TEEES FOR WATER CATCHMENT AREAS 149 



flowering plants, like Anemone, Oxalis, Circaea, and Aspenda, 

 with woodland grasses, like Milium and Melica, and with 

 oak fern. The heech then grows vigorously, developing 

 tall stems (Fig. 27), and regenerates freely. 



Beech is tender to frost when young ; and seedlings may 

 often be raised with advantage under the protection of light- 

 foliaged trees, like birch, ash, or oak. It should not be 

 planted in low-lying frosty situations, unless under the cover 

 of an advance growth of birch. It will grow up to a con- 

 siderable altitude in the mountains, but becomes stunted in 

 height and ceases to produce timber in quantity. It is 

 accordingly not of much value as a main- crop tree in planta- 

 tions in the hill pasture zone. Below this zone, beech 

 should be grown pure on poor calcareous soil, on which no 

 other tree will thrive. On other soils, as explained above, 

 it should be grown largely to form a matrix for valuable 

 timber trees, like ash, oak, elm, sycamore, and larch. Most 

 of these trees may be scattered amidst the beech, singly or 

 in very small groups ; but oak is better planted amidst 

 beech in large groups. 



Ash. — The common ash is perhaps our most valuable 

 broad-leaved tree. It produces a strong, tough, elastic, light 

 wood, which is essential to our industries, and cannot be 

 replaced by any imported substitute. It grows fast, and 

 is ready for felling at an early age, the timber being always 

 saleable at a good price. For these reasons, ash ought to be 

 more extensively cultivated ; but there are difficulties in 

 the successful planting of this species which can only be 

 overcome by a thorough understanding of its peculiar re- 

 quirements. It can rarely be grown in a wood by itself. 

 Pure plantations of ash on a considerable scale are often 

 attempted, but do not seem ever to be successful. Once it 

 has passed the young stage, ash requires much light and 

 space. Under the scanty cover of its sparse foliage, the soil 

 deteriorates, losing its moisture and often becoming clothed 

 with dense grass, which seriously checks the growth of the 

 trees in height and diameter. Ash scarcely flourishes unless 



