SCOTCH FIR. 31 



green beauty, especially in winter when in- 

 terspersed among other hardwood trees, which 

 ought, as I contend, to form the belt of every 

 plantation, either on steep or level, — the ash 

 on the northerly, and sycamore on the easter- 

 ly and westerly aspects. Of its durabiKty as 

 timber I have had no experience; I found 

 many, planted by my predecessors, which had 

 evidently done growing, and, having been 

 placed with a direct westerly aspect, though 

 many of large size, did not give me a very 

 favourable opinion as to their worthiness to be 

 substituted for foreign deal in my own buUd- 

 iugs, and I sold them, as we are some of us 

 wont to do when we suspect a horse shows 

 signs of throwing out a spavin, or becomes 

 queer in his eyesight. Still this timber, if 

 grown in other parts of England, is probably 

 far superior in quality than mine was, and 

 every way deserving of the good name which 

 Mr. Pontey gives it. 



The largest trees which I have seen of its 



