TREES AND PARTICULAR SITUATIONS. 135 



the larch obtains it more from the top surface. In 

 low alluvial soils, which are moist, the silver fir will 

 flourish, and these should have as nurses faster-growing 

 trees for shelter, as willows or larch, the silver fir being 

 better for being shaded during the first eight or ten 

 years of its life. In dry, poor, gravelly, or chalky soils, 

 the beech, birch, and the pine succeed best. Beech 

 being more profitably grown alone than when mixed 

 with other trees. In oak plantations, on the contrary, 

 pines are planted for shelter, and are found very 

 valuable in bare exposed ground. Ash and Scotch 

 elm (or wych elm) grow well together, both being 

 good hardy trees, but need deep loose soil, the ash 

 preferring that which is inclined to be moist. 



For forming plantations in elevated positions the 

 goat willow, Scotch elm, birch, ash, alder, service tree, 

 and mountain ash will be found to succeed. Deep- 

 rooting trees require a soil more elevated above 

 water than surface rooting kinds, such as the 

 pine, etc. 



In pit planting, when trees of a certain size are to 

 be established, it is usual to excavate a space eighteen 

 inches wide and fifteen inches deep ; and where the 

 soil, is hard, to loosen the bottom of the hole with a 

 pick, so that it can be made quite soft, and larger pits 

 must be made when plants of greater age than two- 

 year old transplanted trees are employed ; that is, 

 trees which have stood in nursery lines for two years. 

 It is better that these pits be formed in summer, and 

 half filled up again, a spadeful or two of the earth 

 taken out at the time of planting, which is generally 

 performed by a man and a boy, the latter holding the 

 tree in the position it has to stand, while the man 



