PLANTATIOxN, PLANTING. 



ress ol the roots is soon obstructed. 

 The time required to form these pits 

 as tiiey oufjhl to be would be sufli- 

 cient to regularly trench double their 

 area. The expense of trenching the 

 intermediate spaces will be compen- 

 sated by the greater return derived 

 from the nurse plants, such as larch, 

 when they come to be removed. 



" Plantations are generally planted 

 thick in the first instance, and with 

 various species of trees. Larch, 

 Scotch fir or pine, mountain ash, 

 &c., are interspersed among the hard 

 wood for shelter, or as nurses. La- 

 burnum is also useful for preserving 

 the other sorts from the depredations 

 of hares, as they prefer the laburnum 

 to every other bark. Nurses arc gen- 

 erally left till they are fit for various 

 purposes for which small timber is 

 applicable. They should be planted 

 closer to each other than to the prin- 

 cipal trees intended to constitute the 

 more permanent part of the planta- 

 tion. 



" After all the care of the planter, 

 and the skill with which the opera- 

 tion of removing may have been ef- 

 fected, much of the success of a 

 plantation depends on the proper 

 adai)tation of species to the soils and 

 situations most suitable to them. 



" The following remarks upon 

 some of the timber-trees principaUy 

 cultivated may be useful : 



"The oak (Quercus rohur, and Q. 

 sessiliflora) prefers strong, or even 

 clayey loam ; any soil not wet or 

 chalky. 



" Beech {Fagus sijlvatira), calcare- 

 ous soils, gravelly or sandy loam ; 

 dislike stiff" clay. 



"Elm {Ulmus campestris, U. gla- 

 bra, U. montana) attains, near the 

 banks of rivers, a large size ; thrives 

 in most soils. 



" Ash {Fraxinus excelsior) prefers a 

 dry subsoil ; dislikes stiff" clay. 



" Plane {Piatanus Oncntalis), rich, 

 warm soil, tolerably moist, but not 

 retentive. 



" Sycamore {Acer pseudo-platanus, 

 A. plalanoidcs), best in moist, deep 

 soil, but will thrive in others not loo 

 stiff; withstands the sea-breeze. 



"Chestnut {Castanca vesca), deep, 

 sandy l«am. 



" Walnut {Juglans rcgia), deep 

 loam, with a pervious subsoil ; dis- 

 likes strong clays. 



" Hickory {Canja alha), similar soil 

 to that required by the walnut. 



" Acacia, or locust-tree (Robinia 

 pseud-acacia), sandy loam ; a shel- 

 tered situation ; cannot bear storms.. 



"Birch {Bctula alba), forms best 

 timber on dry sandy or gravelly soil. 



" Laburnum {Cytisus alpinus), any 

 soil not too wet. 



" White bean {Pyrus Aria), any 

 good soil, with a pervious subsoil ; 

 dislikes wet clay. 



"Lime (Tdia Europcea), soft, deep 

 loam, in low, rather moist situations. 



" Horse-chestnut {JEsculus hippo- 

 castanum), deep loam ; not in expo- 

 sed situations. 



" Poplar (Populus alha, P. canes- 

 cens, P. nigra, P. trcmula, P. fasligi- 

 ata, P. Graca, P. monilifcra). These 

 thrive in almost any soil, but best in 

 that which is deep and rather moist. 



" Mountain-ash {Pi/riis aucuparia), 

 any soil, wet clay excepted ; adapted 

 for high situations. 



" Alder (Alnus glutinosa), moist, 

 or even swampy soil. 



" Willow (Salix), of numerous spe- 

 cies. Some thrive in rather dry soil, 

 but all prefer moist. 



" Pine {Pums sylvcstris, P. Laricis, 

 P. Pinaster, P. Strohus). The first 

 two are adapted for thin, rocky, grav- 

 elly soils ; they grow at a great eleva- 

 tion on the warmest sides of mount- 

 ains, but better in mountain glens ; 

 they dislike stiff" clay and deep, strong 

 loam, and, like all coniferous plants, 

 they do not thrive on chalk. P. Pi- 

 naster and P. Strohus require a less 

 exposed situation than the other two. 



" S|)ruce {Ahies excclsa, A. alba, A. 

 rubra, A. nigra), deep, moist soil, in 

 low situations ; dislikes thin, sandy 

 soil, and exposure. 



" Larch {Abies Larix), adapted for 

 thin mountain land, or any soil of 

 which the subsoil is not retentive, 

 excepting, however, red sandstone 

 or chalk, as above mentioned. 



"Cedar of Lebanon {Abies cedrus), 



585 



