GROWING PLANTATIONS. 207 



this instrument he himself practised, in the valuation 

 of forest trees. But for the same reason that I have 

 already mentioned, — that is, from the wheel being 

 interrupted by the branches of the trees, — it soon fell 

 into disrepute, and is now scarcely or ever used : 

 besides, the time and labour necessarily required 

 for accomplishing the work of valuation by the 

 method above referred to, is very much against 

 Hs being used by active valuators of the present 

 day. Such men, in almost all cases, accustom them- 

 selves to value any standing tree simply by sight — 

 which is, indeed, when done by an experienced man, 

 the method most to be depended upon. The eye is 

 not easily deceived in the comparative magnitude of 

 any two or more objects ; and more particularly, if 

 the action of the eye be long accustomed to com- 

 pare the relative sizes of different objects of the 

 same form, its judgment, if I may so speak, be- 

 comes almost indisputable : at least, a man is very 

 seldom deceived by his eyes in the viewing of an 

 object, if he have but accustomed them to act in 

 accordance with his judgment ; and this is all that 

 is required in order to give a correct idea of the 

 size of any tree. It merely requires that the eye 

 should bo accustomed to the work, and never to 

 pass judgment on the size of a tree, until the mind 

 be actually satisfied of the truth of the impression 

 produced. 



Every forester ought at once to be able to 



