PL A TE ni—a. Fine piece of old oak from the ruins of York Minstef, in 

 which the fibrous tissue is very large. This is, perhaps, one of the finest pieces 

 of oak ever seen, and must have been part of a very large tree, the annual 

 increase in diameter would be f of an inch.— &. A piece of ash of a very rapid 

 growth, and equally as fine a specimen.— c. A piece of oak taken from the 

 ruins of York Minster, of very slow growth, scarcely two-eighths of an inch in 

 diameter : in this the cellular rings would be very near to each other, and con- 

 sequently the wood weak. 



PLATE IV. — c. Is a section of a fir taken from a crowded plantation, 

 which will give a good general idea of what I wish to enforce, viz., that in the 

 early stages of a plant's growth, it may find sufficient space and food for its 

 support ; but as the plant increases in size, a struggle for nourishment commences, 

 which increases in severity, and finally terminates in the destruction of the Weaker 

 by the stronger plants, but not until after a contest which leaves the survivor 

 stunted in its growth, and the soil exhausted by having had to support many plants 

 instead of one. That this specimen has suffered from such a struggle is shown by the 

 gradual diminution of the years' growth. — 6, A section of a larch in a good pros- 

 perous condition, averaging | of an inch in diameter. — a. A section of a larch in 

 Gisburn Park, which was blown down in 1839. This tree stood alone, and the 

 annual increase is almost one inch in diameter — perhaps without precedent : the 

 first Lord Ribblesdale told me he brought it in a pot from Italy. This tree con- 

 tained 200 cubic feet. 



PL A TE V. — a. Section of an Athenian poplar of gigantic growth, at the 

 rate of one inch and a quarter in one year, also the same in the following year. 

 — b. Section of the Scotch wytch elm, averaging f of an inch in diameter in 

 each year, — good growth where a tree has room allowed. — c. Section of an ash 

 of very slow growth, in which the cellular rings are very near to each other ; this 

 is very weak poor wood, when compared with the fine specimen which I have 

 given in Plate IIL b., and would bend or break with a less weight. 



If any one will apply the compasses to the specimens I have given of the oak, 

 ash, larch, &c. &c., they will be surprised at the result of their calculations, and 

 these engravings are all taken from nature. I can only give one side of the 

 circle, double of this will therefore be the diameter. I will finally add what is 

 reported to have passed very recently in Parliament. Sir Robert Peel is said thus 

 to have expressed himself — " Mr. Deacon Hume, in speaking of the timber, said, 

 " you have plenty of iron and coal, and your true policy is to take active mea- 

 " sures to possess wood." 



