8 ENGLISH WOODLANDS 



them. Still, this suction of water by the roots 

 of trees is very limited in extent. Trees are 

 frequently planted along mill-courses and small 

 streams, and do not seem to diminish the flow 

 of the water. 



Trenching the ground is, like a regular system 

 of drainage, very expensive. It may in some 

 cases enable trees to grow where otherwise they 

 could not live, or it may give trees a much 

 quicker start than they would have without it, 

 but as a general rule better results are obtained 

 by a choice of trees suitable for the existing 

 conditions of the soil than by any attempt to 

 alter the soil conditions. The benefit given by 

 trenching seems to be confined to the early 

 years of the trees. After fifteen to twenty years 

 from the planting it is rarely possible to see 

 any difference between those planted on trenched 

 ground and those on untrenched ground. The 

 cost of trenching makes it extremely uncommon 

 in any woodlands managed on a commercial 

 basis and with a view to the realisation of profits. 



Ploughing the land in strips as a preparation 

 for planting is on flat land sometimes both 

 useful and economical. It loosens the soil more 

 effectually than mere digging the holes, and 

 also reduces the probability that the young 



