682 Management of Timber Trees. 



Scotch pine and larch (say from 20 to 30 years old, if it has 

 been very thickly planted, which is the only way to make clean 

 wood, the lower branches being all dead), I prune up the trees 

 6 or 8 ft. This is necessary in order to see how to thin them 

 properly, and will do them no harm, provided due care be 

 taken not to bark the trees to be left. Some years ago I 

 pruned some thriving larch, from 50 ft. to 60 ft. high : the 

 branches were sawed off as far up the tree as they were dead 

 at the time, 25 ft. or thereabouts ; of course the trees did not 

 bleed, therefore were nothing the worse. Now, it is plain that, 

 when those trees come into the hands of the carpenter, they 

 will be freer from loose knots than had the trees continued to 

 enclose part of the branches until they dropped off naturally. 



In short, I am an advocate for raising all forest trees, if 

 possible, from seed ; trenching ground that will grow hard 

 wood trees, and keeping it clean a few years after planting ; 

 planting young, i. e. strong, Well-rooted plants not above four 

 years old ; stunted plants being headed down ; pruning from 

 infancy; summer pruning, although only thumb-pruning (a 

 person will do a great deal of good this way, by going over a 

 young plantation in the month of June); and last, though not 

 least, keeping in view that leaves are the lungs of trees. 



On the other hand, I do not approve of pruning tree roots 

 at the time of planting, unless they have been damaged ; 

 planting evergreens in this part of the country earlier than 

 April ; pruning the same while the branches to be cut off 

 are alive ; soft-wooded leaf-trees as nurses for hard-wooded 

 trees; or twin-stemmed and double-topped trees. If one of a 

 double-stemmed tree of the pine tribe be cut off the other will 

 die, except it is done while the tree is young : hence the pro- 

 priety of looking over plantations* 



Agronome seems not pleased that all the tops of the hills 

 in Scotland are not covered with wood : many of them in this 

 es northern corner " are so. The summits both of hills and 

 mountains have been planted but have not grown ; their tops 

 being almost solid masses of rock with scarcely any covering 

 of soil, and it may be that their height is an obstacle to the 

 growth of trees. More barren ground might be planted : but 

 thousands of acres could be planted in Scotland, and grow 

 the very best of Scotch pine, &c. At the same time, from 

 being inaccessible, and distant from a market, the wood, in all 

 probability, would not be worth a shilling to the proprietor. 



I am, Sir, yours, &c. 

 Aberdeenshire, Sept. 1830. W. T. 



