SHELTER PLANTING

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 69, 23 March 1914, Page 2

SHELTER PLANTING

SOME USEFUL HINTS

| "Writing in a Wellington contem- ' poraryj a correspondent makes some I interesting comments upon this im- | portant subject, which will be read I with interest, seeing that the time ] to make preparations for planting is I practically at hand:--, . J-W I "To select trees that. are. suitable | for shelter many things have to 'be ; considered, and a more extended view s than is usual is necessary if ultimate | failure is to be avoided. The space | that can be allowed for the spread of \ the trees is one thing. Care should ; be itaken not to plant trees that, re- ', quire more space than can be afforded, nor should the thought that 'can be cut back be allowed to ln'flu--1 ence the planter. The cutting back

i takes time and money, to pay for it, 1 and it is seldom doneiii a preper mani ncr; it is usually left too long, and | injury and loss.follow. i "For the outside of a shelter belt deciduous trees should not be used in i a very windy place. The coldest winds are in spring, just as the young leaves are unfolding; these get cut off, and a serious check to growth results, which may be, and frequently is, repeated with later attempts to growj so that very little progress is made, and at any rate they afford very little shelter in spring,- when shelter is most needed. This is particularly itha case with the upright poplar—Lom-bai-sy—which would be very suitable otherwise, but in many places it requires shelter itself. Cupressus macroearpa is the most frequently planted of all trees, and many people regret having planted it. Lefit alon«, it thrives and makes a giant tree, covering much land. If it is kept cut it should be started while the trees are young, for if they are allowed to get high before cutting is begun the lower branches are>sure to die. One often sees .trees that', have' been allowed to grow to a large size with the lower limbs cuffc back because they were in the way; 'these.always die when the. higher branches' spread beyond them. In that condition, (though they break high winds', and afford some shelter to the distance, the immediate surroundings suffer from the draught below, and would be better if fully exposed. "Pinus muricata is one of the best trees for boundary shelter for. fairly large places. It is hardy, fairly rapid m growth, and leafy enough to give good shelter; of .lesser, -growjth than pmus-insignis, it costs less to keep in bounds. ;The latter tree is very frequently planted round quite small places—-even cottage gardens—and .is kept, of necessity, close-cropped as a hedge. It makes a very ugly hedge, and is bound to die out in a few years. Where perfect shelter is wanted in places of moderate size, the first line ot defence' should be a-r hedge, proper, if pmes are not to be planted tor inevitably the pinesv get thin at the bottom after a number of years .and let the wind,.under. I believe that m such cases the best shelter trees..are cupressus lawsoniana, and the native^ lace bark, hoheria populnea. The cupressus is not so rapid m growth as pines, therefore takes a 'longer time to give shelter; but, on the other hand, no growth is lost as it requires very. lit(fcle cutting back—none at all for the first few years. It is, I think, the hardiest tree we know; the growth is exceed£l? 7 t d^ sei aP d vests on the ground. Xhe habit of the tree being pyramidal the ascending growth never over! shadows the lower branches; consequently, they retain their f nil vieor ■ V .planted^ about sft. or eft! apart they would, require no cutting back for seven or eight. s Laltly, it ornamental trde. ' lie h, onerla is more rapid in growth than the cupressus? ver? hardy situations, very-orna-mental even when not covered *wi£i ts sprays of white flowers.: A dense leafy tree, it would give perfect shelter, and if good plaSts we?e p^t out experience shows ; that it will reach a height of 15ft. in five years • it requires no fitting;. The'hohSa v ? eF suitable tree to .plant alternately•'. with- cupressus lawsomana,; the broader, heads of the its natural size and habit of ascend* morTtW, Unnatural for more than a few years. As to all is to thfe* "if 1 .«xmVtio*> so there iL^lvh n deciduous trees will usually .any amount of cutting, SSf I,s^ ld,ab^, they are not ThL^ pfed for boundary shelter, U °ne r y' \°^ver, in which -o _ advantage to forra boundary hedges '< Such a, hedge might be %*<£> mainly of eider^S mixture of Sahx caprea-the sallow a hedge would cost a minimum to keep, just a brush up wm a slasher once a year, during winter a*d would be" of very good Tppear: whol' <?* ¥ Vch Woild whole, the plane and willow would enliven the dull appearance of the eider. lne willow mentioned is upnght m growth, and very hardy in windy situations. Rooted plants of birch would .bo required; the other three will grow from cuttings. States .ot any thickness up to as thick as a marts arm may be put in; they will all root, but it would be safer to die: them in-than to drive them, though that would do in soft ground. ; ".'lt. is commonly supposed that there 13 a good deal of care necessary in planting trees, spreading the roots, and so on. Care is necessary, but frequently the best way is apparently very rough; further, though .it may seem a strange thing to say, it is very seldom best to spread the roots out—in theory it is right; in practice wrong. Bad planting is the cause oi^most losses—that, or planting too suddenly m exposed places trees that have been reared under, kindlier conditions, No one transplants so many Trees'; as the nurserymen. But the

nurserymen never spread the roots, but plant m a way that many amateur critics would say meant in most cases death to the plant. The way. in nurseries in this: Each, block ot plants is termed a break; in beginning a break the ground is dug over to just -i little beyond where the first row is to be, aline is .stretched, and the soil struck down with the spade back into the trench, so that a perpendicular wall is left in front of the line. The roots of the plants a.re laid against this wall, then digging for the next row begins; the first spit is thrown against the roots of the row

:of , planfe, and trodden firm; then digging, Igoes an till there is room for . another1 rcw. Millions of young trees are planted in this way every season. It should be noted that the! most" important things to look at are: Fix j the; roots Ermiy and leave the soil ? above them loose. When trees are ' planted in exposed places on grass. land, hills, or farm lands, it is usual ; to dig or tix>nch a certain space for ' each -tree, and plant the tree in the centre; there" is then sure to be trouble to keep the tree from twist' ing -round and being blown over, ap- ; parently an unavoidable evil. The late Mr Matthews, in his little book, ! 'Tree Culture in New Zealand,' describes another way; it is simply an adaptation of the nursery method to open culture. Instead of preparing large holes, only a small space is dug over, and instead of placing the plant in the middle, with out-spreading !'.rbots,j.it. is--planted,at. one side, the i,roots being placed against a wall of i unbroken soil; the soil is returned, the roofe being made firm by treading in the ordinary .vay. It is claimed ? that as the'stem of the tree is resting a against solid ground it cannot blow * over or twist. 1 have had oppor[jtunities of trying this plan; I shall J never again plant in any other way.