48 REVIVAL OF FORESTRY 



were made that the land to be planted should be in a 

 sufficiently large block (not less than 500 acres) to 

 be commercially exploitable with success, and that 

 the woods should be managed on correct lines and 

 be subject to regular^inspection by the Forestry 

 Adviser of the District. 



This offer did not find approval in general with 

 the few private proprietors who gave it considera- 

 tion before the war, and this disapproval was perhaps 

 most openly expressed in Scotland. Their chiet 

 objection was over the question of the non-payment 

 of rent for the partial occupancy of the land by the 

 Commissioners. This and other points were still 

 under consideration at the outbreak of war, and 

 therefore do not call for further mention here. 



Some of the large corporations of the country 

 accepted the offer of the Development Commissioners, 

 and planting on these lines had been commenced 

 by Liverpool on their catchment area at Lake 

 Vyrmey in North Wales, by Edinburgh on the Talla 

 Catchment area, and by Lanarkshire County Council 

 on the Camps catchment area of 5,000 acres. Bir- 

 mingham and Leeds also had the matter under con- 

 sideration before the war broke out. Manchester 

 had been steadily planting up her fine catchment 

 area at Thirlmere for many years past, thus giving 

 a magnificent lead in the matter, and required at 

 the time no aid from the Commissioners. 



In Ireland, with the advent of the Development 

 Commissioners on the scene, forestry may be con- 

 sidered to have progressed with extraordinary 

 rapidity. The land conditions were ot course 



