54 PLANTATIONS. 



ever, absolutely require the aid of brilliant talent, 

 or fervid eloquence, to place these matters in their 

 proper light before those who are most concerned ; 

 a plain reference to facts will be quite sufficient 

 for that purpose. 



The case of an Ancient Wood in an unthrifty 

 and unprofitable condition, does not stand out so 

 prominently it is not so glaringly discreditable 

 to its owner, as is a Plantation in the same state, 

 which has been made by himself ; for as to the 

 former, the fact that "i always was so," is, to a 

 certain extent, an excuse for bad management ; 

 and in truth, it will generally be found a very dif- 

 ficult affair, as I have hinted before, to establish 

 a new system where the prejudice of ages, in 

 favour of an old one, will meet the person who 

 may attempt it, at every turn ; but it is not so 

 as to Plantations ; when, therefore, a gentleman 

 decides to plant, and has himself to do with the 

 work from the beginning, both his interest, and 

 his duty, point out the necessity of his seeing that 

 it be well done ; but the very reverse of this, is 

 the average of the general practice, as I shall 

 presently show. It would be quite foreign to my 



