PREFACE. IX 



and that so far from contributing to promote a more 

 rapid increase or a greater deposition of the woody fibre, 

 it tends, on the contrary, to check materially the growth 

 and vigour of the tree to which it is applied. Even the 

 system of shortening in, or curtailment of the lateral 

 branches, a mode of pruning now very generally adopted, 

 though far preferable to the other, and when judiciously 

 used frequently of decided advantage, may easily be car- 

 ried to excess, as the author has seen in repeated in- 

 stances. In short it is seldom that trees planted in mass, 

 or within a short distance of each other, require aid or 

 assistance from the pruning knife, or are even benefited 

 by the abscission of their lateral branches — the difficulty, 

 on the contrary, is to induce trees so situated, to retain 

 these necessary and efficient members in requisite num- 

 bers, and for a sufficient length of time to ensure a healthy 

 and vigorous growth and a rapid deposition of the woody 

 fibre. One of the most efficient modes of producing such 

 an effect, is the timely application of another important 

 operation, viz., that of thinning, the advantage of which, 

 when properly administered, the Author has endeavoured 

 to impress upon his readers in various parts of his 

 work. 



With respect to the planting of forest trees, he would 

 briefly remark, that he is not an advocate for the trench- 

 ing of the ground previous to that operation, being con- 



