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requires to be taken away, and longer lived trees put 

 in their places ; and I would advise, as by far the 

 best plan, before bringing this plantation to a finish- 

 ed state of improvement, to cut out all the larch firs 

 immediately ; many of these trees have been spoiled by 

 allowing the surface drains to fill up, and the water 

 to stagnate above their roots, which has killed 

 some, and has been the principal cause of many more 

 being blown down ; indeed, neglecting the state of 

 the drains, thereby allowing the water to overflow 

 the roots of the trees, is sufficient to kill any tree. 

 These drains, which appears to me to have been most 

 properly and effectually done at one time, should be 

 immediately reopened, cleaned out, and the water 

 properly let off. I have marked, as I went along, a 

 number of trees which should be taken out in the 

 high part of this clump, which should be cut im- 

 mediately with the larch firs, and in summer, the 

 oak shoots that are to be reared up as standing timber 

 trees, should be marked off, and the rest of the shoots 

 taken away and piled for the sake of the bark ; this 

 being done, the thinning properly finished, as afore- 

 stated, and the surface ground drained, the whole of 

 the blanks at present, with the ground, where the larch 

 firs are cut from, should be planted up next season, 

 and which should be done with plants of oak, Scotch 

 elm, plane, Scotch spruce, and silver firs alternately, 

 at eight feet, plant from plant, and when they have 

 arrived at a height of from eight to ten feet, thinned 

 to sixteen feet, tree from tree, bringing the whole 

 into the same distances, at which, in this bare ex- 

 posed situation, they may stand as a finished planta- 

 tion. As it is properly enclosed, and should always 



be kept so, the ground should be kept full of oak for 



o 



