218 



this estate but in all this part of the country, al- 

 though it is only on one or two farms that any thing 

 like planting new ground has been looked at in this 

 survey. Before entering on planting belts, &c. allow 

 me to clear up a stigma or unjust aspersion, general- 

 ly thrown out by the most of people against stripes 

 and belts of planting of this and others I am about 

 to speak of, which is as false as it is ignorantly made : 

 that is, say they, nothing can ever be got from such 

 plantings, that is, they are not profitable. Stripes 

 and belts of planting may be ornamental enough to 

 an estate, but they pay the proprietor nothing ; hence, 

 the most of these stripes are, after being enclosed 

 and planted, allowed to stand or fall of themselves. 



It may be necessary, before advising my Lady 

 Hastings to plant many such belts, &c. to clear up 

 this : let it be most pointedly and particularly ob- 

 served, that all such stripes, belts, and clumps, of 

 planting that I would suggest to be made on this 

 bare estate, is solely to serve and secure the immense 

 and infinite advantage of clothing, shelter, and orna- 

 ment, and only on such places as they would serve 

 this important purpose, should any such be put down. 

 Now, for an annual rental from these plantings to 

 the estate, I shall suppose that 300 acres would not 

 be too much detached as above, throughout Rowal- 

 lan estate ; now the thinnings of these, after the first 

 ten years will begin to pay the estate something con- 

 siderable annually, but these plantings are always to 

 be kept full of trees for the purpose they are chiefly 

 intended. At fifteen years old, there must be 400 of 

 the most promising and best of these trees on each 

 acre, cleared of incumbrances in thinning, to give 

 them room to gain the ascendency over their neigh- 



