SOREST PLANTATIONS. 539 



and the ground is confequently more or lefs over- 

 flowed. In all cafes, therefore, where the health 

 and vigour of the trees is an objed, let the origi- 

 nal drains be fcoured, and rather deepened than 

 filled up ; and let new ones be made when requir- 

 ed, fo that the whole trees may be laid dry at their 

 roots. 



We have feen many Larches, Firs, and vari- 

 ous forts of Deciduous trees, to outward appear- 

 ance good and found timber, but, when cut down, 

 many of them rotten in the heart, and fome of 

 them mere hollow trunks ! All this evil had been 

 occafioned by an excefs of moifture. Damp, or 

 wetnefs, may be charged as the foundation of fe- 

 veral other evils. It reduces Fir trees to a ftate 

 inviting to a fpecies of moth ; which is known to 

 be very deftruclive to fickly fir timber. Very 

 lately, we faw a piece of Scots fir plantation to- 

 tally deftroyed by this infecl;. The original caufe 

 evidently was too much moifture ; for the piece 

 of land was fo wet, that it required boots to en- 

 able one to go through to examine the trees. 

 The trees in queftion were from twenty-fix to 

 thirty feet high. The other parts of the planta- 

 tion on dry ground are juft now quite healthy. 



The whole of the works recommended in the 

 preceding month may flill be carried on in this* 

 together with thofe advifed in January ; to which 

 ^ve beg leave to refer the reader. 



WOODS 



