31 JULY 1920, Page 16

THE SHORTAGE OF PAPER.

[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR.")

SIR,—There are thousands of acres of bracken in our island doing nothing but mischief, and rapidly encroaching on and ruining pasture land. I have for long had the notion that bracken, with its tough fibrous stalk, must be suitable for the manufacture of paper, and almost every one to whom I have suggested the idea agrees with me, but there it ends. I write this in the hope that it may catch the eye of some one com- petent to give an opinion on the subject. It seems a pity that so much raw material lying at our door could nct he made use of, if not for paper, for some other purpose.—I am, Sir, tic., E. P. D.