104 



Dress up all the wounds of the trees here ; keep the 

 whole up as long as possible — cut not a single tree 

 out till they are dead in the top and root — before 

 losing the timber, pollard such trees as die in the 

 top, while they live in the roots, so as to become or- 

 namental — plant in close, and fill up the blanks, as 

 advised and directed in plantation, No. XXIV. No 

 one will dispute the claims of the trees in this field, 

 both as to shelter and ornament, and they deserve a 

 degree of attention more than has hitherto been paid 

 to them. 



No. XXVII. 



JBelvidere, on the Estate of Balgonie, Haddington- 

 shire, September 1827. 



The trees on the top of the rocks at the west end 

 of this beautiful lawn are falling fast into decay ; this 

 may be accounted for, first, from the dryness and 

 shallowness of the soil ; second, from their exposure ; 

 and, third, from their being allowed to remain too 

 thick for too long a time, and thus in want of nourish- 

 ment. 



1st, A dry shallow soil is most unfavourable to the 

 rearing of trees to a great age and size. We find 

 that trees will grow on very bare rocky soils, pro- 

 vided the climate is wet and moist, such as the west 

 of Scotland, &c. ; but here the reverse is the case, 

 as the climate is very dry, and the ground we are 

 now treading on is very thin and near the hard whin 

 rock, so that the roots have not depth of earth to 

 keep for them a sufficient supply of moisture, parti- 

 cularly so as the trees increase in size, and they 

 always require an additional supply ; that being de- 



