CONCLUSION. 269 



and elastic, and readily accommodate themselves to 

 new circumstances and conditions of life, while old 

 ones are hard, full of resin, and on the least fracture 

 or injury their juices crystallise and stop the flowing 

 sap. 



Little or no thinning should be done after the trees 

 are about thirty years old — unless, indeed, under very 

 exceptional circumstances, when the thinning had 

 been neglected, and the soil and situation are more 

 than usually favourable. During the 'growth of the 

 tree the zones or layers should be about Jth of an 

 inch till forty years, ith till fifty, ith till sixty ; 

 and on to maturity at about eighty years or there- 

 by. The form of the tree, both stem and general 

 outline, should, when young, be conical, and its girth 

 in inches above the swell of the roots corresponding 

 with its feet in height ; at sixty years old its girth at 

 ten feet from the ground should be equal to its feet 

 in height, and so on in proportion throughout its 

 growth. 



Fifth. Every plantation requires constant attention 

 at every stage of growth, and at none more so than 

 when nearly approaching maturity, so that not a single 

 tree be cut too soon, nor one allowed to stand after it 

 is ripe for cutting ; and this, it is needless to say, 

 involves more than one difficulty. From the very 

 sreat and distinct varieties of trees of the same 

 species, and in none more so than the larch, it is 

 easily understood how some trees attain maturity so 

 much sooner than others, — some CTOwin^ larcjer than 



