THE UTILISATION OF LAND UNSUITABLE FOR AGRICULTURE. 25 



timber-trees. Examples without end could be found of Conifers 

 growing freely in the inside of plantations where there is shelter 

 from wind, that absolutely refuse to live at the exposed margins, 

 and on dry eastern aspects the common Spruce is a well-known 

 example. 



In conclusion, I would add that I say nothing about probable 

 effects, beneficial or otherwise, to climate by the extensive 

 afforestation of waste lands, although " amelioration of climate " is 

 a stock argument on the subject. Planting belts for the shelter 

 of crops and farm stock would probably not affect our climate 

 greatly, and such belts need not be reckoned upon for the pro- 

 duction of timber, and hence should not be mixed up with the 

 latter subject at all ; but that extensive forest areas are likely fco 

 improve a climate cool enough and moist enough already, is, I 

 think, hardly likely if meteorological record stands for anything. 



Discussion. 



Professor Marshall Ward, Instructor at the Cooper's Hill 

 School of Forestry, said he was very pleased to hear one truth 

 driven home, to the effect that we in this country had long been 

 in the habit of under-estimating the capabilities of the soil in 

 forestry operations. We had for many years been in the proud 

 position of being authorities on the subject of soil ; but Mr. 

 Simpson's paper rightly emphasised the fact that our notions of 

 the value of the soil had been taken only from the point of view 

 of the farmer and horticulturist, and that it was really a very 

 difficult matter indeed to get it even considered from the point of 

 view of forestry. One thing he would like to say, viz. that if 

 anyone contemplated launching into forestry, he must make up 

 his mind not to be deterred at the outset if the results did not 

 come up to expectation, which had been based upon analyses of 

 the chemistry of farm crops and fruit. That was a point in 

 danger of being overlooked, and Mr. Simpson had done quite 

 right in laying stress upon it. 



A gentleman in the audience, whose name did not transpire, 

 but who resides in Cornwall, said that he had had considerable 

 experience in forestry, and had been most successful. He said 

 that in the plantations in which he had been interested he had 



