Preparing the Ground. 



and how many of them have wholly failed ! Yet, no truth 

 is more evident to my mind than this ; that no plantation 

 ever failed, except from the manifest error of the pro- 

 prietor. It is woise than useless to plant, unless you do 

 the whole thing well ; because, instead of creating a source 

 of profit and of pleasure, you create a source of loss and 

 of mortification. Planters but too often have, when they 

 are about to plant, the word economy on their lips; and, 

 they do not treat that word fairly; for, it really means 

 nothing more than management, whereas they will have it 

 mean sparing in expense: and, then, they abuse it still 

 further by making it mean positive sparing : so that, at 

 last, they come to the conclusion, that that is the wisest 

 plan which costs the least sum to the acre, without any re- 

 gard to the sorts of trees or to the manner of planting 

 them. 



!2. This is, at first sight, very strange ; for, when a man 

 is about to sow corn, or plant cabbages, he thinks of the 

 produce, as well as of the cost of sowing and planting; 

 and, he expects a crop proportioned to his expense of seed, 

 manure and tillage. But, it would seem, if one were to 

 judge from the manner in which planting is generally 

 executed, that tree - planters care nothing at all about 

 the result; that they think, that, to plant is to plant, as 

 to die is io die; that the manner is of very little con- 

 sequence; and that, therefore, the less the plantation 

 cost, the better. It is very well known, that, to spare 

 manure and tillage, in the cultivation of corn, is the 

 sure way to lose money. It is very well known, that it is 

 better not to sow coin at all, than to do it badly. And yet 

 men in general, seem wholly to forget this when they are 

 planting trees. The chief cause of this strange way of 

 thinking is, that the returns, from corn^sowing, are near at 



