3 JANUARY 1947, Page 20

CROPPING HOLLIES

Su,—Sir William Beach Thomas's reference to a landowner looking upon berried hollies as a source of revenue at Christmas-time is sur- prising and unwelcome. Holly trees stripped at Christmas of berried boughs almost invariably die or partly die ; holly will stand drastic pruning at the end of April or the beginning of May. The havoc that is wrought annually on roadside hollies by unauthorised people is bad enough without the landowners looking upon them as a source of revenue. A slight cliPping of berried hollies may be harmless, but to crop hollies for commercial purposes is a crime to those who care for the holly's

welcome green in the winter-time.—Yours faithfully, W. L. WOOD. ' West End House, Frensham, nr. Farnham.