376 REARING AND MANAGEMENT OF HARDWOOD PLANTATIONS. 
ning the plantation, If, for instance, a tree of one kind be 
cut, more room is probably made for one of the same kind, the 
result being that if ultimately only one tree of the group be left, 
that tree will probably cover as much ground as the whole group 
originally did, thus leaving the colour arrangement as good as 
ever. To discuss these points to their full extent is, however, 
slightly beyond the province of this paper. 
Nursing.—Various systems of nursing are in practice. The 
one most commonly adopted, and undoubtedly the best for exposed 
situations, is to fill up the spaces between the hardwoods with 
conifers, planted 4 feet apart. As the nurses in question grow 
much quicker than the hardwoods, they require to be a good deal 
smaller, otherwise they soon begin to intrude on their neighbours 
(thus depriving them of light and air), and have to be cut down. 
In less exposed situations, and where coppice wood is in demand, 
the remaining spaces are filled up with plane, ash, birch, some 
species of dogwood, and the like. This sometimes proves itself to 
be an excellent plan, especially in localities where there is a good 
demand for props, bobbin-wood, crate-wood, and such like. When 
in its earlier stages, birch will be found very useful for many pur- 
poses. All the kinds, in fact, which we have mentioned may be 
utilised at whatever time it is considered necessary to cut them. 
Coppice may, indeed, be grown during the whole period of the 
standard crop’s growth without materially affecting it. Both 
these methods I have just described can be adopted with propriety 
according to attendant circumstances, such as soil, locality, ete. 
Special care should be taken to shield a plantation on the side 
most exposed to the prevailing winds. This is best accomplished 
by protecting the part or parts in question with a “belt” of good- 
sized conifers, 
In the vicinity of pleasure-grounds a different method—that of 
nursing with yews—is resorted to. This system cannot be re- 
commended from a utilitarian point of view, but where it is 
desirable to retain intact the beauties of the pleasure-ground, there 
is nothing to equal it. This system is specially adapted for woods 
in the immediate vicinity of the mansion. If skilfully and taste- 
fully laid owt, and intersected with rides and walks, it may be 
made to appear a continuation of the pleasure-grounds. We thus 
avoid the too abrupt termination—which is so hurtful to the eye 
—of ornamental spaces, and at the same time derive at least 
some recompense for our labour. Cypress, arbor-vite, holly, and 
