CHAPTER XIV 



MOUNTAIN AND HILL AND DOWN PLANTING 



The tree is the crown and garland of the mountain, 

 and in our land of mostly gentle hills there need be no 

 fear of planting too many, the hills of Wales and Ireland, 

 north England, and the down country being as bare of 

 trees as desert lands. As to this question of hill and 

 mountain planting there are many things to encourage 

 us. Far beyond the golden plains of Germany in harvest 

 days, we see the endless hills close set with Pines — 

 a lovely background to the rich plains. Though these 

 vast hill woods are planted by man for use, in no natural 

 forest is the effect on the landscape better. That should 

 settle any question as to the effects of woods of nature's 

 planting and of man's. In that greatest of tree countries, 

 North West America, it is only when we get above the 

 plains of wheat and vine that our astonished eyes see 

 in all their dignity the colossal Pines of the mountain. 

 In crossing the ocean of shaly hills of North Africa we 

 never see a tree until we climb far up into the mountain 

 where the snow lies until May, and then the plumy 

 branches of the Cedar are seen with the wild flowers 

 and thorns of our own land at their feet. 



There are mountain heights on which all vegetation 

 ceases, but in our country these seldom occur ; and most 

 of our mountain land might be planted, and there is avast 

 area of it both in Ireland, Wales, and England. 



Here the main thing would be to choose carefully 



