NOTES AND QUERIES. I07 



Waterford. On a south-eastern spur of the Knockmealdown 

 mountains a colony of monks was estabhshed some eighty years 

 ago. Their holding, which was gifted to them by the proprietor, 

 was a bleak hillside running up to 900 feet elevation, and 

 growing only Molinia and heather. The few farms that existed 

 were poor, and their inhabitants equally so. 



The monks early recognised the value of shelter, and divided 

 their land into fields of about 30 acres. These they surrounded 

 with 12 to 15 yards wide shelter-belts. One on the extreme 

 windward side of the holding was made much wider. The 

 trees are now from 30 to 55 feet in height, and provide 

 excellent shelter. The effect of this has been striking. The 

 hills around have still the same miserable growth of heather and 

 coarse grass. The farms are still mediocre. But the monks 

 holding has improved, and the beautiful green of its grass shines 

 out as an emerald in the wilderness of brown and grey. 



Much of the improvement must be attributed to the good 

 farming of the monks, but the monks themselves attribute no 

 small share to the shelter of the trees. They can now keep 

 large stocks and get good crops even although the soil is 

 naturally extremely harsh. J. M. M. 



British Columbia Spruce for Aeroplanes. 



The Canadian Forestry Journal for November 191 7 states that 

 a special staff of technical foresters has been called into the 

 service of the Imperial Munition Board, in connection with the 

 extensive utilisation of British Columbia spruce for the manu- 

 facture of aeroplanes. Extensive tracts of spruce in this province 

 are exactly adapted to fulfil the required conditions for aero- 

 nautical purposes. A. W. B. 



Small-Holdings and Afforestation. 



At the third annual conference of delegates of the Scottish 

 Small-holders' Organisation (Limited), which was held in 

 Aberdeen recently, an address was delivered by Colonel 

 Fothringham on " Small-Holdings and Afforestation," in which 

 he pointed out that afforestation was largely mixed up with the 

 question of small-holdings, to the extent that the forests required 

 labour, and the small-holder in many cases required something 



