158 



FOR 



FOR 



plants of two or three years of age 

 from Europe, than to attempt to 

 effect the same object by planting 

 acorns, walnuts, or sowing the 

 seeds of other plants in the spot in 

 which they are intended to grow, 

 and watching them during their 

 feeble state. Still more true it is 

 that such an importation would be 

 cheaper than to attempt to uitro- 

 duce the sickly and mutilated 

 plants from the native forest into 

 new ground prepared for this pur- 

 pose. A thousand young healthy 

 trees may be imported from Eu- 

 rope, and planted out at less ex- 

 pense than that at which one hun- 

 dred could be removed from a 

 neighbouring forest, into a new 

 plantation,* This remark is the 

 result of much experience. I 

 would not be understood to recom- 

 mend the use of the European nur- 

 series to the exclusion of our own. 

 I would rather excite an attention 

 in cultivators of opulence to the 

 formation of nurseries, and of all 

 our farmers to the encouragement 

 of nursery men. The employment 

 ought to be distinct from that of a 

 farmer. It requires peculiar skill 

 and talent, and ought to be encour- 

 aged. It is a mortifying truth,that 

 the inhabitants of Massachusetts 

 import seven-eighths of their fruit 

 trees, and most of their ornament- 

 al forest trees from New- York. I 

 would not quarrel with this state of 

 things, if 1 did not believe that it 

 has been in part owing to a want 

 of attention to a very interesting 

 subject. 



* Taking into view the proportion which 

 would finally succeed. 



What the Agricultural Society 

 has failed to do by its premiums, 

 has been in part effected by indi- 

 vidual taste. The Hon. Mr. Gore 

 led the way, which others have 

 followed, in the formation of plan- 

 tations designed principally for or- 

 nament. Farmers may, perhaps, 

 be disposed to treat with levity, 

 these efforts to adorn our country, 

 but in truth if they knew the inter- 

 esting and important effects of this 

 taste in Great Britain, they would 

 materially change their opinions." 

 The author takes notice of Mon- 

 sieur Michaux and his Treatise on 

 the Forest Trees of North Ameri- 

 ca ; from which the following is 

 extracted. 



" America is more favoured,says 

 Monsieur Michaux, in the variety 

 of her forest trees, than France. — 

 The number of sorts of American 

 forest trees, whose growth amounts 

 to thirty feet at least, which Mon- 

 sieur Michaux describes, is 1 37, of 

 which ninety-five are employed in 

 the arts. 



'^ In France there are only thir- 

 ty-seven which grow to that size, 

 of which eighteen only are found 

 in their forests, and seven only of 

 these are employed in civil and 

 maritime architecture. 



" Monsieur Michaux says, that 

 the object of his voyage was to ac- 

 quire an intimate knowledge of the 

 most interesting trees of America, 

 of those which were the most use- 

 ful, either for combustion or differ- 

 ent sorts of building. He adds 

 that he shall suggest the manner in 

 which the American forests ought 

 to be managed, by pointing out 

 the sorts which ought to be fa- 



