PROFITABLE TIMBER TREES 75 



itself. Thus, on the Chiltern and Cotswold Hills and the 

 chalk downs in the south, beech usually constitutes the pre- 

 vailing plantation tree, not so much because it succeeds in 

 these localities, but more on account of its being amongst 

 the few trees which will live to any great age on the poorer 

 soils of this class. 



Evelyn had a poor opinion of beech as a timber tree, and 

 wished its use could be prohibited in manufactures, chiefly 

 on account of its readiness to take the worm, or become 

 infected with grubs of Arwiium species. Except for fire- 

 wood and for its nuts for swine and deer, the beech seems 

 never to have been held in much esteem, and even now, 

 although its use is more general, it only ranks as a second- 

 rate timber in the market. For that reason its cultivation 

 was never paid much attention to, and it was planted more 

 for shade or shelter than anything else. In the eighteenth 

 century, and especially in the days of Kent and Brown, 

 beech was very extensively used in landscape planting, and 

 the majority of Brown's much abused clumps and belts were 

 formed of this tree. A more unsuitable tree could hardly 

 have been selected for park clumps, especially when planted 

 in the manner that most of Brown's clumps are ; but this 

 will be discussed elsewhere. 



In ordinary English forestry the beech cannot be said to 

 occupy an important position. It is still planted on chalk, 

 oolite, and thin limestone soils, as the only tree which can 

 be depended upon to live to a great age and grow to a large 

 size. But its use in this country cannot be compared to 

 that made of it in French or German forestry, in which 

 countries it is grown more for the benefit of other species 

 and for improving the soil than for its own value. That 

 similar benefits would follow its use in England there is 

 little doubt, but the chief reason which prevents it being 

 more extensively used is its invariable tendency to shade the 

 soil and exterminate ground vegetation ; and this renders it 

 unpopular with keepers and sportsmen. In the comparatively 

 small woods which prevail in England an attempt is made 

 to utilise their area for game preserving to the greatest 

 possible extent, and this can only be done by encouraging 

 the growth of surface weeds and shrubs as much as possible 



