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tity, and moditication of tho timber which is railed and 

 produced. 



Woods of the natural kinds, tlie feeds of which are fown 

 by birds or the winds on foils and furfacos of very dif- 

 ferent defcriptions and forts, rife and fpring up at different 

 times, and of very different degrees of thicknefs, ftrength, 

 and vigour in themfclves and their different parts ; confe- 

 quently it is eafy to fuppofe, that thofe which are placed 

 in favourable lltuations and circumftances, will quickly 

 overtop the others ; and if they do not wholly dcllroy, will 

 at leaft weaken tlu-m in fuch a way as not to be affefted or 

 inconvenienced by them, until the itrongell trees ultimately 

 find ample and fufficient room for their growth. In this 

 way, although nature may be flow in her operations, ihe 

 cffecls her purpole in a veiy complete manner. Befides 

 thefe obfervations, Mr. Loudon has noticed that artificial 

 thinning is only affifting nature ; and that hence even leav- 

 ing natural woods to be thinned by time, would not be 

 economical. 



It is fuggefted with regard to artificial plantations, that in 

 thefe the foil is equally cultivated, and the plants are put 

 into the ground much about the fame fize, and at the fame 

 time, and that hence they of courfe rufli up together 

 all nearly of the fame height, producing neither ornament nor 

 timber ; and none being pix)duced fo llrong as to take the 

 lead and deftroy the reft, they grow in this manner until 

 they are fo crowded as to exclude air and moifture. At 

 which period, unlefs affiftance has been previoufly given 

 by thinning, the whole of the plantation dies together, and 

 is deftroyed. 



Where thinning is neceffary in old natural woods, or fuch 

 as have been planted, it fhould conftantly be performed by 

 degrees in a regular manner, well confidering the ftate, 

 qualities, and habits of the trees, as well as the nature of the 

 foil on which they grow, the fituation and expofure in 

 which they are placed, and other fimilar matters. The 

 outfides of them ftiould commonly be lefs thinned than the 

 other parts, and the trees on the richer parts of the land be 

 more thinned than thofe on the other defcriptions of it. 

 The thinning of the fide fhoots and branches of the trees 

 fhould likewife, in fome meafure, accompany the other thin- 

 nings, and be performed in a fuitable manner to their 

 natiu-es, ftates, and purpofes for which they are intended. 



It is, however, moftly the cuftom to begin to thin them 

 out at about feven years from the time of planting them, or 

 that of their firft growing up, and to repeat it every feven 

 years afterwards. When the planting has been performed 

 in the proportion of from fix to eight hundred trees to the 

 acre, they may be made to Hand, in the firfl thinning, at about 

 one tree to each rod of ground, or nine trees to eight rods. 

 But in the fccond thinning, a rather larger proportion of 

 trees ftiould be taken out, as rather more than one to each 

 rod ; and in the third thinning, the proportion maybe made 

 ilill in a larger ratio, fo as to leave the trees about a rod 

 fquare each. Much mnft, however, always depend upon 

 the nature, fituation, and circumftances of the particular 

 plantations and woods. 



In all thefe thinnings the worft trees fliould be removed, 

 fo as to leave the ftraighteft and beft plants to ftand for 

 timber or other ptirpofes. 



It is fuggefted, that as in moft plantations the fir tribe of 

 trees has been introduced either for the purpofe of orna- 

 ment or fheltcr ; where thinning is praftifed, in fuch cafes, 

 too large a proportion of thefe firs are moftly left. Hence, 

 from their comparatively quick growth, it is concluded 

 tliat fuch plantations have a difagreeable famenefs through- 



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out ; an.d that, as moft of them arc made in the fame manner, 

 this appearance extends itfelf over the whole country. 



The plantations in which thinnings in the way of orna- 

 ment is moft particularly required, are thofe which arc de- 

 fignedfor groves. In many woods and copies no plants re- 

 quire to be taken out but the nurfe ones, where any fuch 

 have been planted. Plqntatious of the fir kind, Mr. 

 Loudon advifes to be thinned fomewhat gradually, begin- 

 ning the work after they have been five or iix years planted, 

 and continuing it for ten or twelve years : after which time, 

 thinning, he thinks, becomes pernicious. And that the 

 trees whicii are to be liiinned out lliould conftaiitly be 

 grubbed up by the roots ; for that when thefe ai-e fuftcied 

 to remain, they check tlic progrefs of the trees which are 

 left. But thele forts of plantations are fometimcs, and very 

 properly, left altogether witiiout thinning, being cut down 

 wholly as a crop when fifteen or twenty years old, or of 

 about that Handing. This is conceived to be in general the 

 moft profitable mode of planting and after-management on 

 thin, bare foils in the vicinity of mines and pits, where 

 wood of this fort is greatly in demand by the proprietors 

 for the fupport of the upper ftrata. Where fome of the fir 

 tribe have been planted as nurfes, they are recommended to 

 be thinned out in a gradual manner, by being grubbed up 

 as they begin to injure and inconvenience the principal trees. 

 And groves, where the trees are of the deciduous kinds, 

 fhould be thinned out after the fame manner ; oulj', the 

 work in thele cafes may proceed until the trees have ai^rived 

 at nearly their full growtiis. 



Woods, where luider-growth is always the objedl intended 

 when they are properly planted, require, as has been fe^n 

 above, no fort of thinning, unlefs in cafes where nurfes have 

 been planted, or when the timber -trees are too much 

 crowded by the low growths ; the whole (hould be fuffered 

 to grow for twelve, fourteen, or more years, or until the 

 under-growth is in a fuitable ftate to be cut over ; when at 

 that period the ftrongeft trees ftiould be fixed upon, and left 

 as ftandards in a properly tliin ftate. As copfe-woods ufually 

 grow a certain length of time in proportion to their natures 

 and kinds, and are then wholly cut over by the furface of the 

 ground ; they, of courfe, demand lefs thinning than others, 

 or none at all, except when nurfes have been planted among 

 them ; and in the cafe ot both woods and copfes, thefe, as 

 they arc thinned out, fiiould conftantly be replaced by the 

 principal trees at fuitable diftances. 



In all cafes where ornam.ent is in any way confidered, the 

 above writer thinks the trees or copfe left in thinning ftiould 

 not be equidiftant from each other, but in' groups of irregular 

 thicknefs ; and it is fuppofed that the fame may be had re- 

 courfe to even in woods where utility is the chief confider- 

 ation ; as it will make no material difference in the produce 

 of timber, and is fo much more natural. See Plantation 

 and Planting. See alfo Timber and Wood. 



Thinning out Crops, the practice of thinning out fuch 

 plants among them as are too thickly or clofely placed to- 

 gether, as in the cafe of turnips or other limilar crops. In 

 the different forts of turnips, the thinnings may be made in 

 fuch a manner as that the plants may ftand ultimately at the 

 diftance of from feven or eight to nine or ten inches every 

 way from each other, in proportion as the land is more 

 poor or rich in its quality. But in caiTOt crops, the thin- 

 ning them out to the diftance of about eight or twelve 

 inches, according to the richnefs of the foil, may probably 

 be the moft proper praftice. And the fame will moftly be 

 the cafe for thofe of the parfnip and beet kinds. 



Where cabbage, borecole, or other limilar crops, are 



fown> 



