16 ENGLISH WOODLANDS 



follow that a struggle for existence, if it com- 

 mences very early in the life of the plantation, 

 may not do more harm than good. 



The practical result seems to follow ; namely, 

 that the best distance at which trees should be 

 planted is that which their boughs can cover in 

 four or five years without crowding each other. 

 By planting at this distance the strain on the 

 fertility of the soil and on the vitality of the 

 young trees does not commence until the trees 

 are thoroughly established. Also at that age 

 the absence of density does very little harm. 

 Any small side boughs which then grow die off 

 later and leave no knots in the boles of the 

 mature trees. 



The actual distance apart of the trees must 

 be determined by the situation, fertility of the 

 soil, and the nature of the trees. Some planta- 

 tions, both of pure larch and of larch and oak 

 mixed, planted 5 J feet apart, have grown very 

 well. It is hard to conjecture any reason why 

 in ordinary cases trees should be planted closer 

 than 5 feet apart. 



It is unnecessary to state any dogmatic 

 rule about the number of feet which is the 

 proper planting distance, for it is one of the 

 few subjects connected with tree-planting 



