PLANTING. 121 



for three, four, or five principals, may 

 suffice. 



The judicious will distinguish between the 

 extremes, and according to the probability 

 of success. But I beg to remark, that for the 

 most exposed, bleak situations, and where the 

 soil is evidently sterile, the safer way is to 

 plant too many, rather than too few nurses ; 

 and, that here the Larch and Mountain-Ash 

 are fittest for the purpose, unless the site is ex- 

 posed to the sea breeze, in which case, the 

 Sycamore and the Elder, ought to take place 

 of the latter. 



And here I cannot avoid taking notice of 

 the super-excellence of the Larch in this par- 

 ticular, viz. that while it is admirably adapt- 

 ed to the office of nursing others, it is by 

 none, except the Oak, excelled as a timber 

 tree. Hence, there is hardly a possibility of 

 erring on the score of planting too many 

 Larches for the purpose of nursing, especial- 

 ly on thin soils and bleak exposures; since, 

 although the intended kinds fail, if these 

 survive, there will remain no want of a va* 

 luable crop on the ground. 



