3^6 The yourtial of Forestry. 



produce about 5 per cent, of saline matter. When a plantation of 

 larch has been so far thinned as to permit the herbage to spring up 

 plentifully, the value of the land as pasturage is often increased five 

 or six fold. When it is stated that the ashes of the beech are rich in 

 phosphate of lime, which it extracts largely from the soil, while those 

 of oak contain very little of this substance, it will be seen in what 

 opposite ways these trees act upon the soils in which they grow. 



In planting, it should be always borne in mind that the larger the 

 plantation upon exposed situations, the greater the relative value per 

 acre of tlie woodland ; for the benefits of shelter are as distinctly 

 traceable in the woods themselves as upon the adjoining corn lands and 

 pasturage. In such places narrow belts seldom or never pay for culti- 

 vation. When the proprietor's fondness for arable and pasture land 

 causes him to arrest the progress of the planter, and compels the latter 

 to hang his woods in mid-air, the result must be disappointment to both. 

 Allow him to extend liis boundaries ever so short a distance into the 

 fertile soil of the valleys, he is armed with a power which will enable 

 him to contend successfully with the storms of autumn and winter 

 and the drought of summer. The vigorous growth of trees around 

 the margins of his plantations will shelter and draw up gradually 

 those upon the more exposed sites, and the whole plantation will be 

 benefited thereby. Upon very thin and poor soils it may sometimes 

 even be necessary to commence planting at the foot, and slowly climb 

 to the summit. This will in general abundantly repay the cost of the 

 experiment ; for wherever a crop of pine can be matured, the soil 

 will afterwards carry hardwoods — if not as timber trees, at any rate 

 as remunerative coppice. 



The laying out of wood-rides to facilitate clearing, as well as for 

 the convenience of the sportsman, need not be dwelt on here ; suffice 

 it to state that while they greatly enhance the value, as well as the 

 beauty of the woodland, they also play an important part in pro- 

 moting the healthy growth of trees. These rides have been called 

 the lungs of the forest, and as such are ver}' essential to the distri- 

 bution and free circulation of air, without which healthy vegetation 

 cannot exist. They should, however, be so contrived as not to admit 

 destructive winds. 



The boundaries of all plantations should as much as possible be 

 kept out of sight, the perfection of art being its concealment. In 

 woods, as in gardens, it is not necessary that " every valley have a 

 brother," and one half the plantation " just reflect the other." The 

 configuration of the hill or hills, the neighbourhood of the sea, and 

 the requirements of the homestead, the meadows, and the pasturage, 

 must each be considered. 



Where there is exposui-e to violent winds, no tree is better adapted 



