Trees best Adapted for Various Soils 131 



and this may also be said of the common and silver-leaved 

 lime. False acacia (Robinia Pseud-acacia) is an excellent 

 tree for chalky soils, and there attains to a greater size than 

 in even the richest of loams. The alder and birch also 

 thrive with vigour on chalky soils. Indeed, most trees 

 which in a state of nature grow in damp or marshy soils, 

 are well suited for planting where chalk is the component 

 of the main soil, and this is explained as follows : Chalk, 

 although sufficiently porous to allow water to percolate 

 through it, has, like a]l other calcareous matter, a strong 

 attraction for water, and acts like a sponge in holding it in 

 considerable quantity for a very long time. Among the 

 conifers that are suitable for chalky soils the Spanish fir 

 (Abies Pinsapo) is one of the best. In the chalky districts 

 of Southern England it thrives with unusual luxuriance. 

 The Mount Enos fir (Abies cephalonica) is, likewise, well 

 adapted for growing in chalky districts. Of evergreen 

 trees that succeed well on chalk the number is well known 

 to be limited, and it is important that two such beautiful 

 conifers as the Spanish and Mount Enos firs should there 

 find their most congenial home. 



Both the Scotch and Weymouth pines (Pinus sylvestris 

 and P. Strobus) are well suited for planting on chalk, and 

 many fine examples of both may be seen on the chalky 

 reefs of Kent and Surrey. 



The common Yew grows freely where hardly a particle of 

 soil overlies the chalk formation. 



The Giant Arborvitse (Ihuja gigantea) is peculiarly suit- 

 able for planting in chalky soils : and the Lebanon Cedar 

 (Cedrus Libani) is never found in greater perfection than 

 when growing in the chalk with a fair depth of loam atop. 



Wellingtonia gigantea also does well. 



(3) Gravelly and Sandy Soils. The Corsican pine 

 is an excellent tree for planting on gravelly soils, and some 

 of the largest and finest specimens in this country are growing 

 in a disused gravel-pit, and this may also be said of the 

 Douglas fir (Pseudot uga Douglasii). 



The Scotch pine is well known to be one of the best 

 conifers for planting in gravelly soils, where it reproduces 



