340 THE BOOK OF THE LANDED ESTATE. 



shelter, amenity, and a general improvement of the climate. Many 

 persons are of opinion that plantations are injurious to agricultural lands, 

 by causing them to be too much confined, and thus preventing the free 

 circulation of air. There can be no doubt that there are extreme cases 

 of this nature, and that too large an extent of woodland on some estates 

 will be injurious to farms ; and not only so, but also prejudicial to the 

 health of the inhabitants of the district, and to the health of the animals 

 grazing in the fields. This will be the case more especially in low-lying 

 situations when too much confined by masses of woods. 



On the other hand, a great many estates in this countiy are very 

 much devoid of plantations, and would be vastly increased in produc- 

 tiveness, and consequently in value, by judicious planting. We know 

 large tracts of country with very few plantations over its surface, where 

 winds and storms sweep over it without being checked in any way, 

 doing damage to farm crope, and causing colds and influenza among the 

 live stock. 



Not only are plantations a benefit to estates by giving shelter, but they 

 are also the means of improving and equalising the temperature of the 

 climate of the district. In districts devoid of masses of wood, we gener- 

 ally find that in the summer months the land gets dried up and parched 

 from a want of moisture. No doubt, at certain seasons of the year, any 

 land, even in the immediate neighbourhood of plantations, will get parched 

 and dry ; but I maintain that this is more likely to be the case where 

 there are no plantations. 



In some countries this has been experienced in a great degree. Cer- 

 tain districts of Greece and Palestine were at one time in possession of 

 large masses of forests, and at that time those countries were rich and 

 fertile. These forests have been all cut down or otherwise removed, 

 and the consequence is, a general sterility over the face of the country. 

 This is accounted for by the fact that where there is a district of 

 country without any woods or plantations, as soon as rains fall, they are 

 evaporated before they can sink into the ground and get to the roots of 

 the plants, and in this way the fertile growth of vegetation is prevented. 

 On the other hand, where there are masses of trees, when rains fall, 

 the shade of the trees prevents the sun's rays from drying up the mois- 

 ture which has fallen in the plantations. The rains thus get time to 

 enter the soil and sink to certain depths, when they reappear again in 

 the form of springs, which again form streams of water, thus keeping 

 vegetation fresh and encouraging general fertility. 



Portions of Canada have been entirely cleared of timber, the settlers 

 having cut down the forest before them without leaving any trees, and 

 without any consideration of the consequences. In these districts the 



