367 



we might have expected a greater proportion of dccomimsing vegetable 

 matter, and perhaps of carbonate of lime. Cohsiderable depth may be 

 supposed to exist above the substratum, which it is surprising that Pon- 

 tey should have omitted to mention. In as far as tiie growth of timber 

 is concerned, any account may be considered as very imperfect, without 

 a specification of it. 



Note II. Page 161. 



The ancients, although they knew little of the history and properties, 

 and still less of the anatomy and internal structure of plants, were yet 

 sufficiently conversant with arboriculture, as an art of practice, and 

 particularly, they removed large trees ■with, as great success, as any of 

 our planters of the present day. Accordingly we find, that many of the 

 best rules and maxims, in our books on planting, are taken from their 

 writings. A more judicious one there cannot be, than that here men- 

 tioned in the text, namely, always to give to a transplanted tree a soil 

 better than what it had before removal. Columella says, " prudentis 

 coloni est, ex deteriori terr^ potius in meliorem, qukm ex meliore in 

 deteriorem, transferre." — De Re Rust. L. III. 5. Pliny delivers the 

 same maxim, but seems to consider similarity of soil as more important 

 to be studied, even than superiority, for the new site ; in which, how- 

 ever, he is not borne out by experience. " Ante omnia, in similem 

 transferri terram, aut meliorem oportet : nee 6 tepidis aut praecocibus, 

 in frigidos aut serotinos situs, ut neque ex his in illos." — Hist. Natur. 

 L. XVII. 11. 



Note III. Page 169. 



Were I called upon to name the person, to whom the farmer, in most 

 districts of Scotland, and in many of England, is under the greatest 

 obhgations, I should certainly name the late Lord Meadowbank. The 

 arboriculturist in both countries must also rank him among his best bene- 

 factors. In ancient times, such a person might very possibly have been 

 deified ; at all events, a statue would have been erected to the memorj' 

 of the man, who instructed his countrjTnen in the art of at once doub- 

 ling and tripling the whole mass of their farm manure, by a very simple 

 and certain process. In modern days, likewise, we erect statues, but it 

 is not for achievements of this useful species. 



It is now more than twenfy years since Lord Meadowbank commu- 

 nicated his discovery to the public, in a small pamphlet, entitled, " Di- 



