uit-yielding point of view, but for facilitating the movement of
troops beneath their dense branches.

He even urged the military acquisition of suitable land and its
determined, skilful, and discreet exploitation by those who loved the
Fatherland. He emphasised the necessity for keeping such orchards
under military control, only vouchsafing sufficient powers to the local
authorities to ensure the desired consummation. He maintained that, if
the work were prosecuted upon the right lines and sufficient financial
assistance were given, the purpose in view could be achieved without
saddling the war department with any unremunerative or excessive burden.
He admitted that the process of raising fruit trees to the stage
when they would afford adequate cover would be tedious and somewhat
prolonged, but argued that the military advantages, such as enabling
troops to move below the welcome shelter with absolute freedom and
without physical fatigue, would be an ample compensation.

The utility of such cover to artillery was another factor he did not
fail to emphasise. He dwelt seriously upon the difficulty of rendering
permanent gun emplacements and heavy artillery invisible to the airman
by resort to the usual type of gun shields. The latter may be located
with ease by alert airmen, whereas if the guns were under cover of fruit
trees they would be able to accomplish their deadly mission without
betraying their presence to the aerial scout. Moreover, by pruning the
trees in such a manner as to ensure free movement beneath, the artillery
would be able to advance without betraying the fact to the enemy.

This authority vigorously insisted that the work should be carried out
without a moment's delay as it was vital to the Fatherland. In the
light of recent events, and the excellent cover which is offered by the
orchards of the territory he cited as an illustration of his contention,
such a disclosure is pregnant with meaning. It throws a new light upon
the thorough methods with which the Germans carried out their military
preparations, and incidentally shows that they were fully alive to
every possible development. Fruit-raising as a complement to military
operations may be a new line of discussion, but it serves to reveal the
German in his true light, ready for every contingency, and shows how
thoroughly he appreciates the danger from the man in the clouds.

CHAPTER XIV. ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS. MOBILE WEAPONS.

When the airship