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tlie best quality ; some of whicli was used in building the Governor's 

 Eesidence at St. Anne's. The garden was started in 1818, or 78 

 years ago, so that they may be estimated to be about 60 years old. 

 Some of these give trunks over four feet in diameter so that the 

 average growth for a series of years including youth and maturity 

 may be taken at ~ of an inch per annum which I think is fairly 

 correct and reliable average growth when planted in fairlygood soil. 

 There are of course places in which from character of soil and various 

 other causes, trees would probably give not more than half these 

 results, but a great deal depends upon the care and attention they 

 receive. I have acquantance with a case in point. A forest was cut 

 down and the land laid bare on an area of many acres. The land was 

 not good, and the aspect and situation Avas, dry at one season and 

 flooded at another. The trees were planted some thirty or forty feet 

 apart and not protected in any way, cattle pulled them down, the 

 wind broke off branches, and no attention was paid to them for years. 

 The rule with them has been slow and stunted growth, and in 15 

 years they have made little progress. This is not to be wondered at for 

 few trees of any kind would have thriven under similar circumstances. 

 Now there should be no excuse for a failure of this kind, for it is 

 evident that those who had the care of these trees could have had no 

 training on wood craft, or in fact any practical knowledge of the 

 principles of that art, for if they had they would have known that 

 the first rule of the forester is to plant thickly and the first cost of 

 plants shoxild never be a bar to carrying out this practice, which is 

 one pursued hundreds of years ago in the forests of Europe and still 

 carried on in the same way to-day where practical forestry is properly 

 understood. Cover the ground first, and thin afterwards, plant 

 thickly and you can choose year by year what has to be removed and 

 the thinnings Avill pay for the cultivation. If a planter wants forest trees 

 say 40 feet apart he shovild at least plant his ground in not less than 

 ten feet intervals. For example ; on a square of forty feet he Avould 

 have to plant twenty-five trees; out of Avhich he will eventually have 

 only four as permanent timber— -the other twenty-one falling, as 

 necessary to give room for growth of the others. Thick planting 

 affords a protection and induces a growth which can be had in no 

 other way, and it is a practice that should be pursued if success in 

 timber culture is to be secured, and it is but little use to plant 

 otherwise, except in particularly favoured situations. The Mahogany 

 produces seed freely in some climates but like many other trees does 

 not give regular crops. The seed however when produced grows 



