192 THINNING. 



larches dashing against and destroying their leaders, 

 but the former were mostly thinned out at an early age. 

 Those now remaining are coarsely grown, occasioned 

 by the system of thinning and the nature of the soil ; 

 they are likely to become large trees, but of a soft, 

 inferior quality. 



The hardwoods are in general badly grown, espe- 

 cially upon the best soil and sheltered places ; they are 

 tall compared with their thickness, have few branches, 

 thin bark, and badly rooted. Oaks of this age, having 

 the same soil and situation, should have been at least, 

 on an average, one-third more value, except upon a 

 few spots where the soil is unsuitable. Most of the 

 soil is suitable to the growth of ash, which thrives 

 well, but, like the oak, is very deficient in branches, 

 and in value only about two-thirds of what might have 

 been expected. 



This plantation is regarded by some as a model one, 

 perfect almost in every respect, not even allowing that 

 there is a deficiency of branches ; while in the writer's 

 opinion, at least one -third of the branches are wanting 

 in one-half of the plantation, and one-fourth wanting 

 in the other ; occasioned by over-much shelter not 

 over-crowding, as the term generally implies, which is 

 a widely different thing the plantation having always 

 been kept with a number of trees per acre upon it 

 below rather than above that of a fair crop ; at same 

 time, owing to the naturally sheltered situation, the 

 damp nature of the soil and its clayey consistency, 

 combined with the luxuriant summer herbage upon 

 its surface, and the shading and sheltering effects of 

 the pine and fir nurses, the unfavourable results de- 

 scribed have been brought about. 



One circumstance connected with this plantation 



