monteath's 



fokester's guide. 



141 



the national resources ; but immediately to set 

 about converting their coppice-hags into oak-forest, 

 by careful thinning and selection. For performing 

 this, we refer them to Mr Monteath in person, who 

 seems to comprehend the utility, and to be pretty 

 well versed in the practice, of thinning ; only we 

 would desire him, in pruning, to attend to the func- 

 tions of the leaves ; that the more abundant the 

 covering of healthy foliage, the tree will progress 

 the faster ; and that the repeated cutting down of a 

 young plant, year after year, as he recommends, even 

 sometimes extending it to five years in succession, 

 will either destroy the plant altogether, or be ex- 

 tremely injurious to its growth : although, if the 

 plant be stunted, cutting it down, once, as every 

 body knows, is the plan which should be adopted 

 with all kinds of our common forest trees — the coni- 

 ferae, beech, and birch, excepted. 



Mr Monteath advises a naturalization of young 

 plants, after they are got from nurseries, in a soil 

 i and climate similar to that which they are ultimate- 

 ly to occupy. We see no necessity for this. All 

 that is required in a young plant, is, that it be of 

 good variety, of firm fibre, in a healthy growing 

 state ; with a stout stem, in proportion to the height, 



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