LANDSCAPE FORESTRY 217 



tops and foliage 10 be obtained than would be the case on 

 flat ground, and also add to the apparent height of the trees 

 standing on their tops. Such glades are easily formed, if 

 they do not already exist, on undulating ground, and, in 

 addition to their picturesque character, they are admirably 

 adapted for shooting purposes, although it must be admitted 

 that they take up a good deal of the best soils and situations 

 for timber production, as the richer or deeper soils, and more 

 sheltered situations of valleys, usually produce the tallest and 

 finest trees. 



The character of a wood or forest is determined by the 

 class or species of tree which predominates in it, and it is 

 often the case that this character varies with the soil and 

 situation in different parts of the same wood. A piece of 

 ground stocked with oak or beech, for instance, has a 

 different character from another piece in which pine or 

 spruce prevails. Young plantations, again, differ in character 

 from that of old and mature woodland, although in a purely 

 natural forest old and young are usually mixed up together. 

 But, whatever the origin of character may be, its existence is 

 absolutely essential if a picturesque scene is to be provided, 

 for otherwise the harmonious blending of the various details 

 cannot be secured. This quaUty of character in a wood 

 probably needs a certain amount of education in order to 

 appreciate it properly. To many persons, perhaps, two woods 

 of the same age would appear to differ very little, although 

 composed of different species. The difference in habit, leaf, 

 density of crown, shades of stem and branch, and what may 

 be termed the architectural plan of the two woods, which is 

 dependent upon the habits of the trees, would not be observ- 

 able unless specially pointed out, and the more subtle dif- 

 ferences due to character would be undetected. Character 

 may be defined as the harmonious blending of the different 

 features which belong exclusively to a particular type, and 

 the absence of one or two of these features or the addition 

 of others effectually destroys it. In a too mixed wood the 

 character of one species is neutralised by that of another, 

 and, as excessive variety destroys the effect of it, so the 

 multiplication of different characters entirely does away with 

 the effect of any one. Pure woods never lack character. 



