68 



that the softer rocks would speedily be washed away in such regions if the numerous roots 

 of plants were not matted together in such a manner as to produce consideral»le resistance 

 to the destructive power of the rains. The parasitical or creeping plants also entwine in 

 every possible direction, so as to render the forests nearly impervious, and the trees 

 possess forms and leaves best calculated to shoot off the heavy rains, which, when they 

 have thus been broken in their fall, are quickly absorbed by the ground beneath, or when 

 thrown into the drainage-depressions give rise to furious torrents." 



An eminent English writer says : — 



"When plantations and strips of wood of considerable extent are so arranged as to 

 obstruct the wind in its course, shelter is afforded both to cultivated and pasture land, 

 and in appearance as well as in productiveness the character of the estate undergoes a 

 thorough change. 



" It cannot be doubted by any one acquainted with the losses which are frequently 

 sustained on high-lying farms from nipping frosts and withering winds, that in cold, late 

 districts, shelter is of the greatest value to the farmer. Various kinds of crops are liable 

 at the time of flowering to be seriously injured if exposed to strong winds, and frequently 

 cereal crops, which are just beginning to ripen, suddenly assume a premature whiteness 

 after being loosened about the roots by severe wind storms ; the crop is imperfectly devel- 

 oped and the farmer is the loser. Shelter will, to a very large extent, prevent this evil. 

 Then, at harvest, it has been found that a line of plantations running transverse to the 

 wind, though at a distance of half-a-mile, has materially diminished the loss from shedding. 

 Along the eastern coast of Great Britain, a proper increase of shelter would not fail to 

 add several bushels of grain to the yield per acre ; and in Caithness and Orkney, where, 

 simply from the want of shelter at first, ordinary timber trees rarely ever become more 

 than stinted bushes, the increase would be a great deal more. 



" The only way in which either forest or hedge plants can be started into growth in 

 these northern countries is to afford them at once the shelter of a stone wall or earth em- 

 bankment, and often when their tops appear above the upper surface of the protecting 

 dike, they are cut over by the winds as by a knife. This shows in its extreme aspect 

 the importance of that shelter which, in all exposed situations, must in a greater or less 

 degree promote the development of crops. 



" The value of shelter for pasture stock is no less deserving of careful consideration. 

 It is well known to veterinary practitioners that cattle grazing in high and exposed situa- 

 tions are generally more predisposed to consumptive and cutaneous diseases than anima,ls 

 pastured on low and sheltered farms. In cold, backward springs, the shelter conferred 

 even by a very small plantation is to the sheep-farmer in the highland districts of the 

 greatest practical service. On grazings much exposed to withering winds the large num- 

 ber of lambs deserted by their mothers in late seasons, in consequence of a scarcity of 

 milk, is sometimes a severe loss to the flock-master. But it is well known that on the hiU 

 farms partially sheltered by growing timber, the percentage of deaths from this cause 

 is considerably reduced. The pasturage, when sheltered even in a very partial manner, 

 is both earlier and more nutritive than if exposed to the full effects of unchecked winds, 

 and in their haunts, flocks rarely fail to indicate the situations which are really benefited 

 by plantations, either near at hand or at a considerable distance. It is a well-known 

 principle of animal nutrition that the radiation of heat from the system is greater in a 

 cold than in a warm temperature, and that more food is necessary in the former situation 

 than in the latter to maintain vital heat. If it is practicable, therefore, in the formation 

 of plantations to elevate the mean temperature of any particular district two or three 

 degrees, it follows that its grazing will not only be improved, but that, in proportion con- 

 sumed, fattening animals will make greater progress than under less favourable circum- 

 stances. 



" It appears conclusive, therefore, that the relation that exists between forestry and 

 agriculture is a very intimate one ; and yet while great exertions are being made to de- 

 velop the agricultural resources of the country, the inactivity which has long prevailed 

 in respect to the management of timber continues the same, and presents, in some respects, 

 an aspect hopeless enough." 



