THE NUllSERY. 



57 



very thin soils, too, the drought in summer is no less 

 hostile than the frost in winter, causing the plants 

 to go off in thousands soon after they make their 

 appearance. 



But it may be said, " were these remarks correct, 

 it would follow that we would have no natural 

 wood. The seeds that are scattered on the barren 

 moors might germinate, but the plants arising from 

 them would inevitably perish, instead of growing up 

 into majestic trees, as we know actually to be the 

 case." The answer to this is easy : A plant spring- 

 ing up in a moor is far from being in the same cir- 

 cumstances with a seedling in the nursery. The 

 former, in the heath that surrounds it, has shelter 

 from the wind as well as from the drought and 

 frost ; while the latter is exposed by turns to the 

 full rigour of all the three. Besides, notwithstand- 

 ing the advantages plants rising from the seed 

 among heath, have over those in the nursery, we are 

 certain that a great number of them, perhaps ninety- 

 nine hundredths of the whole, do nevertheless go 

 back ; so that the fact upon which the objection is 

 founded can never lead to the conclusion, that it is 

 practicable to raise seedlings advantageously in 

 ground no better in quality than the generality of 

 our waste lands. If only 07ie hundredth part of 



