THE BEECH 



33 1 



how valuable are forests of one kind of 

 tree when that is the one best suited to 

 the soil. The Beech has been the pre- 

 vailing tree in this district for ages, the 

 present forest being one of the oldest 

 in France, and in former days reserved 

 to the kings for hunting. It is planted 

 on the "high forest" plan, i.e., without 

 underwood, and covers an area of about 

 26,000 acres, mainly of chalky soil, and 

 for that reason is given up to the best 

 native tree for such land. The trees are 

 in the main not better grown than those 

 ofEnglish woods, but in some partshave 

 reached great size and dignity; in fertile 

 hollows stems of 1 40 to 1 5 o feet are not 

 uncommon, and I measured one stem 

 160 feet high. They stand shoulder to 

 shoulder in close rank, though not so 

 thickly as to injure each other. They 

 are thinned in regular years according 

 to requirement, and each tree has all the 

 space given to it that it really needs to 

 grow well. There is no underwood, the 

 aim being to grow trees with the largest 

 amount of bole. In spite of the present 

 low value of timber, and after all wage 

 payments for keepers, woodsmen, and a 

 first-class forest superintendent have 

 been deducted, theforestpays an annual 

 revenueof over twelve shillings per acre 

 to the State. Thus we have evidence of 

 the great value of the Beech in wood- 

 lands of the home counties and in the 

 forests of Normandy. With us it is true 

 that owing to foreign imports the work 

 of the rural industries concerned with 

 home-grown timber has been much re- 

 duced, but it is to be hoped that the pre- 

 sent neglect to safeguard these industries 

 will not go on for ever. It is a common 



Area. 



belief that no shrub will grow beneath 

 the Beech, but this is happily untrue, for 

 the best of all our evergreens, the Holly, 

 often grows well of its own choice in 

 Beech woodlands, giving a pretty effect 

 in them, though its growth may be less 

 vigorous than where more exposed. As 

 little else will grow under Beeches, it 

 would be wise for those who care for the 

 beauty of the wood to add groups of 

 seedling Hollies here and there, to gain 

 the pretty evergreen undergrowth of 

 Holly that may be seen in some of the 

 Berkshire Beech woods, and also inEp- 

 ping Forest. 



The natural area of the 

 Beech extends from Sicily 

 to beyond Christiania in Norway, and 

 from the Caspian to the shores of the 

 Atlantic, including France, but exclud- 

 ing the greater part of Spain and Algeria. 

 Only in the northern parts of this area, 

 as upon the shores of the North Sea and 

 around the Baltic, is it a tree of the plains. 

 Its maximum elevation in Norway is 

 below 1,000 feet, while on the slopes of 

 Mount Etna it rises above 7,000 feet. 

 In the Vosges of France its limit is be- 

 tween 4,000 and 5,000 feet ; 5,000 in 

 the Alps of Jura; 4,400 feet upon Mount 

 Cenis; and between 5,000 and 6,000 

 in the Pyrenees. The southern limits of 

 its zone are less defined, but it includes 

 the region of the Vine without,however, 

 descending into the valleys. Towards 

 the north and in high altitudes it is 

 checked by the cold, and disappears 

 even from the plains. 



The Beech is so good in 



In the Land- colom ^ WQ ^ 



misplace it, though, per- 



scape. 



