PRACTICAL FORESTRY. 



in many instances to give them the appearance of having 

 been scorched or cut over when in full vigour by an untimely 

 frost. Wind-shaking, although a minor evil, must also be 

 carefully guarded against, so that at the outset it is well to 

 have the trees, unless such as are of dwarf size, securely 

 staked and tied, so as to obviate the dire results occasioned 

 to the roots of newly-planted trees when the stems are allowed 

 to rock to and fro with the wind. 



Before commencing planting operations on the sandy and 

 exposed sea-coast, the preliminary step is to erect a barrier 

 of some kind, which will intercept the violence of the wind, 

 and act as a screen or shelter to the young plants. For this 

 purpose various kinds of erections are equally suitable, but 

 that usually adopted, especially where loose sand alone is 

 present, is a strong paling-fence thatched with brushwood. 

 The posts should be at least 6 ft. above ground, and about 

 12 ft. apart, the paling-rails, two in number, being securely 

 nailed to these at 2 ft. and 5 ft. from the ground ; against this 

 are placed spruce or gorse trimmings, these being 6 ft. long if 

 possible, in an upright manner, and firmly tied to the cross- 

 bars by means of binding wire or strong tarred rope. This 

 may best be described as a dead fence, but it is, nevertheless, 

 quite as valuable for the purpose required as a perfectly 

 developed living hedge. By means of this a great advantage 

 is gained and a favourable start for the newly-planted trees 

 is secured. Then, compared with a stone wall, or, in fact, 

 a wall of any kind, this screen-fence is greatly superior, the 

 wind being broken up in passing through it, and, what is of 

 as much value, also relieved of its saline particles, at least to 

 a very considerable extent. 



Where the shore is almost destitute of sand, and where 

 certain kinds of vegetation subsist, I find ic to be a capital 

 plan to substitute for the dead fence just described that com- 

 posed of turf and earth. 



The raised mound should not be less than 5 ft. in height, 

 and of sufficient width at top to allow of the planting of a 

 double line of such plants as have been found most suitable 

 for the wind-swept maritime situation in which they are to 

 be used. For this purpose few plants equal, and certainly 



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