86 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



IX. The Utilisation of Waterworks' Gathering-Grounds by 

 Afforestation. By W. G. Smith, Yorkshire College, Leeds. 



The following is an account of the earlier stages of a scheme 

 which, if imitated, would constitute an important development of 

 Forestry in Britain. The case is that of a special locality, but it 

 is very similar in character to the hilly districts from which so 

 many of our municipal bodies have the right to collect a water- 

 supply. The prime mover was Mr W. B. Crump, M.A., of 

 Halifax, who as a botmist knows Yorkshire well, and has recog- 

 nised, amongst other things, that the present extent of woodland 

 in the county is far below what it might be. Mr Crump has 

 given his views in the Halifax Naturalist (April 1902), and as, 

 probably, few of the readers of these Transactions have seen this 

 periodical, portions of it are, by permission, here reproduced. 



Mr Crump's Article in the "Halifax Naturalist." 



A splendid opportunity awaits the Halifax Corporation and other 

 corporations. They have become the owners of considerable estates, which 

 they are anxious to preserve for all time unpeopled and uncultivated. 

 Farms have passed out of cultivation, and will revert to moorland, in this 

 neighbourhood at all events. In a sense this land is unproductive, and yet 

 bj' afforestation it could be made productive, without in any way interfering 

 with the primary object of its acquisition. On the contrary, it is certain 

 that the presence of forest would promote in no small degree this primary 

 object — an abundant and regular supply of pure water. It would also 

 furnish employment, to some extent, for those who have laboured on the 

 land and who are now being driven off it. 



In the Hebble valley alone, from Mixenden to Ogden Moor, the Cor- 

 poration owns at least a thousand acres. It is true a large proportion, the 

 moorland, is unfit for immediate planting, but let woods be once well 

 established on the slopes, and the afforestation of the moor will only be 

 a question of time and skill. As to the rest, the Corporation is in a 

 singularly fortunate position: there are no restrictive conditions, no shoot- 

 ing rights or sporting interests, no heavy outlay on draining and fences 

 to be considered, such as too often deter a private individual. Of 

 course there are many who appreciate the beauty of woodland, and 

 would welcome the planting of trees in our particularly bare and barren 

 valleys. Pretty woodlands and tree-covered parks are not, however, the 

 ideals of the forester. Our existing woods produce, as a rule, little market- 

 able timber and much waste, partly as a consequence of lack of management. 



