172 K EARING UP AND THINNING 



in ach^ance of nature as left to herself; for as 

 soon as the trees are cut over, they each send 

 up from three to six vigorous young shoots, which, 

 when they are of sufficient age, can be removed, 

 with the exception of one, which is left as a per- 

 manent standing tree. I have, by adopting this 

 method, had strong, vigorous young shoots of two 

 feet high the second year after planting ; and 

 where I have not had them cut over, four or 

 five years elapsed before I had shoots of the same 

 strength. 



I was acquainted with a forester who had the 

 management of extensive plantations in Aberdeen- 

 shire, who, upon receiving his young hard-wood 

 plants from the nurseries, of whatever species they 

 were, cut each down to within three inches of 

 the roots, and planted them in this state in the 

 pits which were prepared for them in the forest. 

 His reason for doing so was, that he asserted 

 he gained young shoots a year sooner than if 

 he had allowed the plants to remain for one 

 year in the ground previous to being cut over, 

 as is the usual way. But upon examining the 

 state of his young hard-wood plants, which had 

 been planted one year before I visited him, and 

 inspected his system of going to work, I found 

 that all his young trees which had been so cut 

 previous to planting them produced but very 

 weak shoots the first season, and, as I appro- 



