INTRODUCTION. 



teen very many more timber-trees planted in Bri- 

 tain, than there were in the days of EVELYN, or 

 in confequence of his remonftrances to the Govern- 

 tnent of his time. 



Faftiion, no doubt, has great weight ; and au 

 improved tafte with regard to the embellifhment 

 of eftates, has, fortunately enough, led to much 

 planting in the vicinity of refidences ; but fome- 

 thing more than fafhion has brought about the 

 widely-extended fyftem of planting on many e- 

 flates, particularly in the North. We are willing, 

 too, to allow every thing on the fcore of patriot- 

 ifm j but, furely, a uise foresight a juft calcula- 

 tion of the ultimate refults has, with 'perfect pro- 

 priety, had a.fignal iliare in .the matter. We may 

 remark, alfo, that by an improved fyftem in the 

 manner of planting, in the choice of kinds, and 

 fizes of the plants, the expenfe may now be juft- 

 ly eftimated at one half lefs than it was thirty years 

 ago ; a circuinftance which, of courfe, has had 

 confiderable influence in the encouragement of 

 planting. The great attention paid to agricultu- 

 ral improvements, has likewife proved very fa- 

 vourable to the increafe of planting; it having 

 been clearly perceived, that, by fubdividing ex- 

 tended tracts of country, by means of fcreen- 

 plantations, (generally denominated stripes or 

 'belts), and by trees in mafles of various lhapes 

 dimenfions, the interefts of hufbandry rnuft 



