Shelters. 173 



APPENDIX V. 



SHELTERS. 



That shelter is "half meat" (i.e., food) is an old saying on the 

 Borders, and, in confirmation of this, I may mention that my late 

 friend, Mr Fannce de Laune of Sharsted Conrt, found that a sheep 

 shelter he had pat ap paid, in fourteen days' time, interest on the 

 oatlay incurred in making it. He had two lots of sheep, which were 

 being fed on oilcake, and which were r^alarly weighed, and the 

 increase of weight in the lot that had the benefit of the shelter was 

 sach that it, in a fortnight, yielded the financial resnlt I have stated. 

 Althoagh, however, the facts previously given are well known it does 

 not seem to be, at least practically, known that shelter affords a very 

 large increase in the growth of food for stock. I have long been 

 aware of this, but was more particularly struck with it this year in 

 the case of the Harewells field, which is fully protected on one side 

 by a plantation, and partially so on the other. The field was young 

 grass, and was cut for hay, and it was interesting to note that as you 

 got away from the reach of the shelter the yield of grass gradually 

 declined towards the unprotected portion of the field, and, probably, 

 to the extent, in the most central portions, of about 25 per cent. But 

 if the stock and the grass require shelter the plantations, when 

 young, equally require it, and perhaps in a greater degree, and it is 

 of obvious importance to devise some means of at once sheltering 

 stock, grass, and plantations, tUl the last has grown sufficiently to 

 afford the desired shelter. The following remarks with reference to 

 shelters for hop gardens and orchards have been supplied to me by 

 the kindness of a friend, and I have no doubt may be useful for the 

 information conveyed, and as a means of calling attention to the 

 whole subject, so that improved methods of sheltering young planta- 

 tions, stock, and grass may be devised. 



With the view of providing practical protection for a young planta- 

 tion I am experimenting with larch poles about 12 feet in height, and 

 6 feet apart, with stays on the sides from which we have our strongest 

 prevalent winds. From pole to pole I am patting stretches of rabbit 

 wire netting, and such a structure will sift the wind (to use a Kentish 

 expression), or divide it, and so break its force to a considerable extent, 

 and for a considerable distance. I shall probably connect the poles 

 with rope or wire, besides staying each pole on either side. Should 

 rabbit me^h prove so small as to get snowed up, a larger mesh might 

 be used. When the plantation has grown up sufficiently to afford the 

 desired shelter the windbreak might be removed, and used for another 

 plantation. I may mention that on this property we have a narrow 

 strip of plantation running up the slopes of the hill to between 800 



