56 The greater summer-leafing trees 



easy to obtain, for whereas firms offer the two kinds in 

 their trade lists, there is hardly a grower that ever keeps 

 them apart or can guarantee a stock in any quantity. 

 The true way would be to gather one's own seed from 

 selected trees of the Durmast Oak, on which the acorns 

 ripen a few weeks later than on the other, and to plant 

 suitable land with Durmast Oak. 



There remain the most interesting American Oaks, 

 a few of which in our country have been treated as 

 forest trees ; but the Red, the Scarlet, and the Marsh 

 Oaks occasionally are seen as pleasure-ground trees. 

 The best way, if we want to give these Oaks a fair trial, 

 is not to plant tall, young trees, but, if possible, sow the 

 acorns where the trees are to grow ; and then, with care 

 about the choice of soils, we should be able to really test 

 the value of each. 



77?^ Beech, One of the kings of the Northern Forest 

 for beauty and stature, the Beech has this advantage 

 over the Oak that it grows over a much wider area in 

 all sorts of poor and arid situations, from northern 

 Greece to Denmark adorning and enriching the poorest 

 land— chalky downs, sandy wastes, and rocky hills. This 

 is a great merit in view of the vast area there is of 

 down country, often bare of trees, in southern England, 

 as well as on the poor limestone hills of Ireland and the 

 north country. The economic value of this tree we may 

 see in Bucks and the districts near, where ground 

 covered with Beech gives five times what it would yield 

 as arable. To show what a return Beech will give on 

 such soils we have an instance in the great Beech forest 

 at Lyons-la-Foret in northern France, under conditions 

 of soil and climate which are much like those of our own 

 country ; it proves also how valuable are forests of one 



