FIR PLANTATIONS. 145 



have to be dealt with which have been much ne- 

 glected ; and although they in many instances be 

 past any good hopes of recovery, and might in so 

 far as regards the value of their timber be very 

 properly cut down, yet, it is very often the wish of 

 the proprietor to have old fir plantations preserved, 

 and not altogether cut down, particularly if such a 

 plantation should happen to be placed upon a part 

 of his estate where, from its evergreen appearance, 

 it proves ornamental from a certain point of view, 

 as well as a shelter to the neighbourhood around 

 it. In such a case, profit and ornament should be 

 combined. It would not be profitable for the pro- 

 prietor of an old neglected fir plantation to leave 

 the ground entirely occupied by a few trees only 

 in a fail' state of health, with many others dead 

 and dying ; therefore, the profitable way of going 

 to work in such a case would be to plant anew with 

 other trees all vacant parts, and, for the sake of 

 ornament and shelter, all good old trees could be 

 left for a time. 



I have frequently been called upon by proprie- 

 tors to give my opinion relative to the state of fir 

 plantations upon their estates, which had grown 

 up under utter neglect ; and requested to say 

 Avhether I thought that such a plantation would 

 recover by any means I could suggest. AYhere 

 I have found such plantations young — say, at or 

 under thirty years of age — and spoiled merely from 



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