TRANSACTIONS OP SECTION K. 497 



What is required without delay is the means for making the neceesary 

 decisions as to the areas to be reclaimed and the preliminary organisation in 

 preparation for the work. Time probably is still available for these pre- 

 liminaries, as labour from the source indicated is not likely to be available for 

 a considerable period. 



Should we ever be in a position to follow a policy in reclamation thought 

 out some years in advance, it would be possible to expedite the process of silting 

 up of marshes by appropriate plantinig. The etudy of the sequence of natural 

 plant successions has shown that measures of this kind are perfectly feasible. 



In addition to avoiding haphazard and piecemeal reclamation, another useful 

 duty that would fall to the lot of a department in, supreme control should be 

 to determine how far a proposed reclamation! is consistent with the maintenance 

 of proper navigation to ports in the vicinity. Whoever studies the present 

 state and previous history of the dead ports of the north coast of Norfolk can 

 hardly fail to agree that their decayed state is mainly attributable to imprudent 

 methods of land-reclaiming that have prevailed in. past times. 



Before leaving the subject of the salt-marsh there is the question of direct 

 utilisation in contradistinction to conversion or reclamation. The species of 

 plants that flourish on tidal marshes are, as is well known, limited in number ; 

 not more than 1^ per cent, of all British plants are halophytes, and this of 

 course circumscribes the possibilities of utilisation. 



There is, however, on the South Coast a plant which has latterly appeared 

 in enormous quantities on the mud flats of Southampton Water and Poolo 

 Harbour, and which is certain to penetrate into other areas. Public attention 

 was first called to the spread of Spartina Townsendii, some nine years ago, by 

 Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, and a good deal of precise information as to this 

 plant has been made available by Dr. 0. Stapf . Spartina now occupies thousands 

 of acres in the areas named and is still rapidly spreading — particularly in Poole 

 Harbour, where it was first detected in 1899. Nothing, however, seems to 

 have been done to put this gift of Providence to any definite use, though cattle 

 are reported to come down to graze on it with avidity where the ground has 

 become sufficiently consolidated. Curious to know whether the paper-maker 

 might not be able to find some use for Spartina, a sufficient sample for technical 

 treatment was obtained through the good offices of ]Mr. B. K. Hunter and a 

 ' mixed ' squad from a school within reach of Poole Hai'bour. The expert report 

 based on an investigation of this sample is altogether favourable to the idea 

 that good paper can be derived from Spartina Townsendii, and, should the 

 quantitative results based on the treatment of further material prove equally 

 satisfactory, it is permissible to hope that a thriving industry may spring from 

 the exploitation of this plant. The present situation, which must tend to restrict 

 the supply of imported raw materials for the paper-mills, is, of course, favour- 

 able to the recognition of the good qualities of a home-grown plant, and it is to 

 be hoped that by intelligent and energetic exploitation Spartina may become one 

 of the staples of our paper-manufacturers. 



The above examples of the possible utilisation of waste lands by the sea 

 could easily be multiplied. They indicate the existence of a considerable field 

 well deserving a closer investigation than it has yet received. The writer 

 believes the time is ripe for the preparation of a much fuller survey and report 

 of this type of ground than has hitherto been considered necessary. And what 

 is true of maritime waste lands applies with equal force to other types. It is 

 much to be hoped that a powerful central authority, such as the Board of 

 Agriculture and Fisheries, may be able to direct attention to these matters, 

 to institute the necessary inquiries, and do what can be done ini the way of 

 initiating exploitation in promising cases. In our view, the whole question 

 might be referred to a permanent or semi -permanent department competent to 

 deal with all sorts of waste grounds. This plan seems preferable to separate 

 or ' water-tight ' action, as the problems of utilisation and conversion of the 

 different types of ground have much in common, and the experience gained in 

 one case should be directly applicable to another. Such an authority, once in 

 operation for the British Isles, should soon find itself working in close touch 

 with similar bodies representing the larger and lesser units of the Empire. The 

 scope of the field thus opened up would, of course, be practically unlimited. 



1916 K K 



