fOREST-TREES. iii 



Chapter XIX. 

 The alder TREE. 



I'^HIS tree delights in wet boggy land, and will even grow 

 where water ftands conftantly, but, if planted in dry 

 ground, is moft pernicious and devouring, as, by attracting all 

 the moifture and generous juices from the earth, it will foon 

 render it totally barren. From fifty to twenty years ago, vaft 

 quantities of thefe plants were brought from Holland to this 

 country, at a confiderable price, and, unhappily for the owners, 

 planted in large tra6ls of moifl land, from whence no returns 

 fuitable to the labour and expence have been received. Had 

 the fame money been beflowed on planting Poplars and A- 

 beles, they would by this time have highly increafed the value 

 of fuch eftates, and become a general improvement ; whereas 

 the injudicious choice of Alders has proved a bad example to 

 young planters, and probably deterred many from planting at all, 

 who otherways might have chofen handfomer and more pro- 

 fitable trees. 



They are eafily propagated by layers, or by cuttings of three, 

 four, or five years growth, planted in February or March ; but 

 being an ugly melancholy tree, I chufe to fay no more of it, as 

 fundry aquatics, of greater beauty and value, will grow abun- 

 dantly fafler in the fame fituations they afieCl ; and it is only 

 to warn the unexperienced planter againft the frequent wfe of 

 them, that I have mentioned a tree I fo much dillike. 



