GROWING GOLD. 



21 



of the forest naturally consists of extensive 

 patches of gorse or furze, in bottoms and on 

 hill sides, amongst which a few straggling and 

 stunted white thorns are to be found, and as 

 these increase in size and number, a few di- 

 minutive roundheaded oak trees are to be seen 

 a little higher than the thorns, but in pro- 

 portion as the ranks become thicker and more 

 sheltered, the trees increase in size and 

 height, until at length they arrive at full 

 growth, and " from the centre of the forest 

 deep," uplift their majestic heads in mag- 

 nificent maturity.* 



It is very extraordinary that planters should 

 have disregarded this grand law of nature, and 

 planted the fastest and highest growing trees 

 in the most exposed situations, as if there was 

 no proof of the effect of the wind upon trees in 

 these kingdoms. But let them go to the sea 

 shore, hilly districts, nay, level inland tracts 

 of country ; any one of these places would 



* See Quarterly Review, No. 76, p. 439. — The planter may learn 

 more from the perusal of this page than from the study of some volumes on 

 growing timber. 



