Mountain and hill and down planting 1 1 7 



trees that fear no wind or cold. We should plant small 

 and close, and occasionally even sow the seed direct in 

 the sod. In the vast ranges of well-planted mountain 

 land in Europe we have clear guidance as to what to 

 plant. The trees that clothe the sharp mountain slopes 

 for hundreds of miles in the Tyrol will not fail us here, 

 except the Spruce in the dry country of eastern and 

 southern England. After the Pines of Europe some of 

 the American trees are good mountain trees, especially 

 those of the east side and the Rocky Mountain Spruce. 

 One European tree not common with us, but which well 

 deserves to be, is the Swiss Pine (P. Cembrd), which is 

 most precious for mountain planting. In our country it 

 thrives in any soil, and being a native of Siberia and 

 the coldest parts of the Swiss mountains it is just the 

 tree for the bleakest hills of Wales. The Cedars of 

 Lebanon and Atlas deserve a good place as forest and 

 mountain trees, being true mountaineers and accustomed 

 to poor soil. In every hill and mountain country there 

 are ravines and hollows and small valleys or coombs in 

 which the soil is better, and that is where we should 

 plant our Cedars. If we use broad-leaved trees the best 

 of all is the Sycamore Maple, a tree that endures sea and 

 mountain winds and storms perhaps better than any 

 other summer-leafing tree. If we plant Oak on the 

 flanks of fertile hills, it should be the Durmast Oak. In 

 the Alps we often see the Beech climbing the hills, with 

 the Silver Fir and Spruce, and therefore it would help 

 us especially in the limestone hills of Ireland and the 

 chalk regions of England. 



High moorland planting. In a paper read by Sir John 

 Stirling- Maxwell, he states that two conditions appear 

 essential to the creation of new forests in the Highlands, 



