Thinnings Pruning, and Girdling Trees. 405 



On the opposite side of the loch, in the district of Cowal, on 

 the property of Robert Maclachan, Esq., of Maclachan, is a 

 solitary ash, which rears its lofty head far above the neighbour- 

 ing trees ; its trunk 50 ft. high, without a single branch or 

 knot ; and 1 2 ft. in girt above the swelling at the root. The 

 head is of a flat hemispherical shape ; but some of the branches 

 show symptoms of decay. The proprietor states that, so far as 

 he can ascertain its age, it must have been planted about a 

 hundred years ago. 



The foregoing are all the trees and shrubs worthy of noting 

 which I have had the opportunity of lately seeing ; but I think 

 they will serve to give you an idea of the average power of the 

 soil and climate of this country for producing ligneous plants. 

 Tender shrubs and evergreens thrive uncommonly well on the 

 coast, even where they are much exposed to the sea air, provided 

 that they are not within the reach of salt spray ; they being 

 never injured by the weather of our winters, which consists 

 chiefly of hoar-frosts (I speak of the coast), dashing rains, and 

 sleet. 



Baltimore House, Ausust 4. 1835. 



Art. V. On Thinning, Pruning, and Girdling Trees. 

 By William Ward, Esq. 



Having planted, within the last twenty years, upwards of a 

 hundred acres of trees (chiefly in Wales) ; and, if I do not flatter 

 myself too much, M-ith rather unusual success, in consequence of 

 having followed the system described in the enclosed paper, 

 I am induced to offer it to your consideration, leaving you to 

 make what use of it you please. 



I trust, however, that you will at least notice the plan of gir- 

 dling trees, of which I consider myself the foster-father ; and, if 

 I am not too partial, I look forward with great confidence to the 

 probability that, in a few years, larch, by proper management, 

 will beat all the other pine and fir timber totally out of the field 

 in point of utility. 



Thinning Trees. — Upon the subject of thinning trees, some 

 analogy may, perhaps, be drawn from the culture of turnips, in 

 which no farmer of the least experience ever expects to obtain 

 these roots of the full size that they are capable of attaining, 

 without thinning them out to sufficient distances ; and it can 

 hardly be doubted, that the advantage of so doing proceeds from 

 thereby affording the plants ample room to extend both their 

 roots and leaves. Surely, the same effect will result from the 

 proper and cautious thinning of trees : but there is this difference 

 between the two cases, that, with regard to turnips, the result 



Vol. XII. — No. 77. h h 



