ON QUALITY OF SOIL. 



105 



cimens of this tree are to be seen at Brechin Castle, 

 the seat of the Honourable William Maule, 

 M. P., growing in a very exposed situation, where 

 the soil is a sandy loam, or rather inclining to gra- 

 vel. The beech ought never to be planted either in 

 mossy or in wet ground. 



Any light dry soil, where there is a considerable 

 depth of vegetable mould, will answer with the 

 Plane. It will, however, grow in good land of a te- 

 nacious quality, where there is not too much mois- 

 ture. The plane is averse to peat-moss and wet 

 land in general. 



The horse-chesnut, the lime, the birch, the alder, 

 the poplar, and willow tribes, are kinds whose tim- 

 ber is of less value than any of the above mentioned 

 kinds. With the exception of the birch and alder, 

 they are generally planted for ornament, rather 

 than with a view to profit. It will be necessary, 

 however, to point out briefly the qualities of soil 

 most proper for each. 



The Horse-chesnut and the hime thrive on the 

 same kinds of land as the ash and elm. 



The Birch delights in mountainous regions, as is 

 evident from its abounding in almost every part of 

 the Highlands of Scotland, where any kind of wood 

 is to be found. We may consider the same fact as 



