56 



THE NURSERYe 



soil ought not to be one of exuberant fertility, it 

 should not, on the other hand, deserve the epithet 

 of barren. The land which I would deem best 

 adapted for the purpose, is that which, when proper- 

 ly cultivated, and, in the general run of seasons, is 

 capable of producing what is termed an average, or 

 a middling crop of corn. This, indeed, is superior 

 to what we see commonly allotted to the growth of 

 wood, and it may perhaps be said is too good for a 

 nursery ; as, if possible, we ought to remove plants 

 from worse to better, rather than from better to 

 worse ground. But however just such a sentiment 

 may be in theory, we will not find it easy to reduce 

 it to practice. Seedlings of the fir tribes, as well as 

 of several other species, must attain a certain size, 

 in order to enable them to stand the winter. When 

 extremely small, they are liable to be drawn up by 

 the frost, and rendered completely useless ; and this 

 will always be the case in soils of a very inferior na- 

 ture. The evil here mentioned may, indeed, be 

 avoided, by covering the beds with straw, or some 

 similar substance ; but all artifices of this kind are 

 attended with more or less damage to the plants, 

 which can never be entirely preserved from injury, 

 unless they are themselves of a size to keep their 

 ground independently of foreign assistance. In 



