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THE planter's GUIDE. 



single trees, and open dispositions of wood in the park ; 

 and secondly, for raising at once close woods or planta- 

 tions for shelter or ornament. Hence the preparation of 

 the soil is to be considered in reference to those two sepa- 

 rate purposes or heads, which shall be examined in their 

 order. And here, as in many instances which occur 

 in the sequel, I entertain great doubt of being able to 

 make myself distinctly understood. It is one thing to be 

 acquainted with a series of daily practices and manual 

 operations, and another to render a minute detail of 

 them, of their causes and consequences, and various appli- 

 cations, intelligible to the reader. Language, from its 

 nature, often treats more clearly of abstract ideas and 

 general truths than of sensible or material objects ; and 

 there are processes in all arts which a single glance of 

 the eye will more fully explain than whole pages of 

 description. On this account I stand greatly in need of 

 the indulgence of the reader; and I shall endeavour to 

 deserve it by studying perspicuity in the delineations 

 which are to follow in this and other sections, and con- 

 ciseness also, in as far as the peculiarities of a new subject 

 will admit. 



First, then, as to the preparation of the soil for single 

 trees and open dispositions of wood. It has been said 

 above, that no trees of magnitude can be raised without 

 very considerable depth of soil. No tree transplanted 

 should have less than from eighteen inches to two feet 

 deep of mould, prepared and enriched according to the 

 above principles, to some distance round the plant. If 

 park-planting be intended, the first thing to be done is, to 

 mark out with stakes the site or position of the single 

 and scattered trees, or groups of two, three, or more — a 

 work of no small nicety and difficulty in any case, and 

 which, where the prominent parts of a place are con- 



