CHARACTER OF BROADLEAF FORESTS 



is sometimes made to produce an im- 

 pression by contrasts in form and color, 

 but too often the outcome is mere con- 

 spicuousness; while nature, in some 

 subtle way, has touched the true chord. 

 Forest scenery, however, need not be 

 as extensive as this in order to add ap- 

 preciably to the beauty of landscape. In 

 the valley of southern Virginia, among 

 the peach orchards and sheep farms, 

 low hills lie scattered on both sides of 

 the valley road. The mountain ranges 

 beyond them recede to a great distance, 

 and are partly hidden from view by 

 these intervening hills. The latter, 

 however, are decked with bits of wood- 

 land: groves of oak, chestnut, and 

 beech, where the horseman on sunny 

 summer days finds a welcome coolness 

 and shade. Would these sylvan spots 

 105 



