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cuous. No man, who knows any thing of wood, will pui. 

 down the sycamore, the hme, or the wild cherry, for example, 

 on a clayey soil ; neither will he put the oak or the elm on 

 light sand or gravel, but, on the contrary, on the deepest and 

 loamiest land he can find, and in the case of the oak, even 

 with a clay-bottom : for, although that tree, in particular, is 

 the most accommodating of all plants, it is only on land of 

 this sort that it will really thrive, and grow to timber. But 

 to the skilful planter, the subsoil is often regarded as of more 

 moment than the mere texture of the surface, as the degrees 

 of moisture, most suitable to woody plants, form perhaps the 

 most prominent features in their characteristic differences. 

 It is, therefore, of the utmost importance to the planter care 

 fully to study these distinctions. In certain situations, where 

 he might be anxious for the grand effect of the oak or tlie 

 chestnut, it will often be prudent for him to be content with 

 the inferior forms of the lime, or the beech. 



It is a maxim of good sense, as well as good taste, of 

 which every man conversant with wood is not sufficiently 

 aware, namely, that those trees about a place will always 

 look the handsomest^ that thrive the best, and that no pecu- 

 liarity of ramification, nor delicacy of foliage can ever com- 

 pensate for a deficiency of luxuriance and full health. A 

 rage for exotics, for plants with new names, or of more delicate 

 habits than the soil and climate will properly rear, is, I am 

 sorry to say, the besetting sin of the present race of planters. 

 The errors which are committed, for want of this sort of 

 adaptation in transplanted wood, are scarcely credible, unless 

 by those who have closely attended to the subject. A striking 

 example has been brought forward in Note I., Section First. 

 A number of others, that have come under ray observation, 

 might be added, were it necessary ; as a great proportion of 

 the failures, which take place in transplanting, are distinctly 

 referable to this fruitful source. 



The second error to which I shall advert, is the having 



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