244 ENGLISH ESTATE FORESTRY 



that of giving them every opportunity, by means of suitable 

 soil and situation, of developing into interesting specimens. 

 Such situations may often be found in those gaps and 

 open spaces between the commoner species, and which 

 exist within sight of the ride, but not necessarily on its 

 margins. 



The planting of shrubs in a wood is, in our opinion, often 

 carried to excess, although their ornamental nature is usually 

 made the excuse for it. While a certain amount of under- 

 growth is desirable, both from a sporting as well as an 

 ornamental point of view, the bulk of this undergrowth 

 should consist of bracken, brambles, and other indigenous 

 growth of that nature. Deciduous shrubs are also more 

 admissible in a wood than evergreens, such as laurels, 

 rhododendrons, etc., as they not only blend better with the 

 trees, but are not so dense and heavy. In coniferous woods, 

 generally, evergreens have a fairly good effect if not 

 overdone, as they harmonise better with the foliage 

 and shades of the trees, and the contrast is not so violent. 

 But the objection to evergreen undergrowth lies in its 

 blocking out, more or less completely, all those vistas of tree 

 trunks which are the chief charm of woodland scenery, 

 and their unnatural bushiness goes badly with ordinary 

 forest trees ; while their compact and heavy character, 

 and uniform appearance throughout the year, does away 

 with a great many of the finer features of an English 

 woodland. 



Unless repeatedly cut down, great masses of laurels or 

 rhododendrons not only confine the view beneath the trees, 

 but, by rising to a height of 15 to 20 feet, give the trees 

 above them a dwarfed and unnatural appearance, and hide 

 up many of those features upon which their attractive 

 appearance depends. This applies as much to conifers as to 

 deciduous woods, and shrubs of that nature should stand 

 more or less alone, or be mixed with those of a similar habit, 

 and not planted extensively under tall trees. There is little 

 doubt that a large number of woods, and even shrubberies 

 and pleasure grounds, are spoilt to a great extent by the 

 excess of rank evergreen growth they contain. In mid- 

 winter, perhaps, they give such spots a warm and snug 



