THINNING OF ADVANCED PINE PLANTATIONS. 165 



posed principally of Scots pine. The soil was dry 

 and of a gravelly nature, and the herbage chiefly heath 

 and dry moss. No regular or systematic thinning 

 had ever been performed, although a considerable 

 number of trees had been cut out from time to time. 

 When about thirty-six years planted, a regular and 

 systematic course of thinning was entered upon, and 

 continued for a period of about ten years. As thin- 

 ning was continued from year to year, it was observed 

 that the plantation, viewed at a distance, presented a 

 light-green sickly appearance, and on near approach 

 the pins or leaves were seen to be unusually short, 

 and of a clustered habit of growth. 



In consequence of the large percentage of deaths 

 that annually occurred, the plantation was gone over 

 once in about two years, and all dead trees cut out. 

 The percentage of deaths, however, so greatly mul- 

 tiplied year by year as to become alarming, and 

 awoke the inquiry, " What is to be done ? " As the 

 true cause of the disease, however, was never once 

 suspected, no wonder the antidote was withheld. The 

 subject became one of general interest, and many 

 prescriptions were given for the malady. Some 

 thought the ground too dry, while others considered 

 it too wet. Some thought the plantation should be 

 depastured with cattle, instead of sheep, which were 

 grazing -it; while others thought all animals should be 

 kept out of it, and the herbage allowed to grow up 

 luxuriantly, Like others, I was not aware at the 

 time of the cause of the sickly state of the plantation, 

 nor did I understand it fully for several years 

 afterwards. 



That thinning was the inducing cause of the sickly 

 state of the plantation I have now not the least 



