122 Mountain and hill and doivn planting 



Abies cephalonica and cilicica are also said to tolerate 

 chalk. 



The ever-precious Larch comes in to help us in down 

 planting, alternately with other evergreen trees, and, 

 given the coolest soils, it will help for a time even if it 

 is to be eventually cut away. 



The Beech is the great forest tree of the down country, 

 and we have many instances of its profitable culture both 

 in England and northern France. So that we have 

 more trees than one would at first expect for this difficult 

 planting. It is not only necessary to get the right trees 

 and plant them young, but also to include in our planting 

 every bit of covert, native or otherwise, that grows in 

 or will grow on the chalk. First among these we may 

 name the native Juniper. An excellent covert plant 

 and a native also of the southern downs is the common 

 Box, the most graceful of covert trees for open and 

 sunny places. The plumy Savin, also, of the Alps of 

 Europe would help, and Furze or any bushy thing that 

 will live on the ground, the object being to create a 

 covert and keep the soil cool. In the little valleys or the 

 richer soils about the house the Walnut is a precious tree. 



In endeavouring to establish covert in a down country, 

 the seed might be sown in free bare ground of things 

 like Box and Furze, even without any preparation of the 

 soil or covering. But these plants are offered by the 

 thousands in forest nurseries. Where the down turf is 

 much matted together it may be well to follow the plan 

 adopted in the Belgian experiments before referred to 

 or a modification of it, say by turning a few turfs upside 

 down around each plant. This should be done after the 

 planting, and may be done at a later period in spring for 

 choice. 



