158 THE REAKING OF 



plantation of young trees from the old stocks, and 

 which, in ten years after, formed a tirst-rato plan- 

 tation of trees, having been all thinned out to regular 

 distances in due time, and not allowed to rise too 

 thickly again. 



In all cases of neglected hard-wood plantations, 

 where it may considered advisable to cut down the 

 trees, in order to cause them to send up fresh young 

 shoots to form trees, care should be taken to see 

 that the ground be made perfectly dry, by a 

 proper course of draining ; for if this point be 

 not attended to, disappointment may possibly be 

 the result. 



Wherever hard-wood plantations are found to be 

 in a bad state, from having been neglected for a 

 period at or beyond thirty years, there is little hope 

 of their recovery by any course of thinning, how- 

 ever cautiously it may be gone about, unless the 

 trees evidently show symptoms of a sound constitu- 

 tion, which may be the case where the soil is good 

 and dry. Therefore, in all such cases, unless symp- 

 toms of health be remarked in the trees, the proper 

 and only way is to cut all down and plant anew ; 

 and if the situation be one exposed to the view of 

 the mansion-house, or pleasure grounds, where a 

 complete clearing away of the mismanaged planta- 

 tion would cause a bad effect, a few of the best and 

 healthiest trees might with propriety be allowed 

 to stand for a time, in order to give effect to the 



