THINNING MIXED PLANTATIONS. 195 



sickly, had no such efforts to expend to promote similar 

 results. 



The Scots pines are tall compared with their thick- 

 ness, badly branched, of a dark colour in the bark, 

 and mostly infested with insects ; the spruces (except 

 upon the soft ground) are slender, with few branches, 

 and badly rooted ; the hardwoods are nearly all defi- 

 cient of side branches, which is to them the greatest 

 of all wants — many of them bare on one side, while 

 others are without a proper leader. 



Secondly, To show that a general mixed crop of 

 trees upon good soil such as this is more difficult to 

 manage, more easily and permanently injured, than 

 upon soil of inferior quality. This is owing partly to 

 the powerful tendency of a rapid growth both in re- 

 spect to root, trunk, and branch — the trees not having 

 room to spread their branches, and roots are forced to 

 a rapid upward growth, thus producing length without 

 thickness in proportion. Thinning in such cases 

 retards the growth without effecting the desired object 

 of changing its direction, except to a very limited 

 extent. 



Thirdly, The proceeds arising from the first thin- 

 nings ought not to be an inducement to prolong the 

 period of doing the work, seeing that the extra expense 

 entailed in the performance of it more than absorbs the 

 profit ; while, at the same time, the trees are by such 

 means so far injured in their growth as to be ever 

 afterwards a second - rate crop. It cannot be too 

 strongly recommended to thin the first time with 

 only one object in view — namely, that of benefiting 

 the future crop. 



Fourthly, Although the operations of thinning were 

 performed rather before than after the usual time for 



