CHAPTER XIV. 



General Planting on Farms. 



The ctief objects in planting on arable farms are, to secure shelter for 

 the fields in them and a supply of timber for the use of their proprietors, 

 and also to enhance the general value of the holdings. 



In planting on such farms as are generally found in South Australia, 

 the enclosures are most advantageously laid out in the form of belts, 

 with their sides extending at right angles to the prevailing winds of the 

 district. In laying out such belts, it is always advantageous to enclose 

 with each of them any lateral height that may project from the main body 

 into the adjoining fields, just so far as may be considered necessary in 

 order to break the straight line, and at the same time secure a degree of 

 shelter to live stock from winds that may blow from the points in line 

 with the main belt. Another point to attend to in laying off such plan- 

 tations as' I am now referring to is, that the greatest extent should be 

 kept, as far as possible, along the higher-lying portion of the land ; as it 

 is evident that a plantation on a high part of a farm produces more 

 shelter to the surrounding fields than one situated on a low-lying part. 

 My remarks on this point will be more readily understood by reference 

 to Fig. 8, which shows a high-lying farm of 1,000 acres, properly 

 planted. If there be any gravelly, sandy, or poor knoU or ridge of 

 land on the farm, it should also, if possible, be planted in order both 

 to produce shelter and have ornamental effect ; and this should be done 

 irrespective of the belts laid out for the express purpose of sheltering 

 the lands of the farm, as such poor spots are in all cases more remunera- 

 tive, ultimately, under trees than were they kept under the plough ; and, 

 besides, when planted, they give such a clothed look to the farm as to 

 enhance its value very much in the estimation of persons of refined taste ; 

 and this often goes far in securing a high price for land. 



In planting, the proprietor should, in all cases, use only the sorts of 

 trees that are likely to succeed well on his laud, while at the same time 

 he should have an eye to the future value of the crop in respect to its 

 becoming useful for his own immediate purposes and to its market 

 value as a return from his land. 



As to the proportion of land that should properly be put under trees on 

 an ordinary arable farm, I should say that at least ten acres in every 

 hundred should be occupied by them. And besides this extent 

 of plantation on each farm, there should be several small groups 

 of trees distributed on well-chosen points in the fields, and also 



