123 



much oftener purely the result of inat- 

 tention, or mismanagement; as is ob- 

 vious, by some trees being fresh and live- 

 ly, though some hundreds of years old, 

 while others of the same species, and upon 

 a similar soil, not only cease to thrive, 

 but almost to live, before they arrive at 

 half that age. We cannot admit that 

 trees differ, like men, in strength of con- 

 stitution, and, therefore, the longevity of 

 one, beyond another, under equal circum- 

 stances, may always be traced to a good 

 form, uninjured by external means. It is 

 admitted, that a useful, and an ornamen- 

 tal form, are materially different, but still 

 none can be essentially good, that is in- 

 compatible with the free growth and long 

 life of the tree. 



Withered or decayed tops, where the 

 trees are not very old, nor the soil ex- 

 ceedingly bad, are occasioned, principal- 

 ly, eitheCjj^by a bad method of pruning, 

 or the neglect of it. The circumstance 



