Cruicks/iank's Practical Planter. 455 



tage derived from this source is greater than will be credited by those who 

 are not aware how much of the substances proper for vegetable nutriment 

 are exhaled from the land, in a gaseous state, during the dry season of the 

 year. 



" But the principal way in which wood becomes instrumental in enrich- 

 ing land still remains to be noticed. When trees attain a certain size, they 

 attract multitudes of birds, which build their nests and seek shelter among 

 the branches. The dung of these animals is the very richest kind of manure 

 which can be applied to land, and possesses at least three times the strength 

 of that commonly used in agriculture. The quantity of it produced during 

 the long series of years which trees require to reach maturity, is, especially 

 when large colonies of crows take up their abode, very considerable, and 

 must have a powerful influence in improving and fertilising the soil." 

 (p. 17.) 



The foregoing extract is the best and most original argu- 

 ment for planting waste grounds which we have ever seen, 

 since it applies to all times and all countries. The writer, 

 elsewhere, shows that waste lands in Aberdeenshire may be 

 planted with the Scotch pine, at from 15s. to 20s. per acre; 

 and estimates (but in much too flattering a manner) that 600 

 [say 300] per acre of these pines will, in 60 years, be brought 

 to such a degree of maturity as to be worth, on an average, 

 10s. each; while the thinnings, during that period, will more 

 than pay the expense of planting, enclosing, and management, 

 with full interest. Here, then, is a rent of 51. [say 2l.~] per 

 acre for land, which, in its previous state of heath, as pasturage 

 for black cattle or sheep, was not worth above Is. per acre. 



Among the " errors generally committed in the cultivation 

 of wood," not adapting the trees to the soil is said, and truly, 

 to be one of the most fatal. Other errors are, giving the same 

 description of culture to every species of tree ; treating the 

 pine and fir tribes like the leaf trees, for example : planting at 

 too great an original expense ; from 6l. to 1 2Z. per acre, instead 

 of c 2l. per acre, exclusive of inclosing the ground : pruning 

 and thinning neglected, or performed on wrong principles. 

 The last error is, " too close attention having been paid to 

 the maxims of certain English writers ; " from which, it is 

 said, " considerable mischief has been done, of late years, to 

 the interests of arboriculture in Scotland." These writers 

 are found " gravely recommending that firs be pruned, and 

 enforcing the direction in the strongest terms that can be 

 applied to such a purpose. A maxim more pregnant with ruin 

 to our fir plantations than this, supposing it generally acted 

 upon, could hardly be expressed in words." Pontey is the 

 principal English writer who has recommended pruning firs : 

 but, instead of throwing out such an illiberal remark against 

 English writers in general, it would have been but candid to 

 state that Billington, equally an English author, has written 



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