m exposed and stormy Situations. 351 



plants, in despite of the received, but erroneous, opinions of many 

 Irish gardeners, that, when any species of pine or fir lost its 

 leader, it could not become a good timber, or even orna- 

 mental, tree. I therefore commenced a series of experiments, as 

 follovi^s : — Each spring, or beginning of summer, when the 

 buds appeared nearly developed, I went over all those plants 

 which suffered from the causes before mentioned, and broke off 

 all their buds, except those on short branches ; it being a prime 

 wish to have well balanced, and, consequently, trees of beautiful 

 symmetry, which invariably withstand firmly their common as- 

 sailant, the south-west wind, which prevails here the major part 

 of the j^ear. 



By the above process, their upward growth is checked imme- 

 diately, the bole, or stem, increases in bulk, and the plant roots 

 in the manner desired ; new buds are formed the same season, 

 and the following year they recover their healthy aspect. 



Larches I have had cut down to a strong lateral shoot on the 

 windward side. These lateral i^hoots soon become good leaders, 

 and the plants ultimately fine trees. It may be necessary to add, 

 that the disbudding extends only to ^bietinse which have their 

 leaves in twins, &c. ; such as Pinus sylvestris, P. Laricio, P. 

 ponderosa, P. Cembra, P. rigida, P. Pinaster, and P. maritima. 



The silver fir does not bear transplanting well, and usually 

 produces only three buds on the extremities of its leaders, the 

 year following that operation. The buds produce imperfect 

 leaders ; and I have had them cut out from time to time, until 

 five buds are generated, the number requisite for a perfect 

 " whorl ;" then each plant throws out the proportional number 

 of arms annually which are necessary for a proper equilibrium. 

 Such plants are certain of overtaking their competitors in height 

 and bulk, frequently outgrowing them in congenial situations. 

 Rival heads I have cut out year after year ; and thus most beau- 

 tiful pyramidal trees are exhibited, feathering to the ground where 

 protected from all animals. 



The spruces, when necessary, which is seldom, I subject to 

 similar treatment as the pines and silver fir, with like results. 

 The Lebanon and deodar cedars, and also the hemlock spruce, 

 thrive very well here, but do not manifest that luxuriancy and 

 rapidity of growth which the others do ; they demonstrate, how- 

 ever, that they can be well " acclimatised " in the valleys of the 

 Wicklow mountains ; which valleys are elevated about 800 or 

 1000 feet above the level of the sea; whilst the mountains rise 

 from 1500 ft. to nearly 3000 ft., over which, to use a sea phrase, 

 the clouds are generally " scudding," and the temperature of 

 the valleys lowered considerably. 



It may be well to state, that I have remarked that all the 

 resinous trees escape uninjured during thunder storms, whilst 



