28 NATURAL HERBAGE AS A GUIDE. 



CHAPTER VII. 



NATURAL HERBAGE AS A GUIDE. 



THE most useful and convenient guide for the classification 

 of new areas is to be obtained by careful observation and 

 discrimination of the nature and quality of the natural 

 herbage. This may be more or less uniform, or it may be 

 very varied in quality or species or in both, ranging from 

 scrub-wood of various descriptions down to the poorest 

 grasses, mosses, and kindred plants. In many districts 

 which will come under consideration the variation may 

 range between the two extremes, even within comparatively 

 small areas ; whereas in other places there may be large 

 areas with comparatively little variety. Subjects of the 

 former nature will obviously be more difficult to deal with, 

 and even in a preliminary survey careful discrimination and 

 examination of the whole area will be necessary to decide 

 w T hat is suitable land and what is unsuitable for forestry 

 purposes. This phase of the subject has proved a most 

 engrossing and interesting study, and at times is - even a 

 puzzling problem. It is hoped that the hints and opinions 

 Submitted, which are derived from careful observation 

 during eight or nine years, may be of some guidance to 

 those who may be engaged in the carrying out of afforesta- 

 tion schemes on new land, in enabling them more easily 

 to discriminate between the different qualities of ground 

 according, as it were, to their face value. It should be 

 stated that the remarks are based chiefly on experience 

 gained in the moist West of Scotland climate, although it 

 is hoped they may be useful for guidance in any district. 

 Certain modifications may be necessary in different dis- 

 tricts, and more especially on different soils. 



It is not possible in a short treatise to deal with all 

 -classes of herbage that may be encountered. But a 



