§ MR. A. C. MORTONI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the vacant Crown farm in Suffolk has been offered to tenants as small holdings or allotments; if not, will he offer it for those purposes at reasonable rents; and whether he will also consider if the land could with advantage be offered as an experiment for afforestation, the Crown to find the necessary capital at a low rate of interest?
§ *SIR J. T. HIBBERTNo application for small holdings or allotments on the Crown farm in hand at Shimpling, Suffolk, has been received, and the Commissioner of Woods is not aware of any demand for them. The land is understood to be ill suited for the purpose as the soil is very stiff, often requiring three or four horses to a plough. The Commissioners of Woods have no power to advance money to others for experimental purposes, and they consider that as a whole the Estate is too wet and stiff for the growth of timber. Oak is almost the only thing that could be tried, and that would not, the Commissioners think, ever grow timber that would pay.