NOTES AND QUERIES. 221 



the view of removing two, and leaving the best to form a 

 specimen tree in the future. 



" Shelter-belts have been planted on the N.W. boundary of 

 the farm, and around the X.E., N., and N.W. sides of the 

 cottages near the homestead. The trees planted consist 

 principally of Corsican pine, Scots pine, beech, larch, and 

 sycamore. 



" Most of the trees are now getting established, and some are 

 making good growth. The Japanese larch [Larix leptolepis) is 

 doing extremely well on Plot 7. 



" During the past winter all the saleable young trees in the 

 forest nurseries have been disposed of. Seeds of the following 

 trees were sown in the nursery in the spring of 1903, and will be 

 transplanted this autumn : — Common larch, Japanese larch, 

 silver fir, Douglas fir, Scots pine, oak, beech, and small plots of 

 Pinus monticola and Pinus Cembra." 



Parliament and Forestry. 



On Friday, February 19, 1904, a debate took place in the 

 House of Commons, on the following amendment to the Address 

 by Mr Keir Hardie: — 



" And, further, we desire humbly to express our regret that, 

 in view of the distress arising from lack of employment, your 

 Majesty's advisers have not seen fit to recommend the creation 

 of a department and Minister of Labour, fully empowered, infer 

 alia, to deal effectively, acting in conjunction with local admini- 

 strative authorities, with such lack of employment, mainly by 

 the execution of necessary public works, afforestation, and, 

 further, by encouraging an increase in the numbers of those 

 employed in agricultural pursuits." 



In the course of his remarks, Mr Hardie said the Government 

 could also do much by undertaking a scheme of afforestation, 

 and here they would have the recommendations of Royal 

 Commissions and Parliamentary Committees behind them. In 

 Germany the profits each year from these State forests ranged 

 from 15 to 18 million pounds sterling. In India the profits 

 were from 5 to 6 millions a year, and this had been accom- 

 plished since 1863, when systematic planting was first introduced. 

 There was in Great Britain an area of land out of cultivation 

 of 2 1 million acres, on a large part of which afforestation could 



