ON THINNING AND PRUNING TREES. 243 



for similar defects to present themselves in large domains, even 

 where woodmen are kept, which certainly reflects no credit on 

 the owners. 



I frequently find it a difficult matter to persuade gentlemen to 

 allow their plantations to be thinned, and their trees to be cut 

 down ; but wherever I have prevailed, the alterations have never 

 failed to give entire satisfaction. I was called in some few years 

 ago, to alter the grounds of a baronet; who, while I was in- 

 specting, directed my attention in particular to a plantation of at 

 least fifteen years standing, formed for the purpose of conceal- 

 ing the kitchen garden. This partly from want of thinning, and 

 partly owing to the prevalence of that odious tree (the black 

 Italian Poplar), appeared to be a complete wilderness. I im- 

 mediately directed the gardener to mark with white pakit at 

 least one half of them to be cut down. The baronet expressed 



his surprise at the number, and said he was sure Lady • 



would be distressed at the idea of so many being removed ; 

 however, it was agreed upon that they should be taken down 

 before her ladyship took her morning walk. I left before the 

 operation was performed ; and to my great surprise, although 

 all my other plans had met with their unqualified approbation, 

 in the course of a few days I received a letter stating, that only 

 one half of the number I had caused to be marked, had been cut 

 down, and that the rest were to remain till I had paid another 

 visit ; and hoping that I should consider that sufficient, so re- 

 luctant was my kind employer to cut down his trees. Notwith- 

 standing which, I still persevered in recommending the rest 

 to come down, which was very reluctantly agreed to, and |down 

 they came, and undergrowths of common Laurels, Hollis, Yews, 

 Dogwoods, to be introduced in their room ; for it may natu- 

 rally be supposed that their having been suffered to crowd 

 each other so long, would entirely prevent them from ever as- 

 suming the form and beauty they would otherwise have done, 

 had early pruning been attended to. My advice was followed 

 and the nobleman has since called upon rn e > and expressed him- 

 self highly gratified with the improvements produced. On these 

 grounds were several masses of silver firs, which would certainly 

 have been the finest of the kind I ever saw, had they been pro- 

 perly managed ; they were seventy or eighty feet high, but I am 

 sorry to say it, destitute of branches to within ten or twelve feet 

 of ihf top, instead of being furnished nearly to the ground, as 



