THE GARDEN BEAUTIFUL. 



often hardly room to swing a plough. In such cases it is often a good plan 

 to plant the whole of the field, suiting the tree to the soil and taking care to 

 introduce now and then a change of tree. For example, in the woodlands south 

 of London we often see hundreds of acres without an evergreen tree anywhere. 

 This cannot be good from the point of view of shelter, game, or beauty, and, 

 therefore, it is often well to plant some of these small fields with hardy ever- 

 green trees. Never look in the direction of Californian trees, which are not 

 everywhere successful, but keep to the evergreen trees of Europe — Scotch, Sil- 

 ver Fir, Spruce, Corsican, Austrian, White Pine of Canada, and the Cedar of 

 Lebanon, which people use as a pleasure ground tree only, although it is as 

 easily raised from seed, and as free and vigorous, as any Pine. 



Tail ends of fields running into woods, which often necessitate much 

 fencing within a very small area, are also excellent places to plant, especially 

 with an evergreen tree which we wish to encourage, as such 

 corners and tail ends are often sheltered by the woods about 

 them. By planting these, and making a line of fence round the field, we im- 

 prove both the field and the wood, and simplify fencing, which is always worth 

 doing. 



Apart from taking advantage of the incidents and nature of the ground, 

 there may be a reason to plant for covert in certain positions, and there we 

 must take what ground we can, always keeping to the principle of massing and 

 grouping rather than the narrow straggling clumps which are so common, and, 

 — as they are generally — fenced with expensive and ugly iron. The larger the 

 mass we plant the easier the fencing becomes and the simpler for everybody, 

 both in making and keeping. 



For cold and wind-swept districts it is often good to plant on the north 

 and east sides of favourite fields or gardens, and it is pleasant to see how 

 much one can do in the way of shelters with evergreen trees, 



Shelter belts. % 



even in ten years, if we exclude rabbits and choose the right 



kind of tree. 



The common idea that good planting means big planting is a great hind- 

 rance to getting artistic results or even good timber, and it is essential to learn 

 to enjoy the beauty of little trees and woods, which we may 

 eler^re^n wood. ra i se m ten years, even by the use of small plants, which, after 

 all, is the true way. It is an error to think that because we put 

 in "large stuff" we shall get a better result. In many cases trees not a foot 

 high will beat those bought in nurseries a yard high. My Corsicans came in a 

 basket, in little bundles not bigger than bunches of groundsel for a bird, and 

 in less than ten years they form a handsome sheltering wood. Certainly the 

 Pine babies make a far from dignified appearance in the world ; but how few 

 babies do ? And I am quite content to plant small, knowing how vigorously 



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