252 
Agricultural Capabilities of the New Forest. 
tlic land occupied by fern, pcartlcularly where it grows luxu- 
riantly, would also so respond. That any land that has pro- 
duced good timber would also pay for cultivation after the 
timber has been removed, and the bogs would, for the most part, 
after being drained. That where the heath grows freely and to 
some length, although it would be most prudent to wait two or 
three years after the right of turbary has been extinguished, so that 
the surface should be quite covered, and a large amount of ashes in- 
sured from the burning of the turfs, would yet, after the expiration 
of such time, pay for breaking up. However, after all this land has 
been thus secured for cultivation, there will yet be a very large 
margin so poor and unpromising, that it would be vain to expect 
that it could be broken up for tillage with any prospect of remune- 
ration. The proportion of land at present occupied by timber, 
and including the new enclosures and the old ones disenclosed, 
are supposed to be about 27,000, so that this would leave about 
36,000 covered with heath, fern, and gorse ; and there are some 
who entertain a strong opinion that 30,000 of this is totally unfit 
for cultivation, and would not pay three per cent, for the capital 
expended in breaking it up ; and that if it were devoted to 
planting fir, for which alone it may be fit, it would greatly 
injure the residential value of the neighbourhood to have this 
30,000 so jilanted, in addition to the 27,000 previously enclosed 
or under timber. There is much force in this argument, more 
particularly as, putting aside the claims of those now resident in 
the neighbourhood, it must be remembered that the greatest 
source of revenue to be derived from the Forest would undoubtedly 
arise from the sale of spots for residence, of sufficient size to 
be attractive and desirable. It would therefore be extreme folly 
to do anything calculated to lessen the value of such spots, and 
this fact offers to the present residents the best possible secu- 
rity that nothing will be done likely to injure the residential 
value of the neighbourhood. 
I cannot, however, agree with the opinion that 30,000 acres 
are totally unfit for tillage, which, if correct, would leave only 
6000 suitable for that purpose. And although the question 
can only be settled by actual experiments, these might be in- 
stituted in different localities so as to decide the question without 
any great loss. Yet I must hazard the conjecture that not less 
than 20,000 acres would be found to repay the expense of tillage, 
thus leaving 16,000, one-half of which might be planted with larch 
and fir, and the other might remain open, or be sold with the 
woody portion it adjoins. The residents could hardly complain 
of this, more particularly if the timber in the old forests now 
thrown open were realised when of most value, and the land thus 
cleared devoted to tillage, reserving the new enclosures for timber 
