Sir JOHN BABRANasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether he has now secured any supplies of wire netting towards the protection of the 10,000,000 seedlings recently referred to by the Board as likely to be destroyed unless planted this winter; how far the planting of these trees has already gone or been arranged for, and what steps he has taken to press forward this work for which only a few weeks are now left?
§ Sir R. WINFREYThe Department are still in communication with the Ministry of Munitions as to the supply of wire netting to protect young forest trees, and I am unable as yet to make an announcement on the subject. The planting out of young trees is going on as fast as circumstances permit, and the Board are doing all that is possible for them to do in the matter by drawing landowners' attention to the existence of the plants, by training women to supervise gangs of women planters, and by helping nurserymen with supplies of soldier-labour from Agricultural Corps.