192 OUR FORESTS AND WOODLANDS 



from the forester's point of view. But they 

 have the great advantage of finding congenial 

 soil and situation along the sides of ponds or 

 fringing streams and waterways, in places which 

 are somewhat too moist for hardwoods. The crack 

 and Bedford willows are rather apt to be broken 

 by high winds, and all of them thrive best in 

 sheltered positions, while the first-named often 

 becomes * stag-headed' and dry in the crown when 

 grown in an uncongenial situation. With these 

 exceptions the willows grow rapidly, soon attain- 

 ing large dimensions, on most soils that are not 

 too light and dry, though they of course thrive 

 best and develop most energetically on deep, 

 loamy, or sandy marshlands and riverine stretches. 

 Here they form beautiful objects in the landscape, 

 whether pollarded especially the white willow, 

 which pollards best or allowed to grow up to 

 their full maturity as trees. But there are many 

 marshy places, overgrown with sedge and tus- 

 socks of coarse rank grass, offering but a poor 

 pasturage at best, which might be profitably 

 planted up. For such places, unless they can be 

 drained to form better pasture or bear more pro- 

 fitable crops of timber, Evelyn's shrewd, common- 



