On Mr. Howden's Management of Forest Trees. 54? 5 



I 829, they exceeded 20 ft.; and the oak, beech, and other forest 

 trees have grown in proportion. The summer-pruned trees 

 are manifestly the strongest. Another advantage attending 

 this system is, that the timber will be free from knots, the 

 wounds soon healing after the removal of small branches ; 

 whereas injury necessarily follows from taking off large ones. 

 The business of winter pruning will consist only in removing 

 the small bottom branches. 



I have this summer pruned a hundred acres of young 

 plantations, which are remarkably thriving and healthy ; I 

 find the expense much less than that attending winter prun- 

 ing, nearly in the proportion of one man to four. 



Previously to planting, the ground is broken up by the 

 spade or the plough, as deep as the soil will admit of. In 

 exposed situations I plant at the distance of 2 ft. 6 in., mak- 

 ing choice of strong healthy plants from the nursery 18 in. 

 high. It is of great importance that the roots of the plants 

 should not be exposed to the drying air ; I have them 

 well covered at all times. Under this process credit will 

 accrue to the foreman, and advantage to the proprietor. 



I am, Sir, &c. 



J. Bowers. 

 West Dean Gardens, August 23. 1830. 



Art. VII. Observations respecting Mr. Howderis Management of 

 Forest Trees. By Mr. J. Elles. 



Sir, 



Some excellent papers have lately appeared in the Maga- 

 zine respecting the pruning and general management of tim- 

 ber trees, by practical men, of great experience and reputa- 

 tion ; but as there are some points to which I cannot give my 

 unqualified assent, a few observations with reference to those 

 points may, I trust, not be deemed impertinent. To begin, 

 then, with our old, facetious, and excellent friend, Agronome. 

 I wish Mr. Howden had kept us in ignorance of his real cog- 

 nomen ; there was a charm about the word " Agronome," 

 which irresistibly impelled me to the perusal of his papers, 

 in preference to any other. Yes, Sir, the facetious, the prac- 

 tical, and rigidly critical Agronome has latterly illuminated 

 the principle of pruning forest trees, not, it is true, with a 

 corona of wax lights, nor yet with a halo of gas, but {Jiei 

 mihi !) by teaching us the greasy drudgery of dipping tallow 

 candles ! ! (lucus a non lucendo.) Now, this comparison ap- 



Vol. VI. — No. 28. N N 



