Forestry and Agriculture in Great Britain

MR. HILEY misses the point of the article on ``Forestry and Agriculture in Great Britain.'' No suggestion was put forward that the afforestation work now being undertaken should be discontinued. The view was expressed, however, that the Government should perhaps consider whether some of the heavy overhead charges which have little bearing on the actual planting of trees, that is, the afforestation work proper, could not be curtailed. The plea that forestry should step in and plant up land, which, owing to agricultural depression is being thrown out of cultivation, is surely unsound. The first axiom of scientific forestry is that no land which can be made to produce food should come under the ægis of the forester. The money Mr. Hiley would devote to afforesting such land would be more justifiably employed in assisting the agriculturist to bring it once more under crops or stock.