75 
amount of plant food the case is different. According to Mr. CL 
Reid, the region of the New Forest was covered at a fairly recent 
geological period—possibly Pliocene—with a wide-spread sheet 
of river gravel brought down from the chalk downs and even 
beyond these, from the exposures of Purbeck strata in the Yale 
of Wardour. These gravels must have been in respect of their 
fertility for some time after their deposition much like the present- 
day valley gravels of the Avon, upon which considerable crops of 
wheat and barley are cultivated. In the course of time by the 
leaching action of rain (and this may have been considerable 
during the Ice age) the fertility of the gravels doubtless deterior¬ 
ated. Instead of carrying a vegetation of a higher grade, such as 
woods with a varied flora, the gravels successively supported a 
steadily degenerating series, ending in the heath. The penultimate 
stage was in all probability, if we may judge from what is seen to 
be the case to-dav in the North German Heathandin the Highlands 
of Scotland, a wood or scrub of Scots pine. Although Scots pine 
is now one of the commonest timber trees of the Forest on the 
poorer soils it is as we see it to-day only a recent introduction, 
dating from 1774. The abundant evidence (submerged forests at 
Southampton, Bournemouth and elsewhere, and timbers and cones 
in peat bogs here and there within the district) shoAvs that this 
tree grew on or about the heaths at an early period. It perhaps 
disappeared naturally as a result of the impo\erishment of the 
soil. 
Much of the woodland on the poor loams and sands is 
ec'identlv but little remoAed from the heathland and it is very pro¬ 
bable that considerable belts of such woodland ha\*e passed into 
the heath within historical times. More especially is this the case on 
the borders of the Forest towards Eling, where the confiscation by 
King William is known to ha\'e been A ery extensive. 
The fate of the heaths is in many districts very uncertain. 
Until recently these wastes Avere as desolate a country as might 
be met Avith anvAvhere in the lowlands of England. The 
wretchedly poor soil afforded the scantiest of subsistence to cattle 
and was sparsely inhabited. This A ery unserviceableness to man 
has preserved the heathland. 
Its ancient aspect contrasts with the trim, much cRilised 
lineaments of the field and pastures that make up most of our 
country. To-day the heath is in great danger of losing its chief 
charm of remoteness and other-worldliness. The great pleasure 
town of Bournemouth replaces a sea-Avard heath that had not been 
inhabited since the times of the late stone man. Villas, garden 
toAvns among the heather, on aacII drained and perfectly clean sub¬ 
soil, will doubtless spring up along the great highAvays that 
traA-erse the heaths. Much will be lost, not only beauty of land¬ 
scape, but also plant assemblages and plant species. The public 
sense of AA'hat is worthy of presentation has hardly yet grasped 
the importance of presenting examples of A'egetation that haA'e 
scientific and historic A'alue. In this respect our country lags 
