PLANTING TREES, SHRUBS, AND VINES 125 



woods the area is first planted to shrubs, with 

 trees scattered through them. These are allowed 

 to grow for a few years, and then cut back 

 and pruned so as to make whorls of branches to 

 furnish foundations for nests. In the wood at 

 Seebach, this treatment has proved eminently suc- 

 cessful, as large numbers of birds nest in these 

 growths, locating their nests chiefly in these 

 whorls. In a similar way evergreens and avenues 

 of trees are pruned to form whorl-shaped rami- 

 fications. Bushes with small stems are tied to- 

 gether to form crotches, and out of fifty bushes 

 thus tied, forty-seven were occupied the first year. 

 The Baron's experiences all indicate that the 

 number of nesting birds may be largely increased 

 by furnishing suitable crotches and nesting-places 

 in shrubs and trees. It is certainly worth while 

 to experiment along these lines in tangles of 

 shrubbery, by pruning the bushes or tying them 

 together so as to form crotches available for 

 nesting-sites. 



Plants for Foods, — In selecting our plants 

 the question of food should receive first consid- 

 eration. Some of our birds feed quite largely on 

 fruits in their season, and a large number of 

 them select fruits as a small part, at least, of 

 their diet. The essential features regarding the 



