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thing, however, is more certain, than that the under- 

 wood favours the growth of forests. 



" In a way not more excusable, one sees in travel- 

 ling to Melrose by Middleton and Bankhouse, the 

 lateral branches of Scotch firs, still in extreme youth, 

 carefully amputated, and even larches, which so in- 

 dispensably require the balancing power of their 

 branches, though rearing in sheltered situations, 

 treated mercilessly in the same manner, and deci- 

 duous trees too ; a few branches at the top being 

 alone saved, except now and then some trifling twigs 

 on the sides of the beech or oak, which seem to have 

 been deemed too insignificant to obtain notice. 



" It is perfectly obvious to any person in the slight- 

 est degree acquainted with the cultivation of trees, 

 that depriving larch and Scotch firs of their lateral 

 branches, renders the roots that formerly nourished 

 them, comparatively useless. These no longer transmit 

 the same abundance of sap upwards to be prepared 

 by the lateral branches ; and, of course, being com- 

 paratively useless, the roots become proportionally 

 inert, and the stem acquires little or no additional 

 volume except from the action of the uppermost 

 tiers in preparing the sap, which, however, will no 

 doubt in time, though slowly, contribute to give it 

 somewhat of a columnar instead of a pyramidal 

 form. 



" But let it be considered what miserable dwarfs 

 such trees must become, even with all the advantage 

 that the lofty sloping banks of that district, and 

 masses of the plantations there may continue to af- 

 ford. The trees will no doubt be less agitated than 

 in exposed situations ; but they are deprived mainly 

 of the principal means afforded by nature for pre- 



