Agricultural Capabilities of the New Forest. 267 
gathering- up the conclusions which appear to follow from the 
facts that have been stated. 
(1) Without pretending to decide the extent of the claims 
which the commoners may have on the Forest, it is sufficient 
to know that their nature has been duly settled, and recorded by 
a commission, and no doubt by a similar tribunal their value and 
mode of compensation will be determined. 
(2) The obscurity and difficulty with which the subject is 
surrounded offer no valid reason for further delay ; but the very 
fact that some thousands of acres are still unenclosed, although 
set out for the purpose, is a strong argument why there should 
be no further postponement in dealing with the Forest. 
(3) The very great diminution of the value of oak-timber, and 
the cessation of its demand for navy requirements ; the improved 
system of agriculture by which old forest customs are fast 
becoming obsolete ; the insular position of the country ; the large 
extent of land required by railways and other public works, all 
offer the strongest arguments in favour of breaking up, utilizing, 
and cultivating our waste and forest lands. 
(4) Although the soil of the New Forest is not, on the whole, 
of the most favourable character, yet the climate is good and the 
soils are various ; facilities are great for ameliorating the land 
by means of marl and chalk, and the examples are numerous 
in the county of land which offered an equally unpromising aspect 
having been broken up with success within the last twenty years. 
(5) Opinions of practical men agree as to the most profitable 
mode of dealing with a great portion of the Forest, viz., by cut- 
ting it up into small estates, each possessing a favourable site for 
building, and consisting, if possible, partly of wooded and partly 
of waste land, and that the properties so carved out should be 
submitted to public competition. 
(6) The revenue derived from such sales would supply the 
means of effecting those general improvements, such as main 
drainage, which it would not be wise to leave to individual 
proprietors, and also of satisfying the claims of commoners 
whose property is not conveniently situated for receiving com- 
pensation in land. 
(7) The expense of breaking up the land for tillage cannot be 
estimated on the average at less than 15/. per acre, but the large 
amount of ashes that would accrue from the process would render 
the after-expense of the first two crops extremely moderate. 
(8) The plan suggested would furnish the means of employing 
a considerable amount of labour, and, it is hoped, a remunerative 
return for the investment of capital. It would improve the 
health of the neighbourhood, and benefit its trade, and, whilst 
contributing to individual advantage, would greatly conduce to 
the national wealth. 
