 

 beech, but wych elm, birch, common elm, and many other 

 kinds are present and thriving. A large number of trees are 

 from 100 to 200 years old and they show a fine growth of 



