PARK TIMBER 261 



intact and complete rather than hybrid characters of growth. 

 Groups of twos, threes, or fives, planted in small circles, 

 triangles, or even irregular lines, will, if left alone, settle 

 matters in the proper way, and need not be touched after 

 planting. Two or, at the most, three species may occasionally 

 be used with advantage, for the contrast in stem and foliage 

 adds to the variety. Scots fir and beech, oak and ash, and 

 thorns, mixed with ordinary timber trees, are examples of 

 mixed groups which usually have a good effect. 



SINGLE TREES. 



Single trees in a park should not be too numerous, but 

 rather be confined to the vicinity of clumps and groves, than 

 scattered at regular distances over an open space. Their 

 exact position must be settled on the spot, and it is only 

 necessary to say a few words on the method of guarding 

 them in a grazed park. Too often, parks are disfigured by 

 too plentiful a use of heavy wooden guards, which completely 

 dwarf the trees they enclose for many years after planting. 

 With iron, or iron and barb wire, this objection is partly 

 removed, but even then they are apt to become unsightly 

 when too numerous. It is difficult, if not impossible, to 

 avoid them altogether, but the period during which they are 

 necessary might be considerably shortened if they were re- 

 placed, after a few years, by barb wire, lightly twisted round 

 the stems and fastened here and there with a small staple. 

 This plan will not injure the trees in the least, and affords 

 ample protection as soon as the trees are sufficiently stout to 

 withstand wind, and an occasional pull on the lower branches 

 by a grazing bullock. By planting good stout trees at the 

 outset, with plenty of fibrous roots, and preparing the pits 

 they are planted in by the addition of good soil or artificial 

 manure, their speedy establishment and rapid growth is 

 assured ; but, as already said, their number should be limited 

 in any case. 



Single trees should always be symmetrical and shapely 

 when young, and irregularity can only be tolerated in old 

 age. The English elm, the lime, the horse-chestnut, the 



