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NOTICES OF AUTHORS. 



fitted his mind to expand to the comprehension of 

 nature's own process of action, and disquahfied him 

 from walking hand in hand with her. We also con- 

 sider that no good, hut rather e\il, would result from 

 continued cutting in, and lopping off the points of 

 the branches of all kinds of trees, excepting when the 

 plants were stunted, or much covered with flower-buds. 

 Even a very slight clipping greatly retards the growth 

 of hedges ; and the labom- and attention requisite 

 would be very great : besides, the poor things, the 

 trees, trimmed to the BiUingtonian standard, would, 

 amongst the unrestrained beauties of the forest, be 

 ready to sink into the earth for very shame of their 

 formal deformity. He errs, too, in recommending 

 not to plant sycamore plane, as being of little value 

 while young. We have sold young planes, six or 

 seven inches in diameter, at a higher price per foot 

 than large oak. They will generally find a good 

 market wherever machinery abounds, and will pro- 

 bably become every year in greater request. 



Mr Billington is particularly solicitous to render 

 his instructions as plain as possible, in describing the 

 mode of pruning young oaks in formation of knee 

 timber, as he confesses to bring it down to the com- 

 prehension of gentlemen ; but he is not very happy 

 in his figiu'es of oak trees trained to this use, from 



