On P hint in 0^. 387 



to such a position than the beech. Its habits of growth, and the 

 peculiar contbrmation of its branches, which in a well-grown tree 

 present an almost irresistible lever ige to the fury of the storm, 

 enable it to flourish luxuriantly where the oak would become a mere 

 starveling, bare and misshapen. The beech is well adapted to chalky 

 soils, and forms an effective screen in many parts of the south and 

 east of England. Its wood also is of considerable value in the arts, 

 and the ashes of its refuse are admirably suited to a corn crop. It 

 also supplies more timber upon a given space than any other hard- 

 wood tree. 



Though the custom of planting nurses of larch, Scotch fir, spruce, 

 and some other kinds among the hardwoods has become almost 

 universal, yet the instances in which such nurses are efficient for 

 immediate shelter are still rare. Oak and chestnut of 4 or 5 feet 

 in height are entrusted to the care of larch and fir of from 18 inches 

 to 2 feet in length ; and though the latter will ultimately go ahead 

 of the hardwoods, their use as nurses will commence only when the 

 mischief is M'rought. The sudden exposure from the lines of the 

 nursery to the more open position in the woodland has the effect of 

 hardening the sap vessels of the young trees, and permanently 

 arresting their growth. To remedy the mischief done by such 

 exposure, it is customary to cut back the young oak and chestnut 

 at the end of the second year, by which time tlieir roots have attained 

 sufficient strength to push them rapidly forward. A little con- 

 sideration would suggest a remedy, by planting the nurses two or 

 three years before the hardwoods, and thus allowing them to attain 

 sufficient strength for the performance of their allotted task. 



A mixture of Scotch fir or Austrian pine with the beech and larch 

 upon the outskirts of plantations is generally beneficial, as their 

 foliage affords shelter at a time when the deciduous trees are bare. 

 Care in the selection of trees should be taken by the forester, as dif- 

 ferent classes require varieties of soil. Thus among oaks the Quercus 

 2mlunci(lata, or common British oak, with its leaves upon short 

 petioles, and fruit upon long footstalks, prefers damp soils in plains, 

 and flourishes upon strong clays ; while the Durmast oak (Qiierms 

 sessiliflora) flourishes best upon more hilly ground, provided the soil 

 be moderately loose and damp. This latter species has its leaves upon 

 long stalks, and fruit sessile or stalkless, in clusters of from two to 

 five. 



After fixing upon the site and extent, the next consideration is the 

 ultimate object of the plantation, — whether it is intended to be pure 

 coppice, coppice with stores or standards, or high forest only. In 

 either case the thickness of the planting should be regulated by the 

 nature of the soil and the exposure. To plant thick, and thin early 



