The ugliest thing in Berkshire, and yet more emphatically in
the neighbour shire of Wilts, is the derelict farm with its decayed houses and buildings, its rank weeds and vermin. Contrariwise, one of the most beautiful things is such a resurgent farm as may be seen at Kingston Bagpuize. Might I suggest that the C.P.R.E. should find time to include the ruin of the land within their activities ? A ruined barn and a patch of ragwort are as ugly as any bungaloid growth. If I may become prognostic, I would prophesy that within a few years there will come into being County Agricultural Committees or Authorities who will themselves definitely take in hand such derelict acres. No action would do so much to build up agriculture from the bottom. In the County Surveys, on which the C.P.R.E. is the leading expert, more emphasis might easily be put upon the bits of desert, and such emphasis would help to accelerate a necessary reform. •
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