205 



trees, at which distance they may stand till they ar- 

 rive at maturity ; take away always such trees as die 

 before the timber of them be useless. If this plan- 

 tation is allowed to stand in its present state much 

 longer, — say for a few years, it will extirpate itself, 

 as it is plain to a demonstration, that the trees are 

 killing each other, and the whole will soon be stinted 

 in their growth. The thinning should be set about 

 as soon as possible, and proceeded in with the great- 

 est caution, skill, and diligence. It is proper to ob- 

 serve, that the trees to be taken out should be most 

 carefully marked off by the hands of the forester, 

 and taken down under his superintendence. If the 

 proprietor thinks it advisable to rear the present crop 

 after the thinning is finished, a considerable rental 

 should be got for the grass of the plantation for cattle 

 wintering, which will do no harm to the trees ; but 

 no sheep should ever be admitted at any time. 



This part of the plantation, which is wholly of 

 Scotch firs, occupies very fine land for rearing wood 

 of every description, and from the situation it occu- 

 pies it is not so useful either for shelter or ornament 

 to the estate as many of the other fir plantations. I 

 am therefore fully of opinion it should be turned into 

 that which would be most advantageous and profit- 

 able for the estate. I am also well aware that the 

 present crop on the ground will not be of more value 

 to the estate although allowed to stand for eight or 

 ten years longer. I must here observe, by the way, 

 that there is a certain size that Scotch fir will arrive 

 at, when their intrinsic value as timber is as much as 

 when the trees have got eight or ten, or more years 

 growth, and when they may have arrived at a larger 

 size. To explain this, I mean when the trees arrive 



