PLANTING 7 



is not nutriment enougli to grow great masses 

 of wood. 



The improvement of damp situations by 

 drainage is possible. A few drains to take the 

 water from hollows or swampy places are useful 

 and not expensive. A regular drainage system 

 is expensive, and should not be attempted unless 

 expense need not be considered. If there is so 

 much stagnant water that drainage is necessary, 

 it is a prudent course to leave the land unplanted. 

 Instead of adapting damp ground to the 

 growth of trees which cannot thrive in it as 

 long as it is damp, the best plan is to plant 

 trees which naturally thrive in damp ground, 

 such as ash, Sitka spruce, alder, and black 

 Italian poplar. 



In addition to the expense of extensive drain- 

 age, there is the further objection that it may 

 involve over-drainage. The drains may remove 

 a dampness which is essential to fertility. It 

 is not uncommon to find woods intersected with 

 deep ditches and composed of stunted and stag- 

 headed trees, suffering from drought. The roots 

 of the trees to some extent themselves act as 

 drains. They suck up the water, and thus 

 diminish the dampness in the ground. Shallow 

 pools frequently dry up when woods grow round 



