678 Pontey 1 s " Forest Primer" versus 



ticularly so in his case. Mr. Cruickshank proceeds : — " Mr. 

 Pontey tells us that it is the cutting off too many branches at 

 once that causes injury ; and that if we take away only two or 

 three tiers at a time no bad effect will ensue." All this is very 

 true ; but Mr. Cruickshank goes on : — " Let any person re- 

 move this number of living branches from a Scots fir or spruce, 

 of seven or eight years old ; let him, at the same time, ascertain 

 its height, and mark some of the plants contiguous to it, 

 which are exactly of the same size. By measuring it and them 

 three years afterwards, and comparing the progress of the 

 former, made in this interval, with that of the latter, he will 

 have a practical demonstration of the utter fallacy of Mr. 

 Pontey's assertions." Here I would ask this immaculate 

 author, does Mr. Pontey indeed state, " that two or three tiers 

 of living branches are to be removed from a Scots Jir or spruce of 

 seven or eight years old ? " Most assuredly not. Let Mr. Pon- 

 tey speak for himself: — " If the first pruning took place when 

 the plants were about 8 ft. high, it might then be necessary to 

 displace two, or at most three tiers of the lower branches, and 

 two years afterwards two sets more of the same description ; 

 after which intervals of three years might elapse belween the 

 prunings, never displacing more than two tiers at once, ex- 

 cept more should prove dead." Now, I am aware, to a casual 

 reader, or an unpractised man, the difference between a Scots 

 fir or spruce of seven or eight years old, and one of 8 ft. high, 

 may appear exceedingly trivial ; but what is the matter of fact ? 

 A spruce fir at three years old, upon an average, will be from 

 12 to 14 in. high, having upon it two tiers of branches : sup- 

 posing it then to be replanted into a nursery bed, it becomes 

 four years old, and has three tiers upon it, having added about 

 4 in. to its height ; let it then be removed to its ultimate des- 

 tination. The first year after planting it upon the forest ground 

 it will seldom grow more than about 3 in. ; it is now five years 

 old, and has got four tiers of branches : the next two or three 

 years it will not average more than about 12 in. per annum. 

 We have now got a fir, seven or eight years old, with six or 

 seven tiers of branches upon it, and from 4 to 5 ft. high : now, 

 by the same rule, to produce a fir 8 ft. high, it must be about 

 eleven years old, and have ten tiers of branches upon it. If 

 the statement above be correct as an average, and Mr. Cruick- 

 shank shows in your Magazine (p. 466.) I am not far off, it 

 then appears that Mr. Cruickshank's statement, of Mr. Pontey 

 recommending from two to three tiers to be removed out of 

 six or seven tiers of branches, is totally false. The fact is, 

 that " two and at most three tiers at once," and those only in 

 the first -pruning, when they are all within 2 ft. of the ground, 



