IMPROVED BRITISH FORESTRY 333 
particular matter, as well as on planting along 
the west coast of Ireland, by the Forestry 
Committee of 1887. 
As most landowners have merely a life-interest 
in their estates, and as the calls on their purse 
are many (beginning with the heavy demand on 
succession), they have not as a rule much money 
to spare for forming plantations which are only 
likely to yield substantial returns after their 
individual tenure of the estate is at an end. 
Hence, even if he be convinced of the desira- 
bility of growing crops of timber for future 
profit, the landowner seldom has the funds 
necessary to make an investment of this sort. 
As State aid has not thus been directly given 
to Agriculture during the last twenty-five years 
of depression, it is impracticable that advances 
should be made from the Treasury to land- 
owners desirous of planting waste land and 
tracts thrown out of arable or pastural occu- 
pation. But substantial assistance and encour- 
agement might be given indirectly by amendments 
to the Lands Improvement, the Settled Estates, 
and the Board of Agriculture Acts. Under 
the Improvement of Lands Act, 1899, the 
