Management of Forest 7rees. 547 



egotism and arrogance are now happily treated by gardeners 

 with that contempt they so well merit. 



May not, then, after all, some principle of this kind, I 

 mean a physiological principle, interfere to render the perfect- 

 ibility of the candle-dipping theory somewhat problematical ? 

 All knots come from the centre ; so they do : but observe 

 the number of lateral knots in embryo, doubtless as a provi- 

 sion in cases of accident, and which are always ready to pro- 

 trude, and do protrude, on the removal of the parent branch ; 

 this is peculiarly the case with oak and elm ; so that how- 

 ever early, or however carefully, they may be pruned, knots 

 there will be, unless the distance is regulated so as to prevent 

 the growth of those knots or branches ; and this distance I 

 hold to be of as much importance as all the systems of 

 pruning put together. 



I am no enemy to pruning deciduous trees ; on the con- 

 trary, I agree with Mr. Howden, that to prune well we 

 should prune early; but all the pruning in the world will 

 not effect the forester's intention, unless a due regard be 

 had to the distances when thinning out. On it depend the 

 form of the tree, and, consequently, the value of the tim- 

 ber; and, at the last thinning, on the distance depends the 

 value of the underwood, a consideration too frequently 

 overlooked. Leave an acre of ground covered at regular 

 distances with forest trees, and what will be the value of 

 the underwood ? — Not worth cutting. Leave the same num- 

 ber in groups, and you not only have as fine timber, but the 

 underwood becomes of the utmost value. I have seen thou- 

 sands of acres of land covered with timber trees and under- 

 wood grouped in this manner, or closely approximating to it, 

 and where pounds, shillings, and pence were not secondary 

 considerations ; and it has been found to answer well. 



Mr. Howden strongly advocates pruning the fir tribe ; no 

 doubt he has good reasons. I am decidedly opposed to prun- 

 ing them at all. I mean the silver, Scotch, and spruce ; the 

 larch is of a different nature. Early pruning, or pruning at all, 

 injures the growth of the spruce and silver; the Scotch bears 

 cutting better ; but the wood is irretrievably injured in all by 

 pruning, for they have a most provoking disposition to swell 

 and bulge out round a wounded part, and, by the very pro- 

 cess of healing, considerably elongate the original wound. 



One observation more, and I have done for the present. 

 I do not think it at all surprising that people should differ in 

 opinion respecting the management of forest trees, when we 

 consider that it is barely possible for one man to live long 

 enough to ascertain the merits or demerits of his own prac- 



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