184 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF OAK. 



will naturally lead to the development of some 

 principles, which will find their application in the 

 subsequent part of the work. 



To show that they have experience on their side, 

 those who hold the above mentioned opinions ad- 

 duce a great variety of instances, in which planta- 

 tions of oak have totally failed. Now, I am pre- 

 pared to allow, without prejudice to my argument, 

 as I hope will appear in the sequel, that examples 

 of this nature are abundantly common throughout 

 the country ; nay, that they have occurred nearly as 

 often as attempts have been made to rear that tree 

 during the last fifty years. In the districts with 

 which I am most intimately acquainted, compre- 

 hending the five northern counties of Aberdeen, 

 BaniF, Moray, Kincardine, and Forfar, oaks have 

 been planted, within the above mentioned period, 

 to the amount of several millions. Of this immense 

 quantity nine-tenths have perished without grow- 

 ing so much as to overtop the heath, and of the re- 

 mainder, a great proportion have made so little 

 progress, and exhibited such a weak, sickly, stunted 

 appearance, as almost excludes the hope of their 

 ever arriving at the size of timber fit for any use- 

 ful purpose. But while I willingly grant that we 

 have had unquestionable experience of such failures, 

 I strenuously deny that we have any experience 



