284 Culture of Timber Trees. 



the trees, which of course is not the case with those kept upon 

 shelves. 



The following are the sorts we kept in this way, and their 

 condition when taken out : — The Ribston pippin, rotted one 

 tenth ; Red streaks, three fourths ; Flowery town, one sixth ; 

 Royal russet, one eighth ; Golden pippin, one sixth ; Mount 

 house, one tenth ; Red Robin, none. We have still a few of 

 the Blackman apple, the produce of 1825, in good preserv- 

 ation : they are kept in a jar amongst dry sand. 



I am, Sir, &c. 



Robert Marnock. 

 Bretton Hall, near Wakefield, 

 March 31. 1827. 



Art. X. On the Cultivation and Management of Timber 

 Trees. By Quercus. 



Sir, 



Allow me to impress on the minds of landed pi'oprietors, 

 and managers of woods and plantations, the necessity of 

 studying the cultivation of timber as a science. We see very 

 little attention paid to the arrangement of the different sorts 

 of forest trees in planting, whether it regards the different 

 soils to be planted, the situation, or the effect to be produced 

 in regard to landscape scenery ; and if knowledge be wanting 

 in the above cases, we see a still greater want of it displayed 

 in the management of plantations, in regard to thinning, 

 pruning, &c. It would be almost impossible to lay down a 

 universal rule for the management of plantations, but there are 

 certainly fundamental principles to be acted upon in the cul- 

 tivation of forest trees. 



The thinning of plantations is a matter of great importance, 

 in regard to shelter, appearance, &c. To make all the trees 

 stand as much as possible in the angles of equilateral triangles, 

 or, in other words, in quincunx, is one rule that should never 

 be lost sight of, for it is evident more shelter will be afforded 

 from trees standing in triangular positions than in squares or 

 rows : besides, the above method disposes the trees regu- 

 larly over the ground, in respect to their nourishment. 

 How often does the woodman, for the sake of leaving a good 

 tree, as he calls it, leave two trees within a few feet of 

 each other, at least so near, that the one is crushing the other, 

 and cuts away a third, that should have remained as a per- 



