TEEES FOE WATEE CATCHMENT AEEAS 147 



timber would be produced. The wood of isolated branchy 

 trees is heavy, hard, strong, and very durable ; and, though 

 very knotty, has proved suitable for fencing, for building, 

 and for pitwood. In New Zealand, a plantation of this 

 species " has yielded posts and telephone poles of the most 

 perfect type and durability," and a similar use might be 

 found for trees grown in plantations in this country. 



As a main-crop tree, Cvpressus macrocarjm is strictly 

 limited to localities near the sea, at a low elevation and in 

 a mild climate. It appears to be indifferent to soil, growing 

 vigorously even on poor shallow soil overlying chalk in 

 Sussex. The seedlings are easy to raise, and may be planted 

 out when a year old in situations where the surface vegeta- 

 tion is slight, or as two- or three-year-old seedlings, where 

 a dense growth of grass is expected. This species is suit- 

 able for introduction in groups to fill up blanks in wood- 

 lands near the sea. Its use as a shelter belt and for hedges 

 is well known. It is useless to attempt the cultivation of 

 this tree in situations exposed to cold winds or to spring 

 frosts. 



Beoad-Leaved Trees 



Beech. — The importance of the beech in forestry cannot 

 be over-estimated. It flourishes in most soils, except peat 

 and wet clay ; and produces, when grown in woods by itself, 

 a large volume of timber per acre. As it bears much shade, 

 the stems stand close together, and the dense canopy of the 

 foliage covers the ground, so that evaporation is checked 

 and moisture in the soil retained, while the grass is killed. 

 Its heavy fall of leaves produces by their decay an abun- 

 dant, mild, and fertile humus. Beech thus greatly improves 

 the soil ; and is accordingly mixed with other trees, especially 

 with species requiring much light like ash, oak, and larch, 

 which are unable to protect the soil once they are past the 

 young stage of growth. These valuable trees, when grown 

 amongst beech, develop tall, straight, cylindrical stems, free 

 from branches and knots in their lower half, the timber 



