



480 FOREST PLANTATIONS. 



and, in t\vo or three years after, it fhould be gone 

 over again ; and fo on, till it be fufficiently thin- 

 ned. It will be proper to commence the thinning, 

 as above, at the interior of the plantation, leaving 

 the fkirts thicker till the laft. Indeed, the thin- 

 ning of the Ikirts of fuch a plantation mould be 

 protracted for a great length of time. 



PRUNING SUCH PLANTATION. 



If the thinned plantation under view confift of Firs 

 or Larches, all the rotten flumps, decayed branch- 

 es, and the like, inuft be cut offclofe by the bole. 

 It will be needful, however, to be cautious not to 

 inflict too many wounds upon the tree in one fea- 

 fon ; the removing of thefe, therefore, mould be 

 the work of two, even in fome cafes three years, 

 rather than endanger the health of the planta- 

 tion. 



After the removal of thefe from the boles of the 

 firs and larches, proceed every two or three years, 

 but with a fparing hand, to difplace one, or per- 

 haps two tiers of .the lowermoft live branches, as 

 circumftances may direct ; being careful to cut 

 clofe by the trunk, as above noticed. 



In a plantation of hard wood, under the above 

 circumftances, the trees left for the ultimate crop 

 are not to be pruned fo much at firfl as might 

 otherwife be required : Only one or two of their 

 competing branches are to be taken away ; and 



even 



