100 BIRCH AND BEECH 



probably in the world that at Newbattle, in Midlothian. 

 Within the compass, I say ; from without one beholds 

 only a vast dome of foliage, to the centre of which one 

 must penetrate in order to be thrilled with admiration 

 for the contrast between the mighty central column, 

 carven, as it were, out of grey marble, and the shim- 

 mering veil of young leaves. No draughtsman so deft 

 no camera hand so faithful as to convey a right 

 impression of such a combination of bulk and delicacy. 

 This giant measures 105 feet in height, and at five feet 

 high its girth is 21 feet 6 inches. The great branches 

 have bowed themselves to the ground and rooted 

 into fresh trees thirty and forty feet high, thus 

 making a perfect grove, with a total circumference of 

 400 feet. 



With those who regard woodland in no other light 

 save as a harbour for game, the beech has fallen into 

 disfavour, because a beechwood always has a bare 

 floor, save on some specially congenial soils, like parts 

 of Buckinghamshire, where the holly grows luxuriantly 

 among the beech stems. But the skilful forester holds 

 beech in high esteem, as the only true shade-bearer 

 among our native deciduous trees, the only one which 

 may be planted under other high wood to form a suc- 

 cessional crop. And while it is thus growing it per- 

 forms a double function of great utility ; it screens the 

 soil from drying winds and too rapid evaporation, and 

 at the same time greatly enriches it by an annual 

 heavy fall of leaves. No tree forms humus the true 

 forest soil so rapidly as the beech ; and it does so 

 under conditions of shade which none other will 



