Planting Exposed Ground 71 



high-lying ground by the few examples that occur at con- 

 siderable elevations in some of the screen-belts that have 

 been formed on the flanks of the Snowdon range of hills, 

 where the tree looks quite as healthy and happy as at lower 

 elevations in a sheltered park. 



The Larch, be it remembered, is a good tree for planting 

 on exposed ground, for, though it gets twisted about and 

 untidy of appearance, it has a wonderful recuperative nature, 

 and will succeed well even when planted on the margins of 

 exposed woodlands. By taking advantage of natural tree 

 or shrub growth when forming plantations at high altitudes 

 much good may be brought about. A young tree planted 

 to the leeward of a clump of gorse, broom, juniper, or birch 

 has a much better chance of succeeding than another planted 

 where it has no shelter from the worst winds of the particular 

 district. These wild clumps of natural shrubs should be 

 encouraged in every way, for they will not only give a great 

 amount of shelter, but help to thicken up the plantations as 

 well. In exposed woodlands it is a good plan to plant up 

 the margins with such hardy wild shrubs as the gorse, 

 broom, thorn, juniper, blackthorn, etc., all of which will 

 afford a great amount of shelter to the young plants when 

 newly inserted, and help them to start away freely. 



The Common Beech is a good all-round tree for planting 

 in exposed sites, but especially where the soil is poor, or, in 

 other words, composed principally of chalk or gravel. Some 

 of the highest grounds in several of the English counties are 

 occupied by thriving beech plantations, these acting as 

 landmarks for many miles around, as notably at Knock 

 holt and on the Chiltern Hills. 



The Oak and Ash should both find places in high-lying 

 and exposed woodlands, for, although they cannot be planted 

 successfully along the margins, yet they thrive well where 

 a little shelter is afforded, and where the soil is fairly deep 

 and rich. 



The Birch cannot be passed by in any list of trees for 

 planting in exposed places ; it thrives well at high altitudes, 

 and where only a small quantity of soil overlies the rock. 



The Wild and Bird Cherries (Cerasus vulgaris and C. 



