26 TREE GROWTH IN RELATION TO 



3. Use large plants two to three feet high. 



4. When about to plant in a frosty place lift the plants 

 from the nursery early and heel them in, as this delays their 

 sprouting. 



5. Exposure to winds. In places exposed to cold or dry 

 winds it is necessary to plant a shelter belt of evergreen trees 

 which will protect the young woods behind them. This should 

 be completed some years in advance of the main crop and 

 should be 40 to 50 feet wide, the trees being planted rather 

 far apart on the outside edge, so as to encourage them to 

 branch right down to the ground. The outer rows may be 

 planted at least 6 feet apart, and should be kept in an open 

 condition, the inner rows being 4 feet apart. Spruce, Austrian 

 pine, Corsican pine, and Cupressus macrocarpa, make good 

 belts, and one of these species may be chosen according to- 

 the soil. Spruce, although a shallow rooted tree, is fairly 

 wind-firm if grown from the commencement in a thoroughly 

 open position, as it throws out long roots to a considerable 

 distance, and gets a good hold on the ground. 



Where the woods are exposed to strong westerly or south- 

 westerly gales a belt of existing weather-beaten trees should 

 be left standing, or, if no wood already exists, a shelter belt 

 should be formed consisting chiefly of broad-leaved trees, as 

 these are less liable to be blown down than conifers. Both 

 sycamore and beech are good for this purpose, and conifers 

 may be mixed with them in the back rows to thicken the 

 belt. 



Along the sea coast, where the winds carry salt spray, 

 sycamore, Norway maple, beech, white poplar, birch, cluster 

 pine, and Austrian pine are the best species, and a broad belt 

 of these will, when once formed, efficiently protect young 

 woods planted behind their shelter. 



6. The light available. In order that the chlorophyll in the 

 leaves may be able to make food material, it is essential that 

 they should have sunlight, and it is a matter of first importance 



