Retrospective Criticism. 715 



It appears to me that the part of the trunk left above the upper shoot 

 (which in trees sixteen or twenty years old, and at 7 ft. from the ground, 

 is generally from Sin. to 5 in. in diameter), from its want of foliage, must 

 inevitably decay down to the knee where the upper shoot strikes off, and 

 that the accumulation of wood and bark below this will ultimately form a 

 cup or hollow which will contain moisture sufficient to rot the centre of 

 the trunk for a considerable distance downward. Consequentl}', the tree 

 will be rendered unfit for any purpose where strength or durability is 

 an object. It is always found to be the case, that trees or shoots, when 

 supported by posts or otherwise, ultimately become too weak to support 

 themselves when the said props are removed; therefore I am of opinion 

 that the wind, acting upon the points of Mr. Munro's horizontal shoots, 

 would cause sad twisting and creaking among their knees and curves. I 

 am also much inclined to think that he would find considerable difficulty in 

 supplying his six or eight shoots with an equal quantity of nourishment, as 

 the uppermost would naturally have a strong pull for the advantage, 

 which, if it once attained, it would, in all likelihood, keep, if some means 

 or other were not adopted to prevent it. It is a common saying, " Bend 

 the twig when it is young, and it will retain its form." Mr. Munro seems 

 to have acted upon this principle ; but I am afraid the shoots will not 

 keep the form in which he left them. Trees and branches, when bent 

 down from their natural position, have always a strong tendency to rise 

 upwards. This I have seen exemplified in the case of oak, willow, apple, 

 pear, larch, and other kinds of trees, when thrown or bent down, either by 

 wind or otherwise, provided as much of the root remained in the ground 

 as kept them alive, even although they were upwards of 1 ft. in diameter. 

 This leads me to think that, if the trees Mr. Munro experimented upon be 

 upright-growing varieties (even supposing them to have withstood the 

 effects of the wind), what he intended for curves and knees will, in the 

 end, turn out only slight bends, and if more than one, or at most two, 

 shoots take the lead, they will be nothing but a mass of confusion. 



My own opinion is, that collecting acorns of the most crooked 

 varieties of oak, and planting their produce on the outside of plantations, 

 or in such situations that one side of the oak may be deprived of light 

 and air, by its nearness to other trees of stronger growth, together with 

 judicious pruning, is the most effectual method of procuring crooked 

 oak timber. If j'ou think these remarks worthy of your notice, this may 

 perhaps be the subject of another communication. I am. Sir, yours, &c. 

 — A Journeyman Gardener . Inchture, N.B., Oct. 21, 1833. 



We shall be happy to hear frequently from so intelligent a correspond- 

 ent; but we beg to remind him, that, in criticising the opinion of a 

 writer who gives his name, good and brotherly feeling requires that the 

 critic should give his name also. — Cond. 



Difficulties opposing the Efforts of any one to decorate, by planting (^as 

 advised in p, 543 — 550.), Grounds on the Sea Coast. — Sir, I believe that 

 sea air is always very injurious to vegetation, but I have observed that it 

 is particularly so in high winds and hurricanes. I have, however, never 

 observed any injurious effects result to plants from contiguity to the ocean, 

 when the wind has blown from the land. Much depends on the position 

 of the situation relative to the sea. The point from which the wind blows 

 most in Britain is the west, or one or other of the points adjoining the 

 west, and the sea winds from these points are more powerful than from 

 any other; because, as Britain is so near the Atlantic Ocean, it follows 

 that the wind is stronger on the west coast than on the eastern one, as the 

 latter lies near the German Ocean, which is small in comparison with the 

 Atlantic, and has besides the continent of Europe and Asia beyond it. I 

 know less of the east coast than of the west. The soil of the coast of 



