( 74 ) 



In the firft book I mentioned the different 

 effects of foil, and climate on trees*. In 

 New-foreft thefe obfervations are well illuf- 

 trated. The oaks there feem to have a cha- 

 racter peculiar to themfelves. They are the 

 moil pi&urefque trees of the kind, we meet 

 with. They feldom rife into lofty ftems, as 

 oaks ufually do in richer foils : but their 

 branches, which are more adapted to what 

 the fhip-builders call knees and elboivs~\-, are 

 commonly twifted into the moft picturefque 

 forms. In general, I believe, the poorer the 

 foil, the more pi6hirefque the tree that is, 

 it forms a more beautiful ramification. 



Befides, the New-forefl oak is not fo much 

 loaded with foliage, as the trees of richer 

 foils. An over-loaded foliage deftroys all 

 form. On the other hand, when the leaf 

 is too thinly fcattered, the tree looks blighted, 

 (hrivelled, and meagre. The point of pic- 

 turefque perfection is when the tree has foliage 

 enough to form a mafs ; and yet not fo 

 much as to hide the branches. One of the 

 great ornaments of a tree, is it's ramification, 



* See vol. i. page 25. f See vol. i. page 27. 



which 



