1 JANUARY 1927, Page 17

Country Life and Sport

NEW FORESTRY EXPERIMENTS.

Within twenty-five miles of London has recently been estab- lished a small farm, which would be worth a pilgrimage of landowners and farmers. Perhaps a little later, when some of the experiments arc rather more advanced, such an oppor- tunity will be offered. The avowed and most patriotic object of its owner is to prove that a right farming formula may restore complete prosperity to the land of England. But I would call attention to it now for a reason that has no connexion with lucerne or rotations. Outside the farm proper, several acres are devoted to a nursery of trees, both conifers and a few deciduous trees, especially beech. The farmer was led to his interest in trees, or at least confirmed in it, by an experience in New Zealand. A group of experienced farmers pooled their knowledge with a view to deciding which crop of all that they had been able to test by personal or other experience gave the best average return over a number of years. In every single record afforestation won.