NOTES AND QUERIES. 107 
THE MIDLAND REAFFORESTING ASSOCIATION. 
From the Report for 1905, the third year of its work, this 
Association would appear to be making substantial progress. 
At the first annual meeting its membership was 94; now, 
as the result of an “Appeal” issued in October last, over 
the signature of the president, Sir Oliver Lodge, it stands at 
260. Financially, too, good progress is being made, for it is 
pointed out that whereas a year ago nearly all the members 
paid the minimum subscription of five shillings, very many 
now contribute a guinea or more. Current expenses are charged 
against subscriptions, and donations go to form a permanent 
fund from which advances may be made for planting, and to 
which all such advances are to be repaid as each planting 
contract is completed. 
The Association was formed as the result of a public meeting 
held in Birmingham on February 12, 1903, for the purpose of 
promoting the reafforestation of waste land, including pit-tips 
and spoil-banks, more particularly in that part of the Midlands 
known as the Black Country. It seeks to attain its object by 
convincing the public that its plans are feasible, and by making 
“the knowledge gained from previous attempts, their successes 
and their failures, the basis of a Great Public movement, which 
shall restore to the district some of its ancient beauty, and render 
back its waste places to the service of men”; and its views are 
disseminated through the Press, and by means of pamphlets and 
lectures. It is also prepared to give expert advice to those 
intending to plant on their own account, and, where opportunity 
offers, to form model or demonstration plantations. The estab- 
lishment of Branches (three have now been formed) is also one 
of the methods by which the Association prosecutes its work. 
But the most important of the work undertaken by the 
Association is the planting of waste land. It is estimated that 
there are 30,000 acres of waste land in the Black Country, and 
of this 14,000 are immediately available for planting purposes. 
The Association contracts for the planting of this waste land at 
the rate of £5 per acre, including both plants and labour; 
in some cases it also fences the plots at a price agreed upon. 
Progress is, of course, slow, but a considerable area has already 
been planted, and a feature of interest in connection with this 
work is that “during this past winter a considerable sum has 
