LITERATURE OF SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURE. 225 



jects,* his " Forest Scenery," + and other works, are still standards of 

 classical writing, purity of taste, and cultured ideas, and are as such 

 worthy of reference for the planter or landscape gardener, no less 

 than for the practical arboriculturist. 



In 1800, Wm. Pontey published his " Profitable Planter,"! a treatise 

 on the theory and practice of planting forest trees. It appeared in 

 1 vol. 8vo, and met a ready sale. The thorough practical knowledge of 

 its author, narrated in plain language in every page, gave this volume 

 what many others about this time much lacked — an impression of 

 earnestness and complete fitness to inculcate useful teaching, which 

 unfortunately many of the volumes appearing about this period sadly 

 wanted. It was really, as he styled the book, as " The Profitable 

 Planter" that he desired to appear before the public ; and his whole 

 volume teems with interest, and with an evident strong wish to teach 

 others how to make the most of their trees and plantations, and how 

 to plant with prospective benefit in a pecuniary view. About the 

 same time, or a few years later, Mr Pontey published his " Forest 

 Pruner,"§ which was destined to initiate the young forester into the 

 art of pruning and treating physiologically timber trees. How he 

 succeeded is best narrated by the fact that this book ran through 

 several editions ; and Mr Pontey himself long occupied the respon- 

 sible office of "forest ■primer'''' to two Dukes of Bedford. In pub- 

 lishing these works Mr Pontey disclaims all idea of writing with 

 a view " to sell" but that his views and principles might become 

 " extensively useful." 



But along with the appearance of those works upon arboricultural 

 subjects just now cursorily noticed, there were others about the same 

 time published, and all of more or less value, in so far as they 

 touched upon the various phases or points of the art or science of tree 

 culture, then so rapidly developing itself. We have thus, Marshall on 

 " Planting and Rural Ornament," a standard work of the time, in 2 

 vols. 8vo, published in 1803. This, as it professed to be, was really a 

 "practical treatise," and narrated in detail planting operations, de- 

 scriptive notices of hedges and hedgerow timbers, seasons for plant- 

 ing, defending newly-planted trees, underwood management, timber 

 groves, coppice, and modes of filling up wooded wastes, with details 

 of the duties of foresters, &c. His second volume is devoted to 



* Three Essays on Picturesque Beauty and Landscape, &c. W. Gilpin. 

 3d ed. 1808. 



t Remarks on Forest Scenery, by W. Gilpin. 2 vols. 8vo. 1796. 

 t Pontey, W.— The Profitable Planter. 8vo, 1800. 

 § Pontey, W.— The Forest Pruner. 8vo, 1806. 



