24 PREPARING OF GROUND 



opinion, ought to be recommended in the cultivation 

 of forest trees, and even then only if the subsoil be 

 naturally good. There is no advantage gained by 

 trenching ground for forest trees which is not 

 decidedly better attained by a well conducted sys- 

 tem of drainage. 



Many practical foresters have argued, that all 

 land newly cleared of a crop of old wood should be 

 trenched, and the old roots taken out previous to 

 being replanted with another crop of forest trees ; 

 and T do confess, that at the first glance, such a 

 proposition appears feasible. Those who argue for 

 this pitch of refinement in the cultivation of forest 

 trees, wish to cultivate them much in the same 

 manner as we at present cultivate corn; but such 

 a system of forestry is, in my opmion, altogether 

 superfluous, and nature points out the same thing 

 to us if we will but observe her manner of proceed- 

 ing in this Avork. 



In all parts of the world corn can be had good 

 only by carefully cultivating it — at least I am not 

 aware that corn of any sort can be found in a state 

 of nature nearly so good as it is found under the 

 hands of the husbandman ; which points out to us, 

 from nature herself, that in order to have corn good 

 and in sufficient abundance to answer our wants, we 

 must cultivate it, and that carefully; and, accord- 

 ingly, we in this case proceed in the manner pointed 

 out to us by nature. Upon the other hand, I beg 



