MR WITHERS. 



^19 



the cost of the trenchmg and mauimng (in many 

 cases they would not), the entire value of the land 

 would he lost. It may be said that the common 

 rules of utility do not apply in this case, — that the 

 landlords will not he moved to any other improve- 

 ment than planting, and that otherwise their in- 

 come would be dissipated entirely, without any por- 

 tion being applied to reproductive uses. We grant 

 all this ; but Scottish landlords have very little taste 

 for the Withers' system, — to deface their beautiful 

 wastes, by bm-ying all the fine turf and wildflowers 

 under the red mortar (the common subsoil), or 

 to scatter manure. Planting by pitting and slit- 

 ting will prove far more attractive ; besides, the 

 means are entirely awanting to carry on such expen- 

 sive proceedings to the necessary extent, and the 

 cultivation of one acre in this fashion would leave 

 19 untouched, when the whole 20 might have been 

 wooded, in many cases to equal advantage, by the 

 money expended on one. We have known planting 

 executed by contract for one year's interest of the 

 above stated first extra expenditure, which we would 

 match against planting raised by Mr Withers's pro- 

 cess, in the same situation. There is also a very 

 considerable proportion of Scotland very suitable for 



