Slasher Magazine Summary: Publication No. 11 - November 1948
The scanned images of the Slasher were produced by and courtesy of the Forest Research Data and Information Team staff based at Roslin, where some of the original copies are located. The Forestry England Information Knowledge Management Team and New Forest Heritage made available copies of The Slasher from their collections. Brian Mahony of the FC Retirement Association devised and coordinates the Slasher Project and has been instrumental in locating many missing editions and coordinating the searches to locate all the earlier publication numbers.
The content summary below was again very kindly compiled by Diane Birkett, Bedfordshire. See PDF attachment link below the text summary to view the full document. A total of over 420 issues or publications were produced between January 1948 and the final publication in 2010.
Support for the Dedication Scheme
Details of the Dedication Scheme including the dedication of 5,647 acres of woodlands by Lord Cawdor.
The Footballers
Last month when the commissioners were enroute by train for Taunton, prior to inspecting some forests in the South West (England) Conservancy, there was observed the following little cameo.
Scene: the Dining Car. Enter the Commissioners accompanied by Commission officials, among whom is the Secretary Mr F.W. Hamilton. The meal commences and a lady strikes up conversation with the Secretary. The Commissioners file from the car when the meal is over. The lady whispers "Do tell me, who are all these gentlemen? Are they a football team?"
Date for the Diary
The Social Club Committee announce details of the winter dance of the Scottish Directorate in the Balmoral Rooms, Princes Street, Edinburgh on 18th November 1948.
Ploughing Demonstration
A ploughing demonstration for District Officers and Foresters was arranged by J.T.L. Herbert, State Forest Officer, Scotland (N) at Kilcoy Forest, Black Isle in October. The types of plough on view were the R.L.R., Double Furrow Cuthbertson, Haddington, Begg, and the Disc Plough, otherwise known as Blane's Disc.
The party was conducted by District Officer J.A. Dickson and Forester A.S. Mackenzie. The visitors also inspected the new wasteland nursery which is being laid down at Findon (Mounteagle) and the Kilcoy (Bellton) wasteland nursery which was laid down last autumn and sown out in the Spring.
The following comprised the party: District Officers D.S. Spraggan; A.M. Fraser; R.A. Innes; R.O. Drummond (District Officer J.D. MacLean had had a preview of the demonstration); Foresters K. Mackay (Ardross); J. Mackenzie (Strathconon); J. Gunn (Dornoch); W.H. Mackay (Borgie); A. Mackay (Morangie); R.A. Sutherland (Balblair); R. Murray (South Laggan); A. MacLeman (Inchnacardoch); A. Mackenzie (Achnashellach); C. McDonald (Glenbrittle); D. Macrae (Lael); J. Mackay (South Strome); R. Brown (Longart); J. Fraser (Queens); D.M. MacLeod (Assich); J. Frater (Strathnairn); F.D. Stobbie (Ferness); A. Thom (Inshriach); D.R. Sutherland (Strathdearn); J. Gordon (Findon); J. Blane (Machinery Officer, Scotland) and R. Skinner (North Conservancy Engineer).
Fire, Flood, and …….
After renovations on the war damaged Headquarters building in Savile Row, the staff of the Education Section, under Chief Education Officer J.Q. Williamson, are moving back from their temporary home at Bryanston Square, W.1. The Publications Officer H.L. Edlin has made a similar move. The move hasn't been without incident, with an oil stove catching fire and a radiator leaking, causing a flood along the corridor and in several rooms, with the comment heard "First fire, now flood, and after this, no doubt, eternal damnation."
S.O.S. Answered
Friends at Headquarters have answered E.C. Harper's plea in last month's Slasher for a table tennis table.
Introduction To Forestry
M.A. Stoodley, Forest Worker, Stanway, has sent to The Slasher his impressions on being introduced to forestry and of his gratification at helping to create new forests. Lack of space precludes publication in The Slasher.
Landowners and Timber Merchants at Northerwood
The scope of the courses at Northerwood House now includes instruction in forestry for parties of landowners and timber merchants. The timber merchants, who spent a week in the New Forest, were members of the Forestry Section of the Federated Home Timber Associations. They received instruction from Conservators A.H.H. Popert and G.B. Ryle designed to help them in the replanting, by agreement with the landowner, of woodlands from which timber is purchased and felled. During the planting season 1946-47 over 800 acres were replanted on behalf of owners.
While on the subject of Northerwood Courses, here is a series of Forest Cameos for the New Forest by District Officer Edlin, who was formerly stationed in the district.
"Control of the New Forest was transferred to the Forestry Commission in 1924. Under Norman forest law, this forest has in part been converted to modern sylviculture, but remains the greatest centre of natural woodland, and the largest stretch of unenclosed land, in England.
"Lying between the rivers Test and Avon, the forest occupies undulating land rising from sea-level to 400 feet, with a subsoil of sands, clays and gravels. The surface soils are of low fertility and are covered, over vast areas, with heather. These heaths occupy some 40,000 acres, most of which has never been enclosed or cultivated, and over them wander herds of half-wild ponies and heifers owned by Commoners and farmers. The enclosed woodlands cover some 16,000 acres, the area being limited and defined by Act of Parliament. They occupy the better soil and record in miniature the whole story of sylviculture in England. There are remnants of hazel coppices, and also coppice-with-standards, introduced by the Tudors, while later enclosures, some ordained by Charles II, were planned to grow oak for naval ship-building. In mid-Victorian times there was a move towards conifers, and a large acreage of Scots Pine was established. At the same time imposing avenues of Douglas Fir were laid out, and an interesting "Pinetum", or collection of exotic conifers, was planted at Bolderwood. The Douglas fir achieves remarkable growth here, reaching heights over 100 feet, and volumes exceeding 200 cubic feet per stem in only 80 years. The volume of one such species felled during the war was more than 500 cubic feet.
"More recently natural regeneration of oak and Scots pine have proved successful, newer conifers, Sitka spruce, Japanese larch and Corsican pine have been planted over considerable areas. But the really unique feature of the New Forest is its natural and unenclosed woodland. Unplanted, and unprotected from grazing animals, this has persisted from prehistoric times. Sturdy oaks and massive beeches, fringed with birch and alder, form groves on the more fertile soils, regenerating themselves to some degree by natural seeding. They cover an irregular area estimated at 8,000 acres.
"The three types of vegetation, open heath, natural woods, and plantations of various types, spreading over an area of 100 square miles mingle together and with occasional tracts of agricultural land, form an attractive country scene. Although the Commission's lands are open to the public, animals and rare plants survive under protection. The flora includes the marsh gentian with its trumpet shaped flower of intense blue, the sundews, yellow bog asphodel, pink bog pimpernel, and the green Daphne laureola of the woodland shades. Buzzards and herons are to be seen, and the crossbill feeds on the pine cones."
The Evergreen
Jean Horsham, of the Welsh Directorate, has sent a copy of the Forestry Commission (Wales) Social Club's second magazine. M.G. Thomas submitted the winning name "The Evergreen" for the magazine, with other suggestions being "The Conkerer" by Miss Lewis and Miss Beattie and "Lop and Top" by F. Edwards. V.H. Williams is the Editor and Miss Jean Horsham and Miss E.K. Akister are Assistant Editors.
What’s in a Name?
In the Records Section at Headquarters there is a filing system popularly known as the "strip tease". In this are recorded the names of Commission staff from Conservators to Foremen, as well as of those who work in the various offices. The name and location of each individual is recorded on a strip of card, which is fitted into a frame, not unlike a picture postcard stand.
An inspection of the stand shows there are, for instance, 121 "Macs", among them are 16 MacDonalds (showing that Glencoe was not entirely effective), 15 MacKays, 14 MacKenzies and 8 MacRaes. There is one MacBeth and (shades of William Shakespeare) one Lear.
There is a Peace and a Parley, a Hann and a Child, an Old and a Mild, an Ace and a King, a Hyde and a Park, and a Day and a Knight.
There is a sporting flavour with Boxer, Woodcock, Mills, Thomson, Walcott, Far, Lewis, Sharkey, Ames, Sutcliffe, Hendry, Mathews and Brown. There are namesakes of famous admirals with Nelson, Beatty, Drake, Fraser, Howe and Napier, and to support them, a Bosun, Orr, Lee and a Weather.
The file includes 28 employees by the name of Jones, and 21 who answer to Williams. There are 16 Smiths. And how about this for a colour scheme: Redd, Green, White, Grey, Brown and Pink? There is a Feaver, a Payne and a Nurse (but no doctor), and a Holmes and a Watson, a Drummond and a Blake to remind us of literary escapism. The countryside comes to mind when one reads such names as Lamb and Shepherd, Warren and Buck, Marsh, Hart, Hind, Wood, Forest, Forester, Birch, Alder, Box and Broadwood, Rose and Thorn, Ling, Martin, Raven, Pidgeon, Crane and Gosling, Weir, Waters, Brook and Bridges.
We have on the staff a Carter and a Patterson, one (or more) Butcher, Miller, Baker, Carpenter, Mason, Cook, Brewer and Taylor, there is a Judge and a Law, Parson, Vicar, Church and a Bell, Deacon, Beedle, Abbot, Abbey, Pope and Crozier and a Priest.
The employee with the longest name (so far as we can trace) is Miss Faulconbridge (North Wales Conservancy Office, Shrewsbury).
Dead But it Won’t Lie Down
Controversy as to the capacity of Lake Vyrnwy continues with the following letter received.
Dear Sir,
I was horrified to note that Edition No. 9 of The Slasher had devoted no less than 25 per cent of its space to a subject I abhor - Water! - and positively wallowing in the topic, discussed the disgusting stuff in terms of millions of gallons. This editor fellow, I said to a fellow bottle-opener, should be horsewhipped from the brewery to the distillery and back.
My wrath, however, was abated when, reading further down the page, I found you had slashed the capacity of the container of this shameful fluid by 99.5 per cent by the merest stroke of the pen.
You are, my dear sir, a benefactor, and I can only hope you will be suitably rewarded by a grateful- community.
Your obedient servant, sir,
(Signed) Chinstrap (Colonel).
PS. If you could show me how to extract the volume of three bottles of whisky from one single bottle, I should be indebted to you for life.
News From West Scotland
The Office staff of the West Conservancy (Scotland) have formed a social club and the Committee is busy arranging various functions.
Promotions in North West (England) Conservancy
Foreman, O.R. Sarsby (Hope), promoted to Forester, Grade II;
Foreman, J. Day (Bawtry), promoted to Forester, Grade II;
Foreman, C.A. Hodgson (Ennerdale), promoted to Forester, Grade II;
Foreman, C.J. Lloyd (Mortimer), promoted to Forester, Grade II;
Foreman, W. Gardner (Clipstone), promoted to Forester, Grade II;
Foreman, J. McMillen (Grizedale), promoted to Forester, Grade II;
Foreman, R.D. Anderson (Kershope), promoted to Forester, Grade II;
Foreman, C.H. Backhouse (Grizedale), promoted to Forester, Grade II;
Foreman, M. Murray (Grizedale), promoted to Forester, Grade II.
Transfers
L.J. Slow, District Officer, Tintern, S(W), transferred to Cardiff;
W.H. Jones, Forester, Dovey Corris, N(W), transferred to Commins Cosh, N(W);
E. Brown, Forester, Penllergaer, S(W), transferred to Cwmogwr, S(W);
T.A. Jane, Forester, Halwill, SW(E), transferred to Lydford, SW(E);
G.H. Richards, Forester, Cwmogwr, S(W), transferred to Penllergaer, S(W);
0. Jones, Forester, Coed-y-Brenin, N(W), transferred to Aberhirnant, N(W);
G.E. Waygood, Forester, Caio, S(W), transferred to Chepstow-Itton, S(W);
R.S. Angus, Forester, Benmore School, transferred to Field Work in W(S);
W. Scott, Forester, Northerwood House, transferred to Benmore School;
R.S. Whale, Forester, Lydford, SW(E), transferred to Plym, SW(E);
E.C.W. Everitt, Forester, Kielder, NE(E), transferred to Charmouth, (New);
A.S. Norman, Forester, Chepstow-Itton, S(W), transferred to Cwmogwr, S(W);
R. Main-Ellen, Foreman, Newton Nursery, transferred to Allean, E(S);
J. Harper, H.E.0., Education, HQ., transferred to Engineering, HQ.;
Miss O.A. Manicom, T.C., Alice Holt, transferred to Woking, SE(E).
Marriages
Miss Heath in the Registry and Mapping Section, has married Mr McKechnie.
Miss Murray in the Registry and Mapping Section, has married Mr Cullum.
District Officer W.S. Fergusson, South Conservancy, Scotland married Miss Mary Graham of Lochgilphead.
Birth
A son has been born to Mrs Liddell and Mr Liddle, Executive Officer, Establishment Section (West Scotland).