CULTIVATION. 



11 



and December, all other things agreeing ; and when, as in our case, 

 they have to be planted in hundreds of thousands annually : when, 

 however, they have only to be planted in small quantities or as orna- 

 mental trees or shrubs ; and when naturally cultivated and properly 

 prepared plants are to be had, and the land is in a healthy condition 

 and every way ready for planting ; I would have no preference for 

 this, that, or the other month ; although their resting season, late 

 autumn, winter, and early spring is the most rational ; for of late years 

 we have planted a few hundreds of several of the species the first week 

 in each month all round the year, upon common forest land : some of 

 the plants of each kind and of each month were planted in pits or 

 holes dug to receive them, others were slitted with a common garden 

 spade, and some planted with our planting spade ; and all of these 

 plants and young trees are cceteris parihus as healthy, and quite 

 as promising as others in the same plantations which were planted 

 at our usual time, [N'ovember and December ; but it must be 

 remembered that all these plants were naturally cultivated and often 

 transplanted before removal into the plantations. 



All things have their Enemies, and to this very general rule the pine 

 tribe is no exception ; but to treat of all of their enemies would be far 

 beyond the limits to which I have confined myself in this volume ; I 

 only, therefore, enumerate a few of the more common kinds ^thich 

 have proved to be not only injurious but frequently destructive to 

 them. 



The Pine Beetle :— these creatures often work great havoc 

 amongst the pines : some seasons they are very numerous ; when they 

 vfill seriously injure whole plantations, and not unfrequently destroy 

 the perfect form and symmetrical gracefulness of some of our best 

 specimens. I have found no effectual means for its practical destruc- 

 tion ; but its ravages may be greatly reduced by persisting in cutting 

 out the young shoots into which it has entered, and burning them ; for 

 when these insects once infest a tree it is quite astonishing with what 

 rapidity they carry on their work ; generally entering at or near the 

 junction of the present season's terminal shoots with those of the 

 previous season ; working upwards until they reach the tops ; having 

 arrived at which, they bore their way out : and when numerous 

 they are, indeed, destructive enemies ; for so it fares from shoot to 

 shoot, from branch to branch, and from tree to tree. 



The Cocus or Scale: — of these little pests we have several 

 species ; two of which are very injurious to some of the species of 



