470 CruicJcshank's Practical Planter. 



all the improvements they could desire, by a judicious use of Sir Henry's 

 composts, without adopting any more of his plan ?" (p. 268.) 



Chap. IX. Plants proper for Underwood, &c. The moun- 

 tain ash may be sown where it is to remain, and the plants 

 should never be pruned: an objection against its admission 

 into plantations, in the neighbourhood of towns, is, the tempt- 

 ing appearance of its berries to schoolboys ! Besides native 

 plants, the author recommends flowers, native and exotic ; 

 and, doubtless, in the margins of woods, or in woods pene- 

 trated by walks, hundreds of beautiful species of bulbs, an- 

 nuals, and perennials might be acclimated. 



Chap. X. Succession Crops of Wood. The author denies 

 that soils can be exhausted by wood. He would plant what- 

 ever kind might be deemed fit to succeed the standing crop, 

 among it, as underwood, 12 or 15 years before cutting down. 

 When the large trees were all felled, the young ones, destined 

 to succeed them, may be cut over, within 2 or 3 in. of the 

 ground ; with the exception of bushes here and there, which 

 ought to be left for the purpose of shelter. This, of course, 

 supposes that the succession crop consists of trees that will 

 stole. The author repeatedly expresses his surprise " that 

 scarce any attempt should have ever been made to renew 

 hard-wood plantations " from the shoots proceeding from the 

 stools previously cut down. This, he says, is " a fact of a 

 very singular nature." To us it appears very singular that 

 Mr. Cruickshank either does not know, or does not acknow- 

 ledge, that this is practised in every wood, i. e. in every 

 plantation of hard-wood trees, consisting of timber trees and 

 underwood. Is there not, in such woods, always a constant 

 succession of timber trees, under the name of wavers, saplings, 

 &c, which spring from the stools of trees felled or coppices 

 cut over, as well as of coppice ? A succession of a different 

 kind of timber may, we suppose, become necessary after a 

 certain time, since this is the mode employed by Nature ; and 

 we should always recommend a change in the case of the pine 

 and fir tribes. The larch seems well adapted for succeeding 

 the Scotch pine ; in more favourable situations, the cedar and 

 the silver fir may succeed each other ; but the best succession, 

 where the soil admits, would be leaf trees of some sort. 



Chap. XI. Sir Henry Steuarfs Method of giving immediate 

 Effect to Wood. Chap. XII. (printed XX.) Wood in the 

 Pleasure-grounds of 'Gentlemen 's Seats. Chap. XIII. (printed 

 XXI.) Properties and Uses of Timber ; and Appendix on 

 Draining*, Fencing, Sfc. The chapters on Sir Henry Steuart, 

 and wooding pleasure-grounds, are particularly ill advised, 

 since they are completely out of the author's way ; and, with 



