iiMsii (;aki)I-:\i\(^, 



Niuun- ■ ti'H-tlHw<t " lU'«.r^'iau Ikmim's that >]iranL' 

 U]) o\ iTywIuTt'. 



Frtun t»m« rxtivnH- Wt- jumiu'd tu tin- otlici. 

 FornuTly tlir W\\i Iu)Um«s had i)iiutually ii«> 

 privHti* jintuiuls. l)ut ^t<MKl amidst a lookiMv of 

 rt'taiiuTs and Mitdlitt's. and no douht pi^'s and 

 diuks and dirt. Now all this was swupt away. 

 and wr outdid tlit- Kn^'lish in tho fxtt-nt of o\ir 

 jmrk and in tin- hri^ht (.f the (h im.-nc wall 

 surrounding' it. 



Tlioy say tliat an Irishman's house is always 

 built tiear a jiood situati(»n. and it is all the more 

 htnin^'f to tind Imw scKUun it is actually o/j tlu' 

 rij:ht sjxit, when one realist's with what care 

 and skill and real knowUHlric of forestry and 

 InndsnijH' pirdiMiin^. these lU'w ly eM(lo.>-e(l 

 dmiesntvs were laid out and ])lant(Hl. 



To those who know nothing of such work it 

 may seem a simi)le thijig to enclo^c a fvA\ ])lots 

 of ground and i)lant trees in them and to scatter 

 n few ■■ sjK'cinu'ns " here and there about the 

 gms*i land, but there is not a yard of that Mood 

 fence, the long sweet curve of which you lightly 

 admire, that was not planned and j)egged out 

 and changetl and altered again and again to get 

 it just what you see. and in the wood behind it 

 no trw but was the result of anxicnis tiiought on 

 " fcoils," and " exposures." and " nurses," and 

 " mainerop." Each of tliose outstanding park 

 trees that seem to have scattered themselves 

 hap])ily and jiromiscuously about the place cost 

 nuich wagging of wise old lieads before d was 

 felcctitl as the right kind of tree, and still more 

 l)efore the exact right spot for it was arrived at 

 and the tree ])lanted there. But how jnoud they 

 nnist have been of their work, these pioneers 

 of j)lanting in Ireland, and how generously and 

 luxuriantly the trees repaid the thought and 

 care lavishetl up(»n them I Of course in some 

 eat>es the best laid schemes went agley. 



As time went on the Avise old head was laid to 

 rest, and perhaps a new king arose who knew 

 him not and who had no skill or wit to trace 

 and earn,- on the original intentions which even 

 now the seeing eye can discover, but nature was 

 prodigal of her kindness, and the woods grew and 

 took the shajte we know to-day, and were gocd 

 to look upon, and >o a new i)eriod was bom. 

 Out of those square country houses, some big 

 and imposing, others .small and unprctentiou.' . 

 came healthy, fresh-faced children that played 

 through the young Avoods, and knew and loVed 

 every tree and branch in them, and as they 

 grew up many of them scattered to the far ends 

 of the earth. Brave men and fair Avomen — as 

 brave and as fair a« the best the wf)rld has seen, 

 and for clc*^e on a century so it has ])cen. There 

 is no uttermost outpost of the world where the 



font of white iiiau has gone but fiom it lo\ lug 

 thoughts cam»! Hying back to the sipiare grey 

 liousc and the soft cool green Woods and trees 

 aroun<l it that ma<le it honu'. 



]iut another leaf has been tuiiicd in the history 

 of these woods, and ignore it or shirk it as we i 

 may. if we let things drift on as we have been , 

 doinu. the word ■hnis" is inevitably close in i 

 front of u^. Soiiio kinds of trees last long(M- 

 than othci's. but all lia\'<^ a more or less (lelinitci 

 age. Already tlu^ sluuter lived trees have 

 almost disa])])ear(!<l out of our woods of this 

 period, and in other cases decay and degenera- 

 tion is only forestalled by cutting down and 

 selling the timber. 



It is customary to denounce the wholesale 

 cutting that has untiuestionably l)eon going on i 

 for years past, and to lay the whole blame of the ; 

 denudation of the countr}^ on this. Of course 

 there are many instances of this that are greatly 

 to be de])lored, but it is lost sight of that, hi at \ 

 any rate a large number of instances, the cutting 

 of the trees only anticii)atcd by a few years their 

 disa])pearance from natural causes, and that 

 once woods have arrived at a certain age — which i 

 varies with every cla«3S of tree, and soil, and ;] 

 site — the downhill journey to decay and dis- i 

 memberment is automatic and often surprisingly 

 rapid. 1 do not wish to appear to advocate 

 excessive cutting, but I do want people to 

 realise that by simply leaving their Wooded 

 areas alone they do iiot ensure that there shall 

 be wood« on them, but that on the contrary they 

 inevitably ensure that there shall be nothing but \ 

 fallen, rotting logs among the scrub and briars ] 

 and such few chance seedlings as the rabbits i 

 may have overlooked. I 



1 feel very strongly that owners of places, big j 

 or little, have each a duty hx this matter that j 

 is not in all cases sufticiently recognised. Let j 

 mo put it this way. 



Three or four generations have enjoyed the 

 results of one man's work and expenditure. It I 

 has been a family asset. I do not mean in I 

 money only, though perhaps that too has not 

 been mconsiderable, but as having created a i 

 home worthy of the love of those sons of the 

 house who have cheerfully done their share, 

 and more than their share, in whatever part of 

 the world mens w'ork was a-doing. However 

 de! perate the venture was, hoAvever discouraging 

 the Avcrk, they liad this green thing in their I 

 hearts, the picture of their far aAVay home, and i 

 so they w^ere no discredit to it, but played out j 

 the game let come Avhat might. I 



I do not Avish to appear sentimental, but no 

 one Avho has met Irishmen of this class abroad 

 can doubt this. ', 



