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expense of enclosing narrow belts and stripes the 

 same as that of enclosing broad ones. Also, a very 

 few years experience must have convinced them of 

 the destructive impropriety of such conduct ; still it 

 has been persisted in till within these few years, when 

 in almost every quarter of the country the most mi- 

 serable and melancholy picture of such plantations 

 spoke more than volumes the absurdity of such pro- 

 cedure ; and I am sorry to say the present is also a 

 stubborn proof. All stripes and belts of planting of 

 this kind, to serve the purpose, should not be less 

 than from 35 to 40 yards broad, and round or oval 

 clumps at least 50 yards in diameter. Every thing 

 possible should be done to recover and keep up the 

 remaining trees in these belts, &c. To effect this, 

 all the polish, dwarfish, overtopped, and unhealthy 

 trees should be cut out, and their stools dressed up 

 for rearing up other trees from, or as underwood ; 

 all such trees should be very carefully selected and 

 marked off. Wherever there are blanks, plants of 

 various kinds of trees should be put in to fill up; the 

 kinds to be put in should be chiefly oak, Spanish 

 chesnut, Scotch elm, plane, ash, Scotch and spruce 

 firs alternately ; a proper attention in cutting and 

 filling up as above, would amazingly improve the 

 value, the look, and keep up these belts, &c. which, 

 I am sorry to say, in many places, are falling into de- 

 cay ; where the fences are out of repair, and where 

 the expense of enclosing the whole would cost too 

 much to protect a few trees ; all such may be cheap- 

 ly and permanently done, by using my portable 

 paling (see Forester's Guide,) in enclosing them 

 singly till they are out of the reach of cattle. 



No one need be at any loss to discover the purpose 

 which it was intended these stripes and belts were to 



