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Title: Remarks on the management, or rather, the mis-management of woods, plantations, and hedge-row timber

Author: J. West

Release date: October 25, 2023 [eBook #71955]

Language: English

Original publication: Newark: Longman & Co, 1842

Credits: Bob Taylor, Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)


*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK REMARKS ON THE MANAGEMENT, OR RATHER, THE MIS-MANAGEMENT OF WOODS, PLANTATIONS, AND HEDGE-ROW TIMBER ***





  Transcriber’s Note
  Italic text displayed as: _italic_




  REMARKS
  ON
  THE MANAGEMENT,
  OR RATHER, THE
  _MIS_-MANAGEMENT,
  OF
  WOODS, PLANTATIONS,
  AND
  HEDGE-ROW TIMBER.


  BY J. WEST,
  Land Agent, &c. &c.
  NORTH COLLINGHAM, NEWARK, NOTTS.


  NEWARK.
  PRINTED AND SOLD BY J. PERFECT, CARTERGATE.
  LONGMAN & Co. LONDON.

  1842.




  TO
  JOHN EVELYN DENISON, ESQ.
  M. P.


  SIR,

Having had the honor to spend nineteen years in your service as
resident Land Agent—having during that period, as well as since,
received from you many marks of favour—having on your Estate laid the
foundation, and to some extent tested the accuracy, of the opinions
which are given in the following pages; I am, I assure you, deeply
grateful for the kind permission with which you have favoured me, to
dedicate them to you.

If I were to allow myself to indulge in the expression of feelings,
which a recollection of my long connection with your Estates might
prompt, I should risk your displeasure, for I well know, how
distasteful to you would be the language of adulation; I shall
therefore only add, that it gives me pleasure to dedicate my Book to
you, because, from long experience, I know you to be the zealous patron
of improvement in every department of rural economy, and because you
are practically and intimately acquainted with the subject on which I
have written.

Encouraging as it would be to me if it were so, I do not expect
that you will concur with me in all the views to which I have given
expression: nevertheless, I trust I may be allowed to hope that, in
the main, the principles which are developed will approve themselves to
your judgment, and command your approbation.

  I have the honor to be,

  SIR,

  Your most obedient obliged Servant,

  J. WEST.

  _North Collingham, Notts.
  13th June, 1842._




PREFACE.


It has probably been with many others as it is with the writer of
this, who finds the little which he has to say by way of Preface, more
disagreeable, and more difficult, than he has found any other part of
his book. A Preface, however, of some sort or other, must be written.

The writer cannot say, as some have done, that he has pushed off his
bark, and is content to leave it to its fate—he does not pretend, with
Kent, the author of “Hints to Gentlemen of Landed Property,” that
“these hints are published from no motives of interest whatever”—on the
contrary he is ready to avow, that, while he would feel it, under a
certain modification of circumstances, a most agreeable and congenial
occupation of his time, to be employed in establishing a better
practice in the management of Woods, Plantations, &c. he is not in a
position to be _so_ disinterested as altogether to lose sight of his
own interest in the matter. Further: while he feels it to be an object
of vast importance to the great body of Landed Proprietors, and others,
that a new system should be laid down and acted upon, the Author wishes
not to disguise the fact, that he seeks the honourable distinction of
being permitted to assist in correcting the evils, which he thinks he
may have been the first so strongly to point out.

The Author cannot but hope that he has proved all that can be fairly
considered _as implied_ in his Title; and if he have done so, it may be
productive of much advantage to those who possess property in Woods,
&c.: their attention being once strongly called to the subject, they
cannot fail to perceive that there is plenty for them to do.

The Author needs not to be told, for of that he is quite conscious—that
his book is very defective in arrangement, and faulty in style,
but if he have succeeded in the attempt to be tolerably “plain and
perspicuous,” and “not very ungrammatical,” that is as much, perhaps,
as ought to be required of a practical man.

One word is necessary here, with reference to Sir H. Steuart, whose
name, as a Planter, the Author has mentioned at page 58. He wishes to
correct an impression which he may have produced, that the honourable
Baronet is altogether opposed to the practice of preparing the soil
previous to planting. This is not the case; but Sir Henry, with
singular inconsistency, after speaking in the highest terms in favour
of trenching, manuring, &c. declares the practice to be inapplicable
to Plantations on a large scale. It is unnecessary to remark here, that
on this point the Author is of a different opinion.

       *       *       *       *       *

P. S. The Author reviews neglected Woods, Plantations, &c. and gives
directions for their proper management, or he would contract with any
Noblemen or Gentlemen to overlook their Woods, &c. at so much per acre
per year.




INTRODUCTION.


In writing the few “PLAIN REMARKS” which follow, I shall, in a great
measure, confine myself to the consideration of two main points,
viz.—the _present state_, and the _present mode of managing_ such
Old Woods, Plantations, and Hedge-Row Timber, as I deem to be under
a course of improper treatment, suggesting, as I go on, an improved
system of management of them all. Respecting both these points, I shall
have to make statements which, to me, appear very important—statements,
which I know cannot be controverted,—and which, though they may apply,
as they are intended to apply, more particularly to some districts than
to others, will, more or less, apply to all where Woods, Plantations,
and well-stocked Hedge-Rows abound.

Upon the second point in particular,—I mean the present modes of
managing property of this description,—I shall endeavour to show
in what respects, and, as well as I am able, to what extent, it is
erroneous or defective.

But first, I would remark generally, that although the treatment of
Plantations is bad enough, it is not so grossly bad as is that of
Ancient Woods and Hedge-Row Timber. I have, for some time, had it in
my mind to write respecting the two latter, having been long convinced
that a most extensive waste of property, and loss of time, was going
on, but, until now, I have neither had leisure to prepare for, nor
confidence to submit to, a “discerning public,” those views which have
been matured during an eighteen years observation and experience.

I have now, however, resolved to print, and whatever may be the precise
result to myself, if, by means of this publication, the attention of
Noblemen and Gentlemen is drawn only to one hundredth part of their
_neglected_ Woods and Plantations, and of their _abused Hedge-Rows_,
so as to induce them immediately to determine to arrest the progress
of the mischief that is going on, and not only to commence the work
of improvement, but to proceed to the necessary extent in carrying it
on, two most important results, _at least_, will be produced; viz.;
to Proprietors themselves a very considerable present or prospective
advantage—in some cases both—and a large measure of real benefit to the
Labouring Classes, in the increased demand which will be created for
the labour of their hands. This last object is so vastly important,
that an enlightened and benevolent mind will always be ready to listen
to any suggestions that may be thrown out to promote it; but at a
period like the present, when one great constitutional change in our
domestic policy has been made, and when there is too much cause to
fear that another is about to be tried,—each of which is as much _an
experiment in morals_ as any thing else,—it is invested with a much
higher claim on the attention of those to whom the appeal may be made,
than in ordinary circumstances it would be.

It will readily be seen that I refer to the new Poor Law and to the
Corn Laws; the former of which throws the poor man almost exclusively
on his own resources. To provide him therefore with _healthful
employment_, at such a time, and under such circumstances, will tend
more than any thing else can do, to lessen the difficulty and danger of
the transition from the old to the new law, and to mitigate the perhaps
necessary severity of the provisions of the latter.

Before I proceed any further I would state, that I shall not attempt
any thing like a systematic course, nor shall I confine myself to a
scientific arrangement of my subjects: nor again, shall I trouble
myself about the _technical_ names of the several Trees which I may
have to mention: nor, lastly, is it my intention to aim at elegance
of composition. I do not write to establish a literary reputation,
well knowing that to such an object I am unequal, and that if it
were otherwise, there is a _want of adaptation_ in my subject; but I
wish to be understood as addressing myself to those who, not being
themselves _practically_ acquainted with the subjects here treated
of, are not unwilling to listen to the opinions which I have formed,
and profit by the experience which I have derived from close and
extensive observation, while myself actually employed in the details
of management, connected alike with the Timber and Coppice of ancient
Woods, with the planting and subsequent treatment of Plantations and
with Hedge-Row Timber.

Of course I am aware that much has been said, and much has been
written, by others who have preceded me, on these subjects, but
notwithstanding that this be true, I am not at all of opinion that this
branch of rural economy has received its fair share of attention, or
that the subject has been viewed in that particular aspect in which it
is here presented, highly important and interesting as that view must
be acknowledged to be, when considered as it affects the growers of
Timber, the labouring poor, and the community at large.

There will be many, doubtless, who will dissent from some of my
opinions. They will have a good and sufficient cause to do so, if they
adjudge them to be erroneous: they have just as much right to hold
their opinions as I have to hold mine, but I wish it to be always
remembered by those who may read the following pages, that every
conclusion to which I have been brought, and every inference that I
have drawn, _has had its origin in actual experience_.

To practical men, and more particularly still, to such practical men
as are like myself—to use a homely phrase—more at home in a Wood or
Plantation than any where else—I need not make more than a general
reference to what they daily see, in proof of the “mismanagement”
which I intend to show, but as to the Proprietors it surely must be
otherwise. They cannot, one would suppose, be at all aware of the
fact, that one part, and that a most interesting and valuable part, of
their property, is so _mismanaged_ as to call loudly for an immediate
remedy! I affirm, however, without hesitation, that while _Agriculture_
has made rapid strides in the march of improvement, and while that
first of all improvements in Agriculture, _Draining_—(although as yet
but very imperfectly understood, and, in a very serious number of
cases, _very ill done_)—has been extensively attended to—while the
adaptation of Manures (although science has yet much to do, and much
to teach us, on this point) has been carried to such an extent, as
is unparalleled in any age, and almost in any country but our own;
and withal so successfully, as to turn barren and hitherto sterile
Wastes, Forests, and Moors, into productive occupations—while such an
extraordinary degree of ingenuity has been applied to the invention and
practical working of different implements, as to render the operations
of husbandry comparatively simple and easy—and while yet once more,
the attention which has been paid to the breeding and rearing of the
various kinds of Stock, has raised them to a pitch of excellence which
our forefathers never contemplated, and which scarcely leaves any room
for further effort—while all this proves, I say, that the large landed
Proprietors of this country, stimulated and assisted by the skill of
the man of science, and by the enterprize and persevering efforts of
the Tenant Farmer, have paid _almost_ adequate attention to one part
of their estates, it is equally undeniable that the present condition
of _a large proportion_ of the Woods, Hedge-Rows, and Plantations,
furnishes proof of the grossest neglect, and a perfectly unaccountable
want of attention. To point out wherein this neglect consists, and to
prove this want of attention, will be the object of the following
“Remarks.”

It is really surprising that in an age like this, when there is
an onward movement in almost everything else, such instances of
“mismanagement” of Woods, &c. should every where meet the eye. If any
one well acquainted with the subject, were to take horse and ride
through every county of the kingdom, he would find in ninety cases out
of a hundred, the Old Woods especially, to be in as bad a condition as
if they were solely intended for fox or game covers, and incapable of
being turned to any other use. They are permitted to continue precisely
in the same uncultivated state in which their present possessors found
them, Gentlemen too often totally overlooking the important fact, that
while they might, by proper attention to the draining and improvement
of their Woods, and the best mode of disposing of the produce, give
employment to a very considerable number of their poor dependents;
increase the present revenue, and lay the foundation of a greatly
improved permanent income from them, they would, to a very small
extent, if at all, injure the covers for sporting purposes.

As to Plantations, the treatment may be said to be somewhat better,
but, as I have before said, in most cases it is bad enough, as I shall
hereafter show.

Of the Hedge-Rows I affirm, that they are, very generally, either left
entirely to themselves, or to the tender mercies of the occupiers of
the soil, who, having no interest in their success, but rather the
contrary, cannot, of course, be expected to exercise any care in their
preservation.

Having thus briefly introduced the various subjects which it is my
intention to notice more fully under separate and distinct heads, I
shall commence my first chapter with “Ancient Woods.”




CHAP. I.

ANCIENT WOODS.


While professionally employed, and while passing from one part of the
country to another, my surprise has often been great, when I have
witnessed, from its effects, the indifference which many gentlemen
manifest, as to the state and management of this description of
property: there appears, in comparatively few instances, to be any
thing worth the name of an effort to rescue them from that state of
wild unproductiveness in which they have been for ages! One generation
passes away after another, and like as was the father, so is the
son—and as was the agent of the former, so is the agent of the latter!
All they have done for ages gone by, they do now, and little or nothing
more. They calculate, with tolerable accuracy, the return of the year,
when, according to immemorial custom, they ought to “cut, and hack, and
hew,” and they go into the wood for the purpose of _setting out_ the
piece which they intend to fell: this they divide, in many districts,
into a certain number of lots, or ranges, of what they call “Gad Wood,”
which vary considerably in size, but which, as far as they go, include
_all_ the Underwood. At the same time, the sapient woodman contrives to
satisfy himself—and it is seldom that his superiors make any inquiry
into the matter—as to the number of _Oak Trees_, &c. that it is proper
to take down; and then, after due notice given, the whole is sold,
Underwood and all, by Auction.

It is a common practice to describe a _ring_ round a portion of the
Standard Trees which are to remain—such as the Oak, Ash, &c.—and these,
of course, are intended for future timber, the selection being often
as bad as it well can be, but the whole system, from the beginning to
the end, is most objectionable, and it is matter of astonishment that
it should have continued so long. It is objectionable for many reasons,
among which I mention the following: viz.: because the Proprietor
throws out of his own hands that _control_ which a gentleman ought to
have over every person who enters his woods, whether as a purchaser or
as a workman. This control is absolutely necessary in order to secure
two things, for which Conditions of Sale, however well they may be
drawn up, offer but a very feeble security—I mean _the prevention of
entry by teams, &c. at an improper season, and the clearing of the
Woods at a given time_. There are other reasons which apply more or
less strongly, according to the condition of the wood, _as to its
stock, and the staple of its soil_. Carting, or rather _teaming_, for
carts are not often used, will inevitably do much injury in woods that
are _well stocked, if the utmost possible care is not taken, whatever
the soil may be_; but if it be a _tenacious, retentive, cold, clay_,
damage would be done in two ways: viz.: in the poaching of the land,
and in that which would be done to the _stock_ by the _wheels_. The
injury to which woods are liable from these two causes, and others, may
be almost wholly prevented by the active supervision of an intelligent
woodman. Such a person will take care to divide his cuttings as
nearly as he can to suit the local demand, and to begin _as early
as possible_, so that every opportunity may be seized, in _suitable
weather_, for getting away the produce, and it must be his own personal
duty to see that no _avoidable_ injury is done to the stools by the
carriages. These reasons appear to me to be quite sufficient to
establish a decided preference for the mode which I recommend over
the system to which I have referred; but there is another, which I
cannot but think will be deemed of importance enough by itself to
decide the question, and it is this: viz.: _the impossibility of
deciding, before the Underwood is cut_, what Oak Trees _ought_, or
_ought not_, to come down. It is quite possible, I admit, to jump to a
_conclusion_ on the subject: to deny this in the face of the evidence
which every succeeding Winter affords, would be absurd; but I affirm
that no woodman can do it _correctly_. He ought, at least, to have a
_clear coast_, to enable him to give due consideration to the various
points on which he should be fully satisfied, before he cuts down that,
which his whole life would not suffice to set up again. How little
consideration enters into these matters, it is easy for those who
really understand them to judge. For my own part, I am compelled to
say, that I never yet saw a single instance, where timber was selected
in the way to which I refer, without gross blunders being committed.
But more than this may be affirmed—and it is not an over-weening
fondness for my own plans, but a perfect conviction of the _utter want
of adaptation_ in the present practice of many, which induces me to say
it—there is not _one solitary argument that can be advanced in favour
of the practice which I have condemned_. If this be so, then let all
gentlemen abandon it; if not, let the arguments be brought forward.

I have said that the whole system is wrong, and I add, that no good
will be done by a patchwork attempt to amend it. So long, for instance,
as a proprietor retains the “Gad-Wood” plan, he will insure the
continuance of the old system of “mismanagement.” He might as well
think of bending, by his own personal strength, one of the sturdy stems
of his well-grown oaks, as attempt to turn his woodman gently aside
out of his usual track—especially if he be an old man—there must be a
total revolution effected—he must be put into an entirely new course,
if either the condition of the woods, or the revenue arising from them,
is to be improved.

Unfortunately it seldom happens that customers are not found for all
that may be offered, in almost any neighbourhood, and in any way. I
say unfortunately, inasmuch as it keeps the managers of many woods
exactly _stationary_, while everybody else is going on. If they had a
little difficulty to contend with, it might, perhaps, induce a _little_
reflection, and raise a doubt in their minds as to the propriety of
the course they were pursuing; which would be a great point gained, as
there has been _very little thought_ applied to the management of this
species of property, either by its owners, or by the persons they have
employed.

There are, no doubt, many refreshing instances of good management to
be met with—I could myself mention a few, were it not invidious to do
so—but in a large majority of cases, from mistaken management, woods
are in a high degree, and for many reasons, a discredit to those who
belong to them. If the Woodman’s account were fairly examined—if a
_Dr._ and _Cr._ balance sheet were exhibited, it would be found that
the land was paying _a very small rent indeed from the underwood, even
where there might be very little oak_, which most assuredly ought not
to be the case; for I contend that there is no Ancient Woodland which
is not considerably below the average quality of what I have seen, that
is not quite capable of _growing a full crop_—either of underwood or of
oak; and for this plain reason, viz.; because _the period of pecuniary
sacrifice, the infancy of the wood_, is gone by: and that woodman’s
management is essentially defective, who cannot show, upon _every_ acre
under his care, a good crop either of the one or the other. I would
here remark, that a _full crop of both_ cannot contemporaneously grow
up together; and this consideration is of far more importance in the
management of woods than is at first sight imagined, or, than by a
slight acquaintance with the subject would be perceived.

If there is found in a wood a superabundance of oaks, and if they are
seen to be _thrifty_, nothing could possibly be so _ill judged_ as
to _thin them too freely_, even though the _crop of underwood were
entirely sacrificed_; for, the very objects most to be desired, can
only be attained by bringing about that state of things which is
here supposed, and which necessarily involves _the sacrifice of the
underwood_, or, at the least, all idea of any considerable _profit_
from it. Under these circumstances, the exertions of the skilful
Woodman will be directed to the securing of _great length of bole
or stem_; for these, and these alone, are the trees which have any
legitimate right to a place in a wood: and, of course, the longer their
boles are, the better.

Having attained this object, the woodman will then anxiously employ the
best means in his power, for encouraging the growth of the underwood,
so far as, at least, to _keep it alive_, and _as healthy_ as possible;
and if he have well considered the subject, he will have contrived to
lay down a plan, a regularly systematic plan, that his successors can
neither mistake, nor, without some good reason, depart from, by which,
during the period that the crop of oaks is being taken, the stock of
underwood shall gradually be acquiring strength and vigour, and getting
well hold of the soil; as well as that, they shall be so equally
diffused over it, as fully and beneficially to occupy the ground, _when
the oaks are all gone_. All these calculations, and many more, which
it is impossible to enumerate, will suggest themselves to the mind of
a man well-skilled in the management of woods; but there are very few
indeed, who either see the necessity of making, or will give themselves
the trouble to make, any calculations at all. In the oversight of
woods, &c. much more is included than is generally supposed. He who
imagines, as too many do, that when woods have been cut, they may be
safely left to themselves; and that when the period comes round again
for felling, they will do all that could be expected from them, has a
very imperfect knowledge of the subject, or, rather, no knowledge at
all: and further; he who does not know that woods will ultimately pay
well for the highest degree of care, attention, and culture, is not a
fitting person to have the oversight of them. But such is the ignorance
on the part of many, who call themselves woodmen, and the carelessness
of their employers, that there is a total negation of _forethought_ and
_calculation_, instead of every step that is taken having reference to
a remote period.

A nobleman, or gentleman, or his agent, may calculate what will be the
effect upon a farm at the expiration of a lease of twenty-one years,
if it be not cultivated as it ought to be, and, by introducing certain
clauses into the lease, he may secure himself against the certain and
serious loss which would accrue to him from bad management; and he who
does not so calculate, has a very inadequate idea of the nature of the
contract which he is about to make; but the man who takes upon himself
the management of woods, and whose views and plans are not extended
over _several of those cycles of time which intervene between the
seasons of cutting_, does not rightly comprehend the peculiar duties
which he has undertaken to perform, and ought, at once, to be relieved
from them, and provided for in some other way; for if woods are worth
having at all, they are worth looking after, and _if they will pay for
proper culture_, which no one who understands the subject will deny,
they ought to receive it, for various weighty reasons, which have been
before adverted to.

The foregoing remarks will apply, of course, most directly, to woods
where there is an _apparent redundancy_ of oak. I will now suppose the
case of a wood where there is a _deficiency_, or little or no oak. Here
there ought, unquestionably, to be _a full crop of underwood_. This
underwood ought to be adapted, as to _kind_, first, to the nature of
the soil; and, secondly, to the _local demand, if the local demand be
good_: and as to its _age_, of course it must be that which best suits
the market, or when, comparatively, it will fetch the best price; so
that in some districts, as in Kent, for instance, it will _sell_ best,
and therefore ought to be _cut_, at about twelve years of age: in
others it would not sell so well at less than from fifteen to twenty
years old. But it does _not_ follow as a matter of course, that because
a wood has always, previously, stood from twenty to twenty-five years,
it should for ever continue to do so; on the contrary, I should say,
that there are _very few woods indeed, if any_, which ought to stand
more than twenty years, and a great proportion of them, nothing like so
long. The great reason why the produce of woods does not earlier come
to maturity, is the gross “mismanagement” to which they are subjected:
but when the time shall arrive that they shall be deemed worthy of as
much “care, attention, and culture,” as any other part of an estate,
then will they be found, probably, to yield quite as good a return for
it; and the present _no system_ management will be exploded.

In all cases where the cycle has run beyond twenty years, it will, at
least, be well for the proprietor, or his manager, to sit down and
calculate whether the stuff would not pay better if felled some years
earlier. The inquiry can do no harm; and much good may possibly arise
out of it. In the case last supposed, viz.: a wood with little or
no oak, _and well stocked with underwood of a suitable kind_, there
cannot be a doubt upon the subject; for if the stock—by which term I
mean the shoots which have sprung up from the stools—has been properly
treated, it will have arrived, in twenty years, at a size quite large
enough for agricultural uses, and it can very seldom be allowed to
stand longer without _serious injury to the stools_. A very little
consideration will convince any one, who does not resist conviction,
that such ought to be the state of a wood so circumstanced as to oak;
but nevertheless the actual condition of most woods is widely different
from this: instead of there being a full crop of underwood, where there
is a deficiency of timber, or a full crop of timber, where there is
little or no underwood, it too frequently happens that there is neither
the one nor the other, even on land which is, as was remarked before,
capable of yielding a handsome revenue! And here let it not be supposed
that I am speaking of _extreme cases only_, or that there are but _few_
woods in this state: the cases are numerous: I have seen, and could
point out many, but this I shall not do: I rather choose to leave these
observations with “all whom they may concern,” to work conviction where
they are seen to be _just_, quite indifferent as to the effect which
they may produce on the minds of any who may oppose them.

And now let me ask—_if this be the state of many woods—if neither a
crop of timber nor of underwood is found—to what is it owing?_ the
reply is not difficult: it is _mainly_ attributable to proprietors
themselves, and to their agents: to woodmen in a subordinate degree.
In proof of my first position, I would respectfully remark, that if
a gentleman _chooses_ to sacrifice every thing to the idea of having
_good covers_; and, supposing that any thing which interferes with the
primeval state of his woods, is incompatible with this object, _refuses
to do any thing at them_, the woodman may not bear the blame. Again:
if a proprietor happen, unfortunately, to have _such an aversion to
felling timber_—and there are many such—that he will sooner let it _rot
down_, or _allow one tree to destroy another_; or again; suffer the
timber trees to stand so thickly that they not only totally destroy
each other, but the underwood below also, the woodman ought not to
be censured; except indeed, he have advised such a course, which I
can hardly think any man accustomed to woods could do, in the present
day. Once more; if gentlemen lack the moral courage—and I have met
with _some_ of this description—to treat with the contempt which it
deserves the vulgar meddling, the idle tattle of those who are ever
ready to say, when timber is felled, that the owner’s _poverty_, and
not his _will_, consents to the deed, we are furnished with abundance
of reasons for the serious waste of property that is going on, but the
woodman is not in fault, neither ought he to be blamed. Lastly: if
proprietors commit the management of their woods to persons who are
wholly incompetent—as is too often the case—to discharge the duties
confided to them, I cannot see that the men are to be condemned, but
rather their employers. Wherever such “mismanagement” prevails as I
have attempted to describe, and have seen so much cause to lament, it
may generally, I think, be traced, either to ignorance on the part of
woodmen, or inattention on the part of their employers: but it will
be quite clear to all, who will allow themselves time to think on the
subject, that the _grossest_ mismanagement is to be met with, not on
first, nor even on second, but on _third_, and _fourth-rate_ estates,
where _regular woodmen_ are not kept, and below that grade downwards,
to property which is in the hands of Trustees, or mainly under the
control of Solicitors, or Corporate bodies; or, which is probably worse
than all, under the supreme direction of men who having, during the
whole of their business life, had too many Stewardships, &c. _for any
human being to look after and manage well_, cannot of course be deemed
capable of judging rightly on a subject which requires _the closest
possible attention, the nicest discrimination, and an extended and
varied experience_.

Much mischief has also arisen from the employment by gentlemen, and by
their agents, of persons, who, while they may, usefully and creditably,
fulfil their duties as village carpenters and the like, cannot possibly
possess those enlarged, comprehensive views, which are necessary to the
proper management of timber generally, and Ancient Woods especially.
I must here protest against the conclusion being drawn, that I am
doing injustice to any class of men in remarking, as I have done, on
their manner of discharging the trust committed to them. As to the
professional gentlemen, either their _engagements_, their _position_,
or their _habits_, interpose an insurmountable difficulty, and relieve
them from the charge of wilful neglect: and as to the others it is no
injustice to them to affirm, as I do most positively, that there are
principles and considerations involved in this subject, which they
can, in no wise, grasp or comprehend: and so perfectly clear is this
to me, so fully am I borne out by a long course of “observation and
experience,” that I have never yet seen one solitary instance, where
_the timber taken down in thinning_, either in woods or plantations,
_when in such hands_, has been properly done; and in _very few_ cases
indeed, either here, or higher up the scale, without the most _serious
blunders_. One case has fallen under my observation this Winter,
(1842,) where _oak timber trees were selected and marked for sale,
which were exactly, in every respect, such as a good judge would wish
to see in every wood; and not only, not too thick, but, from the same
injudicious mode of selecting and marking at previous auctions, much
too thin_. They were also in a state of _high vigorous health_, and
moreover, there was no underwood which could be benefited! I admit that
this was a more flagrant outrage against the principles which ought to
rule in selecting, than is usually committed, but the work is hardly
ever done as it ought to be.

But whatever difference of opinion may arise among practical men, upon
the points now under consideration, and on whomsoever the blame may
rest, it is unquestionable that the actual state of a large proportion
of our Ancient Woods is very bad indeed: they are either crowded
_with inferior oak timber_, along with the most miserable rubbish as
underwood; or, if they contain any thing valuable in either the one
or the other, no _principles_, or rules of any kind, are applied in
the management of them; and, consequently, they are, on some account
or other, and of course more or less rapidly, _passing through the
stage of deterioration_, and are annually losing to their owners, _a
heavy per centage on their value_. In many cases, the oak, from ages
of “mismanagement,” is stunted in growth, and of a _form, and shape,
totally unsuited to the place where it stands_; and the underwood
consists of that alone which is indigenous to the soil, and which,
therefore, no neglect can destroy, nor any culture improve: in addition
to all this, they are often, nay almost always, on clayey, retentive
soils, _ruined with water_: they are periodically _shut up_, for from
eighteen to twenty-five years, during which time, it is impossible to
do any thing at them; and, when they are cleared of the underwood,
instead of the opportunity being gratefully seized, for the purpose
of effecting those operations which can only be carried on at such a
time, they are _shut up again_, and left in their original state—except
indeed they may have been despoiled of some of their oak—nothing
being _done at them_, or, if any thing, probably so little, or so
_ill_ done, that no good result is produced. But what ought to be the
course pursued at such a time? Why, as it is only during the year of
“hagging,” and the following season, that any work of magnitude, any
improvement worth mentioning, can be carried on; a proprietor should
more carefully examine his woods when they have been cut, than he would
any other description of property: he should himself, if he understand
it—which, however, is very seldom the case—or if he do not, by a person
who is conversant with such matters, make a most rigid, and particular
survey, in order to satisfy himself _as to what ought to be done_; and
this he must do _immediately when the underwood is cut_, or rather, as
soon as any considerable portion is done, so that he may have before
him _all the time which he can possibly command_, for carrying on, and
completing, his improvements. He must not be deterred from commencing
them by any consideration of _the remoteness of the prospect of return
upon his outlay_; but, instead of visiting the sins of his fathers upon
the generations following him, he must, if the case demand it, make a
_present_ sacrifice, for the benefit of his posterity: I say if the
case _demand_ it, but this will not very frequently happen, as there
are very few instances of “mismanagement” where _the fear of cutting
timber_ has not been one of the principal causes of that mismanagement;
and where this is so, there is at once found a source from whence may
be obtained _the means of amply paying for any outlay that may be
required_. I have thus far remarked only on what may, and what ought
to be done, when Ancient Woods come to be _felled in the regular
way_, and _at the usual time and age_; but there are vast numbers of
cases where, first, the condition of the woods is so bad, that all
considerations about the _usual_ time, are merged in the necessity
for immediately commencing the work of renovation; and, secondly,
the instances are not few, where the same course is desirable, in
order that a more profitable way of disposing of the produce may be
introduced, to supersede the old jog-trot mode of getting rid of it.

With regard to the first, it will at once be perceived, by a practical
eye, and a sound judgment, whether a wood is in such a state, _as to
the prospect of a crop_, that it is the proprietor’s interest to _make
a sacrifice in the underwood_ and _cut it_, although it may sell for
nothing but faggots, _rather than finish, or run out, the term, at
the end of which it would be cut in the usual course_. I have seen
hundreds of such cases: there are many in almost every neighbourhood
where woods exist at all; and I confidently ask, what would be the use,
or how would it be possible to show the propriety, of completing the
term of the cycle, if, first, _the wood contained nothing valuable as
underwood_; and if, secondly, _it contained a considerable portion of
timber that required immediate attention_, on some account or other?
I should, for instance, instantly determine to cut, where I found a
wood crowded with a class of unhealthy oaks, or other timber: but it
is not necessary to particularize, as I would not pretend to give such
directions here as would enable a gentleman to decide, for that could
only be done _after inspection_. So many points have to be considered,
that a careful survey of a wood must be made. This done, fortunately
there is no difficulty in coming to a correct conclusion upon such a
question as this. A practical man, who understands what he is about,
will be in no danger of committing an error in the decision to which
he will be led, for these are not subjects on which a difference of
opinion might naturally arise upon an examination taken. The various
considerations for _cutting_, or _forbearing to cut_, would _so
certainly present themselves_ to the mind of a person _really competent
to judge_, that I should say there would be no doubt whatever, of his
deciding correctly, if he were not interfered with by the personal
wish, or taste, of his employer. It is with this as with most other
subjects:—wherever men understand what they are about, and are guided
and governed by _fixed principles_, matters go on well; but the
misfortune, with regard to woods, is, that ages of “mismanagement,” and
other causes, interpose obstacles and difficulties which it will be
no slight task to overcome. To give a brief summary of my views upon
this important point, I would remark, that no wood ought to be allowed
to _run out its term_ which is not _stocked as it ought to be_, or
which, if stocked tolerably well, _is suffering injury from imperfect
drainage_. As I have just said, these points must be determined by an
examination of the wood by some person whose judgment may be relied
upon; but any gentleman may see at once, if he will, that if a wood is
really in the state which I have supposed, viz., without either timber
or underwood _worth standing_, &c. it would be perfectly absurd to _let
it stand_; for at the end of the cycle it would be very little better
than at the beginning, and so much more time would be irrecoverably
lost.

As to the second point—_the improvement of revenue to be derived from a
different mode of disposing of the produce_, I am of opinion that much
might be done, in many places, without laying an increased tax on the
local buyers, who are generally either farmers, or their tradesmen, the
wheelwrights and carpenters of every neighbourhood, and who already pay
quite enough for what they get; and especially the _former_, to whom I
would much sooner recommend their landlords to allow an _abatement_,
as an encouragement to them to keep their fences, gates, &c. in good
order, than any thing in the shape of an advance. But still, much may
be done to increase the returns from woodland property, by an improved
system of management, and, first, I should advise _a careful assortment
of the stuff after it is felled_: I would here, as in every thing
else, _classify_, by which means, the different kinds, as well as the
different sizes, and shapes, will come into the hands of such persons
as they may exactly suit, instead of jumbling all sorts together, so
that a buyer is obliged to purchase that which he _does not want_, in
order to come at another portion of the same lot which he is desirous
of having.

Secondly: There is room to doubt, I think, as hinted before, whether
mistakes are not often made, in not adapting the produce of woods
better as to its _age_, both to the local demand, and the interests of
the proprietor.

Thirdly: So numerous are the facilities in the present day, to what
they used to be, for the transmission of produce of every kind from one
place to another, and so many demands have, by commercial enterprize,
been opened out, which were altogether unknown a quarter of a century
ago, that it may, even as to heavy produce, like that of woods, be
always questioned, _when the demand is slack, and when prices are low,
whether the local market be indeed the best market_, or whether the
produce may not be much better disposed of in some other way. That
this sometimes occurs, I can prove from my own experience in many
cases, but I will mention only one, which was that of an Ancient Wood,
a twentieth portion of which was felled every year, and in which,
from “mismanagement,” a large quantity of the stuff was annually left
unsold, but where, after the introduction of a better system, the whole
was disposed of without difficulty.

Fourthly: A great increase of revenue may be derived from _a better
mode of managing the stock_, both of timber and underwood: the latter
may, by timely and judicious pruning, by a proper attention to
draining, &c. _be brought to maturity_ at a much earlier period than it
has hitherto been done in many places, and thus, of course, be made to
return a greater rent.

It is incredible how little is done to Ancient Woods compared with
what ought to be done, _in the way of draining, pruning, stubbing
up rubbish_, and _filling up with young plants_; although it is
manifest that, whenever a wood is opened, these important operations
_should_ claim the very particular attention of the proprietor or his
woodman. But they do not receive it; and hence one cannot wonder at
the _stunted, unhealthy_ appearance, which many woods exhibit. They
are almost always without any _effective drainage_, it being generally
thought quite sufficient to open out a few paltry drains, which the
falling leaves of the first Autumn will _choke_ up. It will indeed very
seldom be found, that even the outside ditches are well looked after:
whereas it should always be the anxious concern of the woodman to
provide, as well as he possibly can, for the _effectual drainage_ of
a wood after being felled, not only during a year or two, but for the
term of the whole cycle. Of course I am aware that the leaves _must_
fall, and, consequently, that the free egress of the water must, in
some degree, be _impeded_, but, nevertheless, it is in the power of
the woodman to provide, in a great measure, if not wholly, against
this contingency, by making a sufficient number of ditches, of _ample
capacity_, and by putting them in the best direction. But instead of
this, it will very rarely be found, as I have just now said, that even
the outside ditches are properly attended to. The consequence is,
that the _oaks_, and our best underwood, the ash, not liking too much
moisture, become diseased, and make comparatively slow progress: in
fact, their _existence_ is shortened by it, as the former will be found
upon cold clay land, having a strong subsoil, to be very stunted and
sickly in their appearance, and ultimately to die at the top, when, of
course, they must be cut down; while the latter will much sooner become
hollow, and they too, will finally perish. A small outlay in draining,
if judiciously expended, would, in most cases, prevent these effects,
and as it would only require to be done once in fifteen or twenty
years, it could not lay more than a trifling charge upon the land.

Pruning is also a very necessary operation in Ancient Woods, both of
the oak and of the underwood. I shall not here enter upon an inquiry
into _the general question of pruning_, but, continuing to treat my
subject practically, venture to remark, that, as our woods are now
circumstanced, pruning, of some kind or other, is, as far as the
oak is concerned, quite _indispensable_. Whether it should be by
_fore-shortening_, _close pruning_, or some other method, must be
determined upon an examination taken, but I do not hesitate to express
my belief, that _the pruning of oak trees in woods_, may be almost
wholly dispensed with, after the few first years, _if they are well
trained from the beginning_; but that being the case with very few,
pruning _must_ be resorted to. And as to the underwood, the question
has still less difficulty in it. When a wood is well stocked with
underwood of the right sort, the object to be aimed at by the woodman
is _to bring it to maturity as soon as possible_, and one means which
he possesses, if he will make use of it, is _pruning_; which he should
commence, after one year’s growth, and occasionally repeat—say on
the fourth and sixth years, allowing the intervals to pass without
interfering with it. If this operation be performed as it ought to be,
the stools will have a number of poles proportioned to their size and
capacity of supporting them, and the poles themselves will not only be
more of an uniform size, but they will be much straighter, and on every
account better adapted to the use for which they may be intended. But
if a wood be stocked with nothing but rubbish, such as hazel, birch,
alder, &c. it will not be _worth_ pruning, and the best course to take
with it, would be to _stub it up_, and get rid of it altogether.

Finally, on this point, and more particularly with reference to timber,
if the pruning be _judiciously done_, it will tend greatly to improve
the health of the wood, but _the indiscriminate_ use of the pruning
knife might do much harm, it should, therefore, only be done under the
most careful direction.

_Stubbing up rubbish_, such as _thorns_, _briers_, _birch_, and, in
many places, _hazel_, is much to be recommended, as by this means,
light and air will be admitted more freely, and the health of the wood
promoted, and, of course, its growth facilitated. It is perhaps just
possible, that there may be a few cases where the demand may be such
for birch, hazel, or alder, as to warrant a woodman in keeping them as
a part of his stock; but I have generally found, upon inquiry, that
they have fetched such a miserable price, as to yield very little more
than would pay expences.

_The absolute necessity of filling up with young plants_ must be
universally admitted, although _in practice_, it is very rarely done,
or, if done at all, it is very generally so ill done, as to produce no
perceptible improvement in the stock.

It too often happens that sufficient care is not bestowed in _selecting
the plants_. They are frequently put in _too small_, and when they
are long enough, they are often _deficient in thickness_. All plants
put into old woods, should be of _good size_, _stiff_, and _well
rooted_. Again: it will be admitted, that they are often planted in
a most slovenly and careless manner.—The following is a specimen of
what I have _seen_. The workman takes his spade, and inserts it in
the ground as far as it will go, _in a sloping direction_; he then
raises it to a _perpendicular position_, which, of course, produces a
“_nick_,” into which he _thrusts the plant_, and having put his heavy
foot upon it, there and thus, he leaves it to its fate, and pursues his
ill-directed labour, without a gleam of light breaking in upon him, as
to the possibility of his being more usefully employed, or doing his
work in a more effective manner! In this way, or in some such way as
this, thousands of acres of Ancient Woods are treated every year; but
it must be clear to every one, that such a practice is a disgrace to
those who pursue it. If the workmen are asked their opinion of it, they
will, in most cases, assure you, that the plants will “_all grow_,”
but the misfortune is, that _experience_ is against them. Both theory
and practice are directly opposed to their view. But independently of
facts, which every where condemn such methods, no one acquainted with
the _rudiments_ of the subject, needs to be told, that it is utterly
unlikely that either an oak or an ash plant should grow, under the
manifest disadvantages in which it is placed, when its roots are thus
_jumbled together_, and forced into a “_nick_” fit only for a willow
set; and when, moreover, it has to commence its course in competition
with other underwood, which has already possession of the ground. It is
absurd to suppose that it should succeed.

I do not presume to say that some woods do not receive different
treatment, in _all_ respects, to that which I have denounced: that
would not be true; but these are the exceptions, and even where the
management is best, there is much to complain of.

In commencing the subject of Planting, I am impressed with a sense of
the importance which should be attached to it in such a work as this.
I mean planting by way of filling up, in Ancient Woods. I am quite
aware that it demands such a largeness and comprehension of view, that
it might well be supposed likely to discourage one of stouter nerves
than mine. It is important because, first, every wood in the kingdom
ought to be _well planted_, whether it is or not: It is so, secondly,
because there are very few that are properly planted.

As I have stated before, the infancy of a wood, or plantation, is the
only time when it cannot be expected to pay. After it has arrived at
a certain age, say from fifteen to twenty years, it ought to begin to
make _some_ return. In woods, if they are properly planted, it will
necessarily be small during the first two cycles of twenty years each.
It must be observed, that I am here speaking of the first forty years
of an _Ancient_ Wood, supposing it to have been thoroughly purged
of its rubbish, retaining all the valuable stock, and to have been
re-planted. The return must be small, because the oaks will have been
planted thickly, in order that they may acquire great length of bole:
and this being the case, whatever underwood may have been put in, it
will be treated with direct reference to the health and prosperity of
the entire class of timber trees. After the expiration of the first
cycle, that portion of the stuff put in for underwood will be cut
over, and such pruning of the oak as may be required (which will be
very slight) will be done, care being taken never to lose sight of
the principle of _classification of the oaks, into certain families of
larger or smaller size, according to the term which a skilful woodman
will allot for their entire existence_. This is of immense consequence,
and will embrace calculations, and a knowledge of the habits of trees,
which can only be acquired by “close observation and long experience.”
Where a sufficient number of oaks have been introduced, the _underwood_
will yield very little return per acre, even at the end of the second
cycle; but if the wood has been well managed, it will have been kept
alive and tolerably healthy; and when it is cut, at the end of forty
years, a considerable number of oaks of a useful size for farmers,
wheelwrights, &c. will be taken down: this will admit light and air,
and in a slight degree, perhaps, improve the position of the underwood
during the course of the third cycle.

I need not pursue the subject farther here, having, I trust, succeeded
in opening to the reader a general view of the plan which should be
pursued. But there are other woods where a larger portion, both of
oak and of underwood, will be found, and where, consequently, it
will be more the object of the woodman to improve by _less extensive
measures_ than would be adopted in such a case as the one just
referred to. It will mostly be best to do this by pruning, stubbing,
and planting—always supposing that an effectual drainage has been
secured—and here I would remark, that whenever planting is done in a
wood, it should be as well done as circumstances will possibly allow.
Instead of the “nick” system, or any similar plan, the woodman should
dig holes for the underwood in the Autumn, and plant in February, or
early in March. For oak, he should dig a larger hole, in the Autumn,
give it a Summer fallow, and put in a vigorous, stiff plant, the
Autumn following, or in the February next but one. If some such plan
as this were pursued, there is not much fear but the plants would
grow, and in this way woods may be gradually brought into a prosperous
state, instead of their being, as they now are, in the aggregate, a
_comparatively_ valueless property to their owners.

I may here illustrate my view by a reference to a particular case,
which came under my professional notice. It was a wood held on lease
by a gentleman, under an ecclesiastical body, the lease being for a
certain number of years, renewable upon the payment of a fine every
seven years. Some dissatisfaction was felt by the lessee at the
amount of the fines demanded, and the lease was permitted to _lapse_,
at which time the intrinsic value of the stock, whether of timber
or _underwood_, was literally nothing. The oak was all gone, as it
was quite natural that, with a lease so framed, it should be, and
the underwood, instead of being usefully and beneficially occupying
the ground, of which it then had _entire possession_, was not worth
the trouble of cutting! How different would have been the position
of the lessors in this instance, I need not say, if, during the two
last cycles, when the oaks were becoming very thinly scattered, the
underwood had been cherished, as it most undoubtedly ought to have
been. The neighbourhood was one where there was plenty of demand for
the produce of woods; the particular wood referred to, would have been,
on every account, as good a cover, and all parties would have been
alike interested in the continuance of the lease.

But as I must now very shortly bring such of my “Remarks” as refer to
“Ancient Woods,” to a close, it may be as well just to run over the
whole subject in a recapitulary form, so as to present it to the reader
in a sort of bird’s-eye view.

I have, then, endeavoured to show, that the present state of the
Ancient Woods of this kingdom is very far from what it ought to be,
and fully proves that their owners have paid little attention to
them: that they are almost valueless to them, simply and only for
want of better management: that they are capable of such a degree of
improvement as would insure from them a fair, reasonable return: I have
endeavoured to show this by contrasting the plans of woodmen, if they
can be said to have any, with those which, in my judgment, ought to be
pursued; and I am not aware that I have, upon any one point, exposed
the errors of their course, without suggesting that which I conceive
would be the right one. It is quite impossible, however, to lay down
in a book like this, or in any other, specific rules or directions
which shall constitute a sufficient guide for the manager of woods,
out of the difficulties of a false position, or enable him to reform
the errors of a vicious practice: for, first, not one woodman in fifty
would be convinced, by any process of reasoning, that the present
state of woods is so bad as I have described it to be; and if they
would not admit the existence of the evil, they would not be likely to
perceive the value of any remedial measures that might be recommended.
Next: a difficulty would every where present itself, if woods were
improperly treated, from the woodman feeling that the introduction of
any new plans would, necessarily, involve the condemnation of his own.
Besides all this, as I have remarked before, so many things have to
be considered as to the state of a wood, before a safe opinion could
be given as to the best course to be taken with it, that nothing less
than a minute examination, affording the opportunity of duly weighing
all the circumstances of each particular case, would justify any man in
suggesting a specific course.

In proof of this, I would offer the example of a wood which I will
suppose to be of forty years standing, and to have been started with
as many oak plants as would suffice to insure a sufficient number of
timber trees, possessing ample length of bole, or stem. Upon the plan
of management which I have suggested, there would be, at the second
cutting of the under wood, a certain number of oaks to cut out also,
and from the stools of these, there would start young shoots, which,
if _properly dealt with_, would, with those which would spring from
every subsequent cutting, furnish a succession of timber trees; but if
no care were taken in _nursing_ them, the probability is, that they
would be unfit for timber, and that it would therefore be necessary,
occasionally, to introduce a small number of maiden plants, even as
early as the expiration of the second cycle.




CHAP. II.

PLANTATIONS.


In order to afford some facility to the reader in perusing what I may
write, I shall divide what I have to say into several distinct heads;
and, first, as to the


Present Modes of Planting.

Much may, and probably ought, to be said, on the errors of bad
planters: it is indeed a prolific, as well as an important subject;
and if there were any solid ground on which to rest a hope that an
exposure of all the mistakes which are made in planting, would lead to
the abandonment of such plans and practices as would be shown to be
wrong, it would be a duty worthy the exercise of talents of the highest
order. It does not, however, absolutely _require_ the aid of brilliant
talent, or fervid eloquence, to place these matters in their proper
light before those who are most concerned; a plain reference to facts
will be quite sufficient for that purpose.

The case of an Ancient Wood in an unthrifty and unprofitable condition,
does not stand out so prominently—it is not so glaringly discreditable
to its owner, as is a Plantation in the same state, which has been
made by himself; for as to the former, the fact that “_it always was
so_,” is, to a certain extent, an excuse for bad management; and
in truth, it will generally be found a very difficult affair, as I
have hinted before, to establish a _new system_ where the prejudice
of ages, in favour of an _old one_, will meet the person who may
attempt it, at every turn; but it is not so as to Plantations; when,
therefore, a gentleman decides to plant, and has himself to do with
the work _from the beginning_, both his interest, and his duty, point
out the necessity of his seeing that it be _well done_; but the very
reverse of this, is the _average_ of the general practice, as I shall
presently show. It would be quite foreign to my purpose, to refer to
the minor shades of difference which exist in the practice of planters:
such difference indeed may be met with, between plans which are each
in themselves excellent; I shall content myself, therefore, with
referring, and that in general terms, to the most glaring mistakes
which are committed, giving a few examples.

To an eye that can take in the whole, it is lamentable to see the
effects of ignorance and neglect, in the original formation, as well as
in the subsequent treatment, of Plantations! With many, it seems to be
expected that they will thrive and prosper, no matter how they may be
put in, whereas the very contrary is the fact. With many planters there
is a vague, indefinite notion—of course there is no _calculation_—that
when once they are planted, trees will grow, not only without labour or
culture, but under such adverse circumstances as at once convince the
experienced planter of the utter impossibility of their doing so. As I
have elsewhere said, a _young_ child, a _young_ animal, and a _young_
tree, all require the greatest possible attention, and the tenderest
treatment; and the blighting effects which must result, and which do
result, from _the absence of early attention_, are to be seen quite as
strongly marked in the last, as in the other two.

In numerous instances—and this I shall call mistake the first—the trees
are put in without any _previous preparation of the soil_. It is not
possible, in the ordinary run of cases, to commit a greater error than
this. It is, emphatically, to build upon a bad foundation, and it is
very rarely indeed that Plantations, so commenced, ever make any thing
out. When I say this, I do not mean to assert that they never become
trees of any size: _unfortunately they do_, in some situations, and men
are so ignorant—there is so little real scientific knowledge of the
subject to be met with anywhere—that the most erroneous conclusions are
drawn from this fact. The question as to what a Plantation might have
done, or what it _would_ have done, if it had been properly treated,
is never thought of! No one ever dreams of instituting a comparison
between such a Plantation as _it is_, and _as it ought to have been_.
And yet this is the very first question which should be asked, or
rather which should be _anticipated_.

But the majority of Plantations, which are commenced without any
preparation of the soil, are complete failures, as may be seen by any
one who chooses to take the trouble to examine for himself.

Influenced by a most mistaken notion of economy, many persons plant
their trees on land which is already fully occupied—it may be, by
ling, by bracken, or by long grass, or twitch—and in most cases of
this sort, the greater number die; but there may probably remain a
few which sustain a feeble existence, so as just to make _a show of
a Plantation_, and the owner seldom gives himself the trouble to
attempt to ascertain why it is no better. The method usually adopted,
when planting is done in this way, is, to dig small holes at fixed
distances, into which the plants are put by the workman in the best
manner that he can, and they are left to fight their way as best they
may.

Mr. Withers, of Holt, in Norfolk, has ably, and indignantly, denounced
the hole-digging system, and has shown, most clearly, the advantage
of “_the highest degree of culture_,” for raising timber, whether as
a pecuniary question, or where it is wanted for merely ornamental
purposes. It is true that an opinion at variance with his, has been
given by some, but every practical man will, at once, perceive where
the truth lies; nor will he be at any loss, whether, in the preparation
of a field for planting, to follow the directions of Sir Henry Steuart,
or those of Mr. Withers.

It was the practice of the latter gentleman, to trench his ground
from “fourteen to eighteen inches deep,” and on poor land, to “put
on as much manure as if turnips were intended to be sown,” and to
hoe and keep clean the land, _for seven years after planting_. The
results were, extraordinary rapidity of growth, and a consequent early
and ample return upon the capital invested, in addition to the full
accomplishment of an object, which is, of course, ardently desired by
every planter: viz.: the pleasure of seeing rapidly rise up before him,
a healthy and most promising race of trees.

The second mistake which I shall notice is a very common one; and is
committed by those who _prepare the land well, but, by a bad selection
of plants_, either as to age, or kind, or both, render success
impossible. The error as to _age_ consists, most frequently, in their
being _too old_: that as to the _kind_, in not choosing such as _are
adapted_ to the nature of the soil.

A third class of planters may be met with, who, to a certain extent,
avoid all the mistakes previously referred to, but who commit the
unaccountable blunder of throwing the various kinds promiscuously
together, without any _regard to congeniality as to the plants_; and
in this case, the trees that are really valuable are overtopped, and
mastered by a set of _worthless trash_, which, when full grown, are
hardly worth the trouble of cutting down. _When a Plantation is made
in this barbarous manner, and left in this state for twenty years, or
even less_, no subsequent efforts, however sound the judgment which is
exercised may be, can _wholly_ repair the mischief which is done. By
this mistake, an immense loss of property accrues to the proprietor,
and the worst of all is, that the trite consolation is not left
him, that what is “his loss, is another’s gain,” for here nobody is
benefitted; while to himself there is superadded the mortification of a
_loss of time_, “which no man can restore.”

That the strong language which I have here employed is fully justified,
will at once be admitted by every reflecting person, who has any
acquaintance with these matters; for it will appear at the outset, that
if a slow-growing tree is planted close to one which will grow half as
fast again, and if the slow grower is the tree _intended for timber_,
the latter must inevitably be so much damaged as to affect its health
for ever, if something be not done to relieve it.

I shall not, in this place, “remark” more particularly on this point,
than to say, that I have often seen the oak in this relative position,
with the alder, the birch, the poplar, the larch, and other trees.

To imagine that a comparatively slow-growing tree can be placed in
near contiguity with another whose rate of progress is much quicker,
_without_ receiving injury, is to manifest a want of knowledge of the
habits of trees, which may be excused in an amateur planter, but which
cannot be overlooked in a practical man, who is well paid for his
services.

A fourth error which is committed, is one upon which I have slightly
touched already, and refers to the question of _adaptation of the kind
of tree planted_, first, to _the nature of the soil planted upon_, and
next, _if the object of the planter be profit, to the local demand_.

Most serious mistakes have been committed upon both these points, even
by men whose writings have procured them a niche in the Temple of Fame.
Under this head a few cases will now be referred to.

It is impossible, at this distance of time, to fix the exact amount
of blame, or responsibility, which of right attaches itself to the
name of _Pontey_, for instance, who planted an immense tract of land
near Lincoln, belonging to that splendid charity, Christ’s Hospital:
tradition, which, however, may do him injustice, accuses him of having
contracted to plant with Larch and Oak, and having, on some pretence or
other, substituted Scotch Fir.

Whatever was the precise amount of _responsibility_ attaching to him,
I know not; he might be following out the letter of his instructions,
for ought that I can tell, but it is quite certain that, even with the
then imperfect knowledge which was possessed of the value of larch,
_a very great mistake_ was committed, in planting nearly a thousand
acres of land, which was well adapted both for oak and larch, with
profitless rubbish like that which is now seen upon it. A work of that
magnitude ought not to have been intrusted to any one who, either
from mercenary motives, or from limited views, was capable of falling
into such a gross error, as to the interests of his employers. It is
no exaggeration to say, that if the Skellingthorpe Plantation had
been planted, as it ought to have been, with oak and larch, together
with a few spruce firs, and if Pontey had left _suitable instructions
with those who had to take care of it, after his superintendence had
ceased_, it would now have been, at the most moderate computation,
_fifteen hundred per cent. more valuable than it is_!

If it were _private property_, I should not presume to add what I now
feel myself at perfect liberty to do, with reference to its present
condition, and the future prospect respecting it.

It is at present, almost universally, a _Scotch Fir Plantation_: these
are of a most miserable size, compared with what they might have been,
under good management, and they are withal very coarse. There may be
seen amongst them, just Larches enough to perpetuate the folly of the
original planter; and to excite, at his periodical sales, the keen
regret of the present Steward, that he has not more of them to sell.
There are also a few oaks, of such quality as fully to prove that they
would have thriven well—had they been planted. Further: the Scotch
firs are so thick, and they are _feathered down so low_, that the
Plantation is not _healthy_. It is true that, under the present _much
improved_ management, an attempt is being made to remedy this evil,
and it is quite clear, that the condition of the trees will gradually
be bettered, but the misfortune is—and here I come to speak of the
_prospects_ of the Plantation—that _they are not worth culture_. I have
no hesitation in stating this to be my deliberate opinion. The timber,
if timber it can be called, is worth almost _nothing now_, and, in such
a locality, I can see no probability of its ever realizing, so as to
justify those in whose care it is placed, in continuing it as it is.
The plain and obvious course of the managers of this fine estate, then,
is _to stub up the Scotch fir, and replant the land with oak and larch_.

In further proof of the propriety of this opinion, I would remark that,
in this locality, both oak and larch fetch _very high prices_, and
there are probable grounds for expecting that they always will do so;
while, if the present race of Scotch firs should stand as long again as
they have already stood, they will make comparatively little.

It is not too much to say, that if this Plantation were the property of
a private gentleman, the Scotch firs would be extirpated as speedily
as possible, and a systematic plan, providing that a certain number
of acres should be stubbed and re-planted every year, would at once
be laid down; but public bodies are not so easily moved, and it is
therefore to be feared, that, in this case, the _public_ will not, for
some time to come, derive that benefit from the property, which would
certainly be the result of proper management.

The whole might be re-stocked with suitable kinds of trees, without
any considerable outlay to the hospital, if arrangements were made
with a party capable of carrying out some such comprehensive plan as
the following; viz.: An agreement with a responsible person, carefully
worded, providing that he should stub, or grub up, a stipulated number
of acres at the commencement of a sort of lease, _taking the stuff_,
either in part payment, or wholly, if it were _sufficient_: and that
he should, on such terms as could be agreed upon, continue to grub up,
_and plant_, a specified number of acres every succeeding year.

In twelve years, _if the work were well done_, there would be some
return from the _thinnings of the piece first planted_; and the _rate
of return_ and profit, would, from that time, _continue to increase_
every year, until an amount would be realized which would much more
than equal the largest expectations of the Governors.

I shall only mention one case more, as to the want of adaptation of
the kind of tree _to the soil_, and to the local demand, and that is a
wood belonging to the Right Honourable Lord Middleton, at Stapleford,
near Newark, and which, some years ago, consisted almost entirely of
Scotch fir. It is now of an age and size that enables me to cite it in
proof of the opinion which I have given, relative to the _prospect_
for the Skellingthorpe Plantation. The timber has arrived at a good
marketable size, and is sold at as high a rate as there is any reason
to suppose would be made of the Skellingthorpe Scotch, when it shall
have reached to the same size. That price is _apparently_ moderate,
but it is so inferior in quality, or, perhaps, it is more correct to
say, such a bad opinion is formed of it, by most people, that when it
is converted into boards or scantling, the price it fetches is so low
as to hold out little inducement to Timber merchants to purchase it.
And as to the grower, I am persuaded that, if simple interest upon the
original investment were to be calculated, up to the time when the wood
first began to clear its own expences, and added to the first cost,
it would not be found that there is much surplus over the necessary
expences of management. At all events it would be seen there, as well
as at Skellingthorpe, from the little Larch and Oak which they have
had to sell, that the returns are comparatively small to what they
would have been, if Larch had first been planted along with Oak. This
large Plantation will, in the course of a few years, under the present
enlightened and skilful management, to a great extent, be cleared of
the Scotch firs; in place of which, the noble proprietor will have _a
race of fine oaks_, thus proving, to actual demonstration, the great
mistake which was originally committed, in occupying the land with a
class of trees which, when they have arrived at _maturity_, are of
comparatively little value.

I pass on to remark upon a fifth error. One gentleman will, from
motives of economy, _stick in the plants with as little labour as
possible_: another will aim at the same result, by putting in fewer,
or smaller plants than he ought to do. Both these, and indeed all the
parties, who are influenced by the same narrow and shortsighted views,
greatly err: these are not the _cheapest_, but the _most expensive_,
as well as the worst adapted, modes of planting. To insure a healthy
and vigorous _commencement_ to a Plantation, if that is followed up
by suitable treatment afterwards, is to secure both rapid progress,
and early maturity, and by necessary consequence, the largest possible
amount of pecuniary return.

Lastly, as to modes of planting, and without ranging either party among
those who are clearly and decidedly _mistaken_ in their views, one
class of persons will plant _thickly_, and another class will plant
_thinly_, from various motives, but both without paying due regard to
the capabilities, and adaptation of the soil, and, as is very natural,
in the absence of all calculation, both are frequently subjected to the
same result,—either a partial or complete failure of their expectations.

It is neither my purpose, nor is it in my power, to decide, upon
paper, what is the best average distance at which the trees of a young
Plantation should be placed from each other. Many questions ought to be
previously asked, as many very important considerations will present
themselves to the mind of a practical man, before he will decide.

In the average of cases, where _planting for profit_ is the object, the
question is not one of much practical difficulty; but in many others,
the primary purpose, or the ultimate aim, of the planter—the local
market—the cost of plants, &c. will claim very special attention.

When the object is to beautify the Landscape, or to produce effect in
the immediate vicinity of a Mansion, it will be necessary to set aside
ordinary rules, and to depart from _some_ of the recognized principles
which ought always to govern, in planting for profit. But even here,
nothing should be done, nothing should be attempted, which is not
in strict consistence with those general laws which the principles
of vegetable physiology impose, alike on a Gentleman who removes a
large tree upon the plan recommended by Sir Henry Steuart, and on the
practical Planter, who is professionally employed to plant a large
tract of country.

It is no part of my business to remark upon the merits of the
respective plans which have been tried by different persons, for
enriching the scenery of a Park; but I have no difficulty in saying
that, where it is well understood and properly carried out, the
combination of Sir Henry’s plan, with the judicious arrangement of
small Plantations; putting into a well prepared soil, good, stout,
well-rooted, and vigorous plants, at a considerable distance, will
best effect that object. And as I have referred to Sir Henry Steuart’s
method of removing large trees, it will not be out of place here to
observe, that the _abuse_ of that plan has very frequently brought
it into disrepute, and given birth to the conclusion, that it was
not adapted to the end proposed: and thus blame has fallen on the
ingenious, skilful, and scientific Baronet, instead of its resting
on the heads of those whose “mismanagement” had actually invited the
failures which they were doomed to suffer.

Those who have most carefully attended to Sir Henry’s instructions in
removing large subjects, will have been most successful; and while they
will be the first to admit that the plan is one of very considerable
difficulty, and requiring the greatest possible amount of attention;
they will be the most powerful and decided witnesses in its favour, for
the purposes for which it is here recommended.

But when Plantations on a large scale are desired, and when the planter
considers his _posterity_ more than himself, there can be no doubt at
all, that, on certain qualities of soil, _tolerably thick_ planting
is best. And if it be desired to have a race of fine noble Oaks, they
must be put in _very thick_, and the planter must not expect, during a
life of average duration, _any profit at all_; for, in order to secure
his object, he must, first, _prepare the ground well_: and next, he
must either _sow acorns_, or he must put in _an immense number of
plants_—and, in either case, he will incur a heavy outlay. He must, for
the first seven years, _keep the ground clean_, and he must plant along
with the Oak, a selection of those kinds of trees, _as nurses_, which
are best adapted to the purpose, and not those which might probably, at
the earliest period, find their way into the _local_ market, and make
the best price when there; although these points should not be left out
of consideration.

But now, the question as to planting, or sowing, or, if the former be
preferred, that of the distance of the plants, being settled, the next
which presents itself is this: what kinds shall be planted as the


Nurses for the Oak.

Here again, a good deal will depend upon the object of the planter, the
nature of the soil, and the exact arrangements which are made at the
time of planting; for it might be quite proper to plant a species of
Tree in one place, while, owing to a difference in the staple or the
condition of the soil, it would be just the reverse in another.

The remarks which I shall have to make on this subject have, in some
degree, been anticipated by the observations which I have already
made, respecting the Skellingthorpe Plantation, but a more particular
reference to a few well-known kinds, may not be amiss.

I begin with the _Larch_, which, from its great value to Farmers and
others, is fairly entitled to precedence.

The Larch is found, in greater or smaller proportions, in most places
where Plantations are made; and it is entirely the planter’s fault, if
he be not well acquainted with its character, as a nurse for Oak. I say
this, because it has been so extensively tested, and its habits are so
well known, that no one, having the slightest wish to become acquainted
with it, can have failed for want of opportunity.

I have very often seen the Larch where it has proved an exceedingly bad
nurse; where, in fact, instead of nursing the Oaks, it has destroyed
them: but this has, of course, arisen from “mismanagement,” and might
have been avoided. When good, stiff, healthy Oak Plants are put in
with Larch only, or but with very few of any other sort, the Larch
ought not, in the first place, to be put _too near_—the exact distance
can only be determined relatively to that of the Oaks—secondly: an
advantage should be given to the Oaks, if possible, _at the start_;
either by assigning them a portion of the soil from the land intended
for the Larch, or in some other way; after which, if the latter are
constantly watched, they will approve themselves very suitable and
valuable nurses; but if they are allowed, as they too generally are,
to take the lead of the Oak, they will plentifully avail themselves of
the licence, to the serious and, perhaps, irreparable injury of that
plant.

For large Plantations, intended for profit, it may be questioned
whether, in the first instance, any thing else than Oak and Larch
should be planted, and the distance must be decided after due
consideration is given to the quality and condition of the land.

If, however, a disposition is felt to plant other kinds, as nurses,
there can be no objection, provided that their companionship is made
fully to square with the well-being of the trees intended for timber.

But where it is intended to introduce nothing that shall not act as a
good nurse for the Oak, exception must certainly be taken to the Alder,
the Poplars, the Sycamore, the Horse Chesnut, the Birch, and the Scotch
Fir, &c. Not one of these discovers any congeniality for the Oak, nor
any fitness for the office of nursing it; and it does really appear to
my mind, as most unaccountably strange, that trees of all sorts should,
without forethought, or calculation—and most particularly, that no
reference should be made to their suitability or adaptation for the
circumstances in which they are to be placed—be planted at a greater
cost than would have sufficed to procure an ample number of the right
sort.

Upon a suitable soil, the Spruce Fir has always appeared to me, to
be decidedly and incomparably the best nurse of the Oak. I have, for
instance, often seen, on a clay soil, a Spruce Fir, and an Oak of
twenty-five years growth, flourishing admirably, in close proximity
with each other—even within a foot and a half. I do not think that this
could be said of any other tree than the Spruce Fir; but besides this,
there is almost always a very peculiar healthiness about the Oaks,
where the Spruce has been planted and cherished as the principal nurse.
There seems to be the best possible understanding between them—no
struggling for pre-eminence—no blighting influence exercised by the one
over the other. But the Spruce Fir is not found to flourish so well on
some soils as on others: it will therefore, mostly, be advisable to
unite with it, for a number of years, the _Larch_, which may be so
placed as to be all weeded out during the course of thinning, which
ought to commence in a few years after planting, and go on until there
remains nothing but Oak in possession of the ground.

In concluding my remarks on Planting, I cannot help referring to the
specimens of sowing and thick planting, which may be seen on the
extensive estate of the Duke of Portland, at Welbeck, and in that
neighbourhood. It has always been His Grace’s practice, either to sow
Acorns, or to plant Oaks, in alternate beds, having Larch between. If
the Oaks were planted, they were put in _very thickly_; and although
their progress was necessarily slower than it would have been, if they
had been allowed more room, it cannot be doubted that His Grace had a
great advantage in the almost unlimited choice which it gave him, of
trees _of perfect form_, for the ultimate crop of timber.

The system of _thick planting_ has been fully carried out: having
prepared the ground well, His Grace appears to have never lost sight,
for an instant, of the young trees that he had undertaken to rear:
there has been no mistaken practice—no niggardly economy—no ruinous
neglect, rendering all his previous care abortive, and sacrificing his
large outlay at the commencement. When the Plantations have required
attention, they have evidently had it.

The admirer of fine timber will see, in the Duke’s Plantations and
grounds, some of the most perfectly formed trees that can be conceived
of, and that not on a small scale, but to an extent as comprehensive as
that truly noble Duke’s genius, of whom it may probably be said that
he unites, in his mind and person, as many of those qualities which
constitute true Nobility, as any Gentleman of his day.

It is not in the power of my feeble pen to show the immense amount
of good which has accrued to the immediate neighbourhood, from the
employment of the poor in the locality, in carrying on, and in
completing, those splendid improvements which His Grace has originated,
and which have caused the literal desert to “blossom as the rose”: much
less can I describe the area of the vast circle, within which the most
beneficial effects have been felt, from the influence of the noble
Duke’s example, while perfecting, as he has done, his various plans for
the improvement of his fine estate.

In the Welbeck Plantations will be found, as I have said, a class
of trees, most perfectly suited to the situations where they stand,
and giving the surest promise of future superiority: but what, let
me ask, would have been the quality of the Oaks, if the noble Duke
had jumbled together an incongruous admixture of _various sorts_, as
has been recommended by various writers of eminence, even in our own
day? I am not disposed to enter into a controversy with any of those
who have recorded their opinions in their writings, otherwise I might
have plenty of work on my hands: it will be quite as much as ought
to be expected from me, if I defend my own: but I would just quote a
single paragraph from an interesting and useful, but, on some points,
incorrect volume, published by “The Society for the diffusion of
Useful Knowledge.” It is entitled “Useful and Ornamental Planting.”
The passage to which I refer, will be found in the 43rd page, and runs
thus:

“_Simple Plantations_ consist of one or two species of trees only;
_mixed Plantations_ of many different species. The latter, on suitable
soils, are the most profitable: they afford an earlier, more permanent,
and a larger return for Capital than simple Plantations.”

In a book where there is so much to commend, where so many valuable
practical directions are given, it cannot but excite regret, to meet
with a paragraph so vague and unsatisfactory as the above; for I cannot
but remark, that if any planter should adopt the suggestion which is
thrown out, it will end in disappointment and loss. It will, in my
judgment, generally be best for the planter to select such trees for
nurses as are most congenial, and best adapted to the local market; and
surely these will not be the Birch, the Beech, the Alder, or the Scotch
Fir; none of which are ever found to answer the purpose of nursing
the more valuable timber trees, or of securing a fair return for the
investment of capital.

It is true that the opinion which I have quoted, is afterwards
qualified by the remark, that certain “circumstances connected with the
growth of the various species of forest trees, effectually control
the planter in his modes of arrangement, &c.” but even with this
limitation, the planter is liable to be misled, for he is not taught to
set a higher value upon the Larch, which may in almost every locality
be planted with a much better chance of profit, than the other kinds
with which it is ranked, and which ought therefore, if profit be the
object, for that reason alone, to be preferred.

In any thing else but planting, the mischief of such a mistake,
as producing that which was worthless when produced, would, in a
short time, have cured itself; but so little of science, or even of
common calculation, have been brought to bear upon the practice of
Arboriculture, that, notwithstanding the evidence which is every where
to be met with, of serious “loss and disappointment,” for want of
calculation, these matters go on very much as they “always have done.”

Finally, as to planting, it must, in every case, be perfectly clear
to one who is competent to judge, that, whether the object be profit
merely, or the embellishment of the landscape, the land ought to be as
well prepared as circumstances will permit, and that _such species of
trees should be preferred, as are best adapted to the specific object
of the planter_.

The distance at which the plants shall be put in, is more a matter of
opinion than some planters would be inclined to admit. For myself, I am
disposed to think, that some advantages are lost to a Plantation, under
certain combinations of soil and circumstances, when it is planted
_thickly_, but I would not either rate the loss too highly, or express
my opinion, with unseemly positiveness: my notion is, that the supposed
advantages of planting thickly may generally be supplied by _early,
judicious pruning_, and that the progress of the Plantation would be
facilitated thereby: that, in fact, a Plantation of trees at a distance
of three feet, being properly assorted, having had a good start,
and suitable treatment in all respects afterwards, would reach any
given point as to size, and quality, in less time than would another
Plantation, upon the same soil, if the method of either sowing acorns,
&c., or planting very thickly, were adopted. In saying this, I by no
means wish to condemn the practice of thick planting; to do this, in
the face of proofs of success, such as I have described as existing
in this country, would be an absurdity of which I would not willingly
be guilty; but at the same time, I would not hesitate to range myself
among those who _prefer_, under ordinary circumstances, to plant at
a moderate distance, and rely upon _early pruning_, for securing the
object which the close planter has in view, viz., length of bole, or
stem, and clearness of grain.

I come now to remark upon the


Present mode of managing Plantations after they are made.

Abiding still, most strictly, by the rule laid down for myself, to
deal with every part of my subject practically, I proceed to observe,
that the instances where Plantations are treated with due regard to
the principles of Arboricultural science, are not the rule, but the
exceptions to the rule, as every scientific planter, who has looked
round him, must know.

Instead of the trees intended for timber being nursed with the
tenderest care from their infancy—instead of their being treated
according to the known and fixed laws which regulate, and effectually
control, the economy of vegetable life, whether men attend to them
or not—they too frequently meet with treatment which is in direct
opposition to those laws. I shall show this as clearly, and as plainly,
as I can.

When a gentleman has decided to plant, when he has fixed upon the right
mode of doing it, and has finished it in a proper manner; so far he
has done all that could be expected from him; but if, after this, he
leaves his Plantation to itself for five, ten, or fifteen years, he
transgresses the laws to which I have referred; and his error is one of
_omission_.

Again: were the same gentleman, after the lapse of ten years, or even
less, to enter his Plantation, and cut and thin _very freely_, he would
violate those laws by an error of _commission_, and in this case, as
well as the other, the Plantation would very materially suffer.

A Plantation which should be subjected, at so early a stage of its
existence as ten or fifteen years, to the ordeal of both these classes
of errors, could have but little chance of succeeding: it could not be
expected to make any more than very slow progress after such treatment
as this: and yet this is exactly the way in which many Plantations are
managed, at _all_ stages of their growth. I have recently met with
a splendid Larch Plantation, which has never been thinned, from the
first, except by “fits and starts”; of which injudicious treatment, I
could see very serious “outward and visible signs.” Although it is upon
exceedingly weak and poor land, it would have produced, _if it had been
properly managed_, a fine class of Larches, which would have yielded
to the proprietor an abundant return upon his outlay. If any one doubt
this, let him look around and see if he cannot find a Plantation of
forty or fifty years growth, which is crowded with trees—say of Larch
only—and he will, upon examination, perceive that there are two or
three distinct classes of trees still standing, all of which ought,
long before, to have been taken out; and that there is _but one class
of Larches_, probably, which should be standing. The other two classes
which I have just mentioned, would be found, if the fact could be
clearly come at, very nearly of the same size as they had been many
years before; inasmuch as they could not possibly make any wood, being
themselves overtopped by their more thriving and vigorous neighbours.
It is perfectly obvious too, that the injury arising to the Plantation
would not stop here. So long as under-strappers were allowed to remain,
they would, to a certain extent, have the effect of preventing the
admission of light and air into the Plantation, which would materially
affect the health and the progress of the standard trees.

The errors of _omission_ are both serious and numerous: those of
_commission_, great though they be, are not equally so. The former
are generally first in the order of time, for where one Plantation is
injured from _too early thinning_, there are ten that suffer for the
want of it; and this early neglect affects the vitality and prosperity
of a Plantation much more than might be supposed. Omitting to do what
ought to be done will, however, be very prejudicial to the health of
Plantations at any stage of their existence, and it is quite well known
to the experienced Forester, that they ought ever to be watched with
most tender care, until the planter is fully satisfied that he has
completed the nursing and training of a sufficient number of standard
trees, to furnish the ultimate crop.

But errors of omission sometimes admit of remedy; whereas, if injury is
committed by excessive thinning, or by cutting down trees which ought
to have remained, it is often difficult, and sometimes impossible,
to repair the mischief that is done. Both the errors to which I have
alluded, must be avoided by the planter who would desire to have a
healthy and _continuously thriving_ Plantation.

Having considered well the following points, viz., the preparation of
his land—the selection of the species of trees that he will plant—their
size and quality—and the distance at which they shall stand from each
other, he must remember that, from the very first, they will not only
require, but they will well pay for, his closest attention. During
the first seven years, he may, probably, have little else to do at
them than to _keep the land clean_; but this will, in some degree,
depend upon the distance which he has chosen for them; and on the kind
which he intends for the final crop of timber. But whatever _they_ may
be—whether the Oak alone, or along with some other species, the trees
intended for timber will demand the peculiar, the unremitted, attention
of the planter: his object must ever be to deal with all the rest, with
distinct, direct, and positive reference to _the careful nursing of
those_: and it must always be borne in mind, that whatever be the fate
of the _nurses_, those which I will again distinguish from the rest,
by calling them the _standard trees_, must, if possible, be kept in
vigorous health. This can only be done, concurrently with the ultimate
object of securing great length of bole, by _pruning_ of some sort or
other. If the trees are so planted as to insure _natural_ pruning,
no other, _except of the nurses_, will be required, but the first
operation will be _thinning_; which should be done with great care and
judgment. Where it is not so done, it is more than probable that trees
will be taken which should have been left, and the contrary. As it
respects the Oak, the principal point to be aimed at is, to spare all
those, as the thinning goes on, that have the best defined heads. This
will be an easy matter with an experienced and well-taught planter,
or woodman, and the difficulty, if any there be, will be less at each
succeeding thinning, as the heads of the trees develope themselves.

But when trees are not planted so thickly as to insure length of
bole by natural pruning, they must be pruned with the knife and the
bill-hook, and the earlier the operation is begun, the better.

I doubt not but some of my readers will stamp this advice with
their unqualified disapprobation. It may be very good and correct
notwithstanding. My own experience, as well as that of many others whom
I have consulted, convinces me that the notion, which so extensively
prevails, as to the injurious effects of pruning, is _decidedly
incorrect_. It may have had its origin in the evidence of injury to
timber, which has been furnished by _injudicious pruning_; and thus
what would have else been universally seen to be necessary, has come
to be almost universally condemned: but this is a common error, and has
been too often shown, to render it necessary for me to expose it here.
Some very valuable observations on pruning have been published by Mr.
Main, in his excellent little work, entitled “The Forest Planter and
Pruner’s Assistant.” At page 53, the following paragraph occurs: “But
the only part of a woodman’s duty which does not appear to be well
defined, or at least not generally agreed upon by practical men, is
relative to the necessity of carefully pruning and managing the trees
during the first fifteen or twenty years of their growth.”

I quote the last member of the above with entire approbation: that is,
so far as the necessity for pruning is recognized in it: and I further
think, that the reasons which are given by Mr. Main for pruning, and
the manner in which he has illustrated his principle—the clear and
satisfactory way in which he has treated the whole subject—entitle him
to the confidence, and to the thanks, of all who are interested in the
growth of trees. But I am very far indeed from agreeing with him in the
opinion so adventurously given, that “the best methods of preparing
the ground for the reception of the plants—manner of transplanting—the
soils most suitable for each species—are all _thoroughly_ and
_universally_ understood.” My belief is, on the contrary, that
comparatively few planters, or woodmen, _do_ “_thoroughly_” understand
these matters. If they did, their practice would not be so extensively
wrong as it is. If it were so, why have planters so widely differed?
Why is there seen such discrepancy in their modes of management?
But what does Mr. Main wish his readers to understand by the term
“_practical men_”? If he refer to those who have the oversight and the
direction of the practical operations included in the “preparation of
the soil for the reception of the plants—manner of transplanting—the
soils most suitable for each species, &c.”; and if he wish to convey
the idea that, by this class of persons, these points are “_thoroughly
and universally understood_,” I hold him to be wholly and widely wrong:
but if he only mean that _scientific men_, who have well studied
the subject, and who have written upon it, and _really intelligent
woodmen_, are agreed as to the best practice, I do not greatly differ
from him; nor do I conceive that the main point, at which I have aimed
in this publication, will be at all affected by any concession which
I make to this effect: my principal object has been, and will be, to
show that, however clearly and strongly may have been shown, _the
propriety of acting in conformity with the principles of science_,
in the original formation of Woods and Plantations, in the planting
of Hedge-row Timber, and in the general management of them all, the
_practice_ of “_practical men_,” has been, “except as before excepted,”
so bad, that the most charitable conclusion which can be drawn is, that
they “_thoroughly_” _misunderstand_ almost every part of the subject!
It seems rather to me, that instead of there being only one point in
their practice on which they need enlightenment, that there is but
one on which they may be said to agree, and that is in a _thorough_
contempt for all rules, all principles, all science! in other words,
that this class of persons has displayed an amount of ignorance,
(which, however, has been more their _misfortune_ than their _fault_,)
and the want of a proper apprehension of the nature and extent of their
obligations, and duties, which has no parallel in the management of
any other description of property.

But this is a digression: I pass on, therefore, to the question of
_pruning_, on which I would again commend to the notice of my readers,
the valuable remarks of Mr. Main, as well as some excellent practical
observations from the pen of that veteran in the service, Francis
Blakie, Esq., late Steward to the Earl of Leicester, from whose
small pamphlet, entitled “A Treatise on the Management of Hedges and
Hedge-row Timber,” the most useful information may be gathered.

Mr. Main’s is an able and lucid examination of the question of pruning,
and, to my thinking, most fully and satisfactorily settles it. He shows
that when pruning is properly done, and when it is commenced _early_
enough, and so managed as to secure the desired result in fifteen or
twenty years, it may not only be done with safety, and without material
injury to the timber, but that no other plan or practice will answer
so well. This he clearly proves upon scientific data, familiarly
illustrated by numerous plates, and confirmed by practical statements.

If, however, it were only from _neglecting to prune_ that the
Plantations of this kingdom had gone wrong, the “mismanagement” would
not have furnished a subject for remarks so strong as it now does; but,
as I have stated over and over again, the practice is, in most cases
and on many accounts, at every stage of their progress, almost as bad
as it can be.

The treatment which a Plantation ought to receive, may be comprised in
a very few words. The principals will require pruning from an early
period after being planted, and the pruning must be continued, more or
less, according to circumstances, either every year or every alternate
year, until it is from fifteen to twenty years old; and, during the
same period, a small portion of _thinning_ will probably be required.
As to the _nurses_, they must be watched constantly after the fourth
year, and they must be treated with sole reference to the prosperity
of the other trees; _they_ may, therefore, be pruned, or lopped in
any way that will best subserve that end. Of course I am now speaking
of Plantations where the trees are not put nearer to each other than
three feet, and when, in consequence, they must have _artificial_
pruning.

In cases where pruning begins _soon enough_, the question which has
been raised as to the manner of doing it—whether by _close_ pruning,
_snag_ pruning, or fore-shortening—will not apply. All the principals
should be _close pruned_ with a sharp instrument, care being taken
not to wound the bark too extensively. The principle to be kept in
view at all times, when dealing with a Plantation, is, _to subject it
to no sudden changes_, but when pruning is found to be insufficient,
to commence a course of _gradual thinning_, which shall not, in any
considerable degree, at any period, _disturb the temperature of the
Plantation_. If this point be duly attended to, and a sound judgment
be exercised in selecting the principals, the planter’s most sanguine
expectations will not be disappointed.

So far as I have ventured to offer suggestions for the _proper_
management of Plantations, I have intended them to apply to such as are
not over twenty years of age; but it is well known to all who concern
themselves in such matters, that a class of Plantations ranging above
that age, up to forty or fifty, may be met with in various localities,
which stands much in need of better “management.” In all cases of great
neglect, which has been continued more than twenty years, the nicest
judgment is necessary. The difficulty is, however, always in proportion
to the _degree_ of neglect. Where the trees have been put in thickly,
and nothing, or almost nothing, has been done, little can be expected
even from the most judicious treatment; but still the means ought to be
tried, for one thing is quite certain, viz., that the longer remedial
steps are put off, the less chance there must be of their doing any
good.

If, when the Plantation has been thus neglected, a person is called in
who does not fully understand what he is about, irreparable mischief
will be done: he is almost sure to thin _too freely_. A proprietor of
long neglected Plantations must, therefore, be well assured beforehand,
that the person he employs will be guided in the course he takes by
correct views, both practical and scientific, upon the whole subject;
and when such is the case, the most suitable and appropriate plans will
be adopted.

Should any one demand of me before I close, some data on which he may
judge whether or not a Plantation is in a condition requiring unusual
attention, I offer the following:

First: If, upon examination, it be found that the trees intended for
timber have not an aspect and position superior to the others which are
around them:

Secondly: If, at any period after twenty years from the time of
planting, it be found difficult to identify and point out the trees
which are to be the final crop:

Thirdly: When there are any decided indications of a want of health and
vigour, there is proof sufficient that something more is required to
be done than has yet been done. The grosser cases of Plantations which
have never been entered for any purpose, for five, ten, fifteen, or
twenty years together, need not be pointed at. Every one who sees them
must perceive the necessity of their being relieved without loss of
time. No plant, of which we have any knowledge, can exist without light
and air, and in proportion to the extent to which they are excluded
from Plantations, will be the injurious effect produced upon the health
of the trees. In fact, it may be laid down as a universal rule, that
_in proportion to the judgment and discrimination which are exercised
in gradually admitting both light and air into Plantations, of almost
every description_, will be their healthy progress.

I conclude my remarks on this part of my subject by observing that,
having admitted, as I most fully and readily do, that a _few_
instances may be met with in almost every county where the science of
Arboriculture is tolerably well understood, and its principles carried
out, I must still contend that cases enough may be found—First; of a
want of preparation of the ground: Secondly; of an improper selection
of plants, either as to kind or size: Thirdly; of an unsuitable
admixture of them: Fourthly; of mistakes committed as to their
distance from each other: Fifthly; when they are injured for want of
early attention: Sixthly; when injury is done to them for want of,
or from imprudent, or excessive, thinning, to fully justify me, or
any one else, in bringing before the public the “_mismanagement_” of
Plantations.




CHAP. III.

HEDGE-ROW TIMBER.


In commencing this, the third part of my subject, I am fully impressed
with a sense of its magnitude and difficulty; and nothing but a
thorough conviction resting on my own mind, of the truth of the
position which I have taken with reference to the _present state_, and
the _present management_ of Hedge-row Timber, would have emboldened
me to give expression to views which cannot but be unpalatable to
many, however just they may be, and however strong their claim, to the
serious notice of others. I am fully prepared to expect that censure
may be dealt out by some, in not very measured terms, but this does not
move me: having nothing but a plain, unvarnished tale to tell, I shall
tell that tale as fearlessly as if I were about to pour sweetest music
into the ears of those who may read. I know whereof I speak; and while
I have as little fear of any one _successfully attempting to disprove
what I shall advance_, as I have at present, I can contemplate, without
a single disturbed feeling, the liability to which I shall assuredly
expose myself, of having sundry missiles thrown at me by those who
are deeply implicated in the present “mismanagement” of this valuable
property. Thus much with reference to those who are in offices of
trust and confidence, as the managers of Woods, Plantations, and
_Hedge-Rows_, if any such shall favour me with a perusal. But I may not
proceed any further, before I say a few words in deprecation of the
displeasure of a more important class of persons who will, I trust,
do me the honour to read my “Remarks”; I mean, the proprietors of
Hedge-row Timber. To these—or rather to that portion of them who have
hitherto paid little attention to this part of their property—I would
say, let my observations be “weighed in the balances,” and, if they are
“found wanting,” let these be set against what cannot be called more
than a venial error—an error of judgment—the strong, the ardent desire
that I have to see introduced the correction of what I have, at least,
_deemed_ to be, a serious mischief.

If Hedge-row Timber has been “mismanaged”—and who can doubt it—on whom
shall the blame fall? As I have more than once said before, _not_ on a
class of men who, from their education, must necessarily be limited to
the mechanical duties connected with their office, but on the Owners
of Timber, from whom either directly, or through the agency of persons
duly qualified, such rules and regulations ought to proceed, as would
insure a better system of management. Practices are allowed, and such
a state of things is permitted by the proprietors of Hedge-row Timber,
as abundantly prove that many of them have never either understood its
value, or given themselves the trouble to enquire whether it was under
a course of suitable treatment or not.

I have stated that I consider the question which I am handling a
difficult one. I feel it to be so—not because I have any difficulty
in proving “mismanagement” on the part of those who have to do with
the timber of our hedges—not because I can feel a _doubt_ that my
statements will carry conviction along with them; but because I must
necessarily come into collision, both with the refined tastes, and with
the prejudices, of many of my readers. For instance: if I assert, as
I do without any hesitation, that many Noblemen and Gentlemen suffer
their Hedge-row Timber _to stand much too long_—where is the admirer of
the beauties of landscape scenery, who will not instantly, and perhaps
indignantly, throw down my book, and charge me with being the most
presumptuous of grumblers, and, as to _taste_, a very heretic!

If to such a charge as this I plead “not guilty,” as, after all that
can be said, I really must do, I am aware that I must be prepared with
a very strong defence. I think I am so prepared. My defence will rest
on three principal points, which it will be my endeavour to bring
out in the course of my “Remarks: viz.: First; I shall show that the
magnitude of the sacrifice which arises from Hedge-row Timber being
suffered to stand so long, is disproportionate to the good resulting
from it. Secondly; that the embellishment of a landscape does not
necessarily include _the perpetuity_ of any one race of timber trees.
And thirdly; that the present mode of “mismanaging” Hedge-row Timber,
is a perpetual offence against good taste.”

Although I have arranged my three propositions as above, I do not
intend to bind myself to take them up again, and dispose of them
in consecutive order: I have neither time nor the ability to adapt
my “remarks” to the niceties of exact logical arrangement; it will
be sufficient for me, if I shall succeed in leaving upon the minds
of those who may read them, an impression of their truth. If that
result is arrived at, it surely will be quite sufficient to draw the
particular attention of proprietors to the subject; which will be more
than half way towards securing the improvement which is so loudly
called for; and that would be as much perhaps, as could at once be
reasonably expected.

It may not be amiss to glance for an instant, at the value of the
property about which I am writing. Few people, I imagine, have any
proper conception of the aggregate amount. It is, of course, impossible
to offer more than a conjecture on the subject; but probably it is not
less, in England alone, than One Hundred Millions sterling!

It is quite clear that a course of management which only, in some of
its details, falls short of what it ought to be, would involve, as it
affected such an immense investment, a very serious loss to somebody.
How much more serious then, must it be, if, not only some of the minor
details of management, but the entire course of treatment, be radically
wrong, as it respects a considerable proportion, and very defective
indeed as to the remainder? It would be a waste of time to stop here
with a view to argue, in proof of what must appear to every one to be
nothing less than an _axiom_.

That proprietors of Hedge-row Timber are not solely influenced by
considerations of taste in their management of it, is most evident
to an experienced eye; but the _heavy loss_, which is consequent
upon allowing it to stand so long, has, probably, never been fairly
understood by them, or some efforts would have been made to prevent it.

If a Nobleman or Gentleman merely suffered his timber to stand _beyond
maturity_ in the neighbourhood of his house, or on the domain where
his mansion stood, however extensive it might be:—or if he generously
spared the trees which, though at a great distance from his residence,
were so placed as to enrich, if not constitute the principal beauty
of, some splendid scene in nature, no one, who possesses a grain of
taste, would regret it, but, on the contrary, would feel grateful for
this sacrifice to one of the most hallowed emotions of the heart,
when surveying the Creator’s works, which are all perfect; and the
touches of whose pencil are all loveliness—whether as seen in the
refreshing beauty of foliage which distinguishes the vernal season, or
the mellowed minglings of Autumn’s enchanting exhibitions: but when it
is considered, that a majority of the Nobility and Gentry, thus treat
their _remote_ and even _most distant_ estates, where besides, there
is nothing particularly attractive in the scenery, the propriety of
the course which they pursue may, I think, be fairly questioned. Some
other reason therefore, than a deference to the principles of good
taste must be found, in order to account for their conduct; and in
looking round for a reason I should say, a good deal must be set down
to _indifference_, and _pure neglect_. This I say, because it will
_not_ admit of question, that _a most extensive loss_ arises, both to
themselves, and the community in consequence; and it is not often that
gentlemen wilfully close their eyes to the importance of pecuniary
considerations, except there is some powerful and justifiable reason
which leads them to do so.

Without speculating further as to the precise cause, it is certain that
the amount of property which is thus wasted, absolutely wasted—and
in almost every case without any advantage to any party whatever—is
enormous, as it would be easy to show by statistical details and
calculations, applying to any estate where this _horror of felling
timber_ may have existed for half a century. Were this accurately done,
there could not but be such a showing, as would fully establish the
truth of what I have advanced. There would indeed be no difficulty
in fixing upon an estate, in any locality, which would illustrate my
position, but I shall not here attempt it, for various reasons, which
will be obvious to all. It would be travelling beyond the bounds of
legitimate remark, were I to refer _to any particular estate_, and
any other references, however accurate in point of fact, would not
be sufficiently specific. I would rather recommend any gentleman
whose estate may be pretty well covered with timber, already, or long
since, arrived at maturity, to make as near an estimate as he can of
its present value, or procure it to be made; and having calculated
the amount which would be exhibited of the gross sum at _compound
interest_, for any given term of years, then let him “try back,” and
endeavour to ascertain what, according to this mode of calculation, may
have been his individual loss. But when a gentleman coolly makes up his
mind to allow his Timber Trees to go to decay without ever _intending_,
or _wishing_, to make any thing of them, why then, in that case,
nothing can be advanced, but to suggest the means of protracting their
existence to the longest possible period.

It is impossible not to do homage to the feeling which prompts a
gentleman to make so large a sacrifice to taste, as to suffer the
greater part of his Hedge-row and detached Timber to perish by slow
decay; but if it can be proved that he acts upon _mistaken views_,
and that, by a better system of management, his object might be
gained without the very serious pecuniary loss which, on the other
plan, he must necessarily suffer, it cannot be doubted that such a
suggestion ought to command his instant attention. It will hardly
be denied, I think, by any one who fully understands the subject,
that _such a regular succession_ of Timber Trees in the Fields and
Hedge-rows might be secured by a proper system of management, as
would sustain and perpetuate the beauties of the landscape, while, at
the same time, _nearly_ every tree should be taken in its turn as it
arrived at maturity. It would, of course, require an entire change
of system, or rather of practice, and the change would necessarily
involve a considerable outlay, inasmuch as a constant supervision
would be required from the time of planting, but whatever might be the
expense, it would be amply returned; and whatever might be the apparent
difficulty, it would not be such but that skill and perseverance would
be sure to surmount it.

If then the objection which would be made by the man of taste, to
the felling of Hedge-row and detached Timber, could be effectually
obviated, by providing a regular succession to take the place of such
as might be cut down—for the difference of a few yards in the _site_
need hardly be taken into the account—one great difficulty, at least,
would be overcome; and instead of wasting, as is done under the present
practice, a quantity of Timber, the aggregate value of which makes
it an object of _national_ importance, the growers might take down
their trees when they arrived at maturity, and thus produce a constant
supply of the best sort for home consumption: and it will not surely be
argued by the most determined advocate for free trade, that it would
be for the interest of the English Gentleman to give a higher price
for Foreign Pine than he would be able to make of home-grown Oak! No!
emphatically No!! When the navy requires it, by all means let it be so
appropriated, and if the demand be sufficient from that quarter, the
relative price will be kept up, but let not English heart of Oak be
reduced in our home market below the value of an inferior article,
with all the costs of transit added to the original price. This were
indeed to show a most extravagant and unaccountable preference of a
crotchet over the obvious dictates of reason, and the suggestions of
prudence. It would indeed be to drop the substance, and grasp at the
shadow.

I trust I may now conclude that I have satisfactorily proved,
not only that the “magnitude of the sacrifice which the present
practice involves is disproportionate to the good resulting,” but
that “the embellishment of a landscape does not necessarily include
the perpetuity of any one race of Trees.” In handling the remaining
proposition, and in endeavouring to prove that the present treatment of
Hedge-row Timber is “a perpetual offence against good taste,” I shall
at the same time, be accumulating evidence in support of the other two.

It is proper to remark before I proceed any further, that when I speak
of Timber being allowed to stand too long, and of the consequent heavy
loss upon it to the proprietors, I refer to such as belongs to the
Nobility and Gentry, for, although their example has in this, as well
as in every thing else, _some_ effect upon those below them, it does
happen that, in this respect at least, the _middle classes_ are wiser
in their day and generation than their superiors, the Timber upon small
estates being generally taken down at an earlier period than on large
ones. There is indeed among the higher orders—of course with a few
exceptions—a prejudice against felling Timber, older than the oldest
Timber Tree in existence; and as _strong_ as the most enthusiastic
admirer of the beauties of landscape scenery can desire it to be: and
so far is this feeling carried, that, by many, Timber of the most
unsightly character, and in situations where it can be associated with
no idea connected with the scenery, is religiously spared, and spared
long after it has ceased to be either useful or ornamental where it
stands.

Having ventured thus strongly to point out the loss to proprietors,
I will now show, by an example, how the community is affected by the
disinclination to fell one particular kind of timber; viz., the Ash.
This tree is hardly ever cut down before it becomes exceedingly tender;
and as almost every agricultural implement is either wholly, or partly
composed of it, the consumers—those who wear out the wagons and carts,
the ploughs and harrows—are proportionate sufferers; for it cannot
for a moment be supposed, that timber which is in the last stage of
decay, or indeed, approaching to that stage, will wear half so long
as that which is cut down as soon as it has arrived at full maturity.
The period when it has done so, will be indicated to a practiced eye,
at a single glance, even with that class of trees which has had fair
play; or in other words, where _premature decay_ has not been brought
on by mal-treatment. But the latter class is by far the most numerous,
and it requires very little either of science, or of knowledge of a
practical kind, to teach a man how to deal with them. It is of no use
to let them stand. If they are not wanted for ornament, the sooner they
are felled the better, for the process of decay is very rapid in this
particular tree. Their early removal is further necessary, because they
injuriously affect the Farmer in another way, as I will show.

The roots, &c. of one single Ash Tree are said to amount to a million
in number, and to extend themselves as far all round the bole as the
branches. I do not profess to be able to form a very decided opinion
as to the number of the roots, rootlets, fibres, &c., but I have seen
quite enough of the habits of the tree to convince me, that the roots
extend themselves much farther than is here supposed; and it is well
known to all farmers, that to a distance far beyond this, vegetation
is almost totally destroyed; and that, near a Hedge-row (dividing
two arable fields) which is filled with filthy, scabbed, stunted Ash
Trees, which, from “mismanagement,” have been brought into such a
condition as positively to be making no progress at all, _sow what he
may_, the farmer can never _reap_ any thing: and yet these unsightly
things, which are the latest of all other of our common deciduous
trees, in getting their foliage, and almost the earliest out again,
are suffered to linger out their _feeble_, but _blighting_ existence,
until by slow decay they become so unsound, that the wind blows them
down, and they are fit for nothing but the fire! or, if they do not
actually reach this stage, they are only cut down because the owner has
the fear of such a result before his eyes! A volume might be written
with reference to this particular tree, were it necessary to take up
every one of the points which present themselves, as condemning the
present practice in its management, but that is not needed, for the
_Ash Tree_ is so generally met with in a diseased state, that it may be
considered as the subject of grosser “_mis_-management” than any other
of our domestic trees. If any one still deny this, let him look round
him and say, why Hedge-rows so abound every where, in puny, sickly,
Ash Timber, which _cannot possibly attain to a useful size_: and when
he has confessed the fact, that they really _do_ exist in that state,
I will reiterate the assertion, that the cause is bad management! If
_the present condition of Hedge-row Ash, generally_, does not prove
“_mis_-management,” I am at a loss to know what does, for when the
different kinds are planted upon a congenial soil, _if they be properly
treated_, they will continue to grow, more or less rapidly, according
to circumstances, and for a longer or shorter period, as the natural
term of their existence may rule: but as they are now treated, _they
are never healthy_, for the principle of decay is introduced at a very
early stage of their existence, and in consequence, premature old age
is brought on. To the absence of early training, may be attributed
much of what is seen to be wrong in the present condition and quality
of Hedge-row Timber, but much more to the vile practice of _mutilating
the trees_, which almost every where obtains. There is, indeed, in some
quarters, such perfect indifference manifested about the well-being of
the trees, that _free licence_ is allowed to the tenants of the land to
do as they will with them: and _free use_ they make of it, as may well
be supposed, and as is abundantly evident in all such places. And why
should it be otherwise? It has so long been the practice, and it is so
far out of their way to really understand the matter, that farmers may
well be excused. They cut off the roots, and reduce the extent of the
branches, of their enemy, in _self defence_; and without having the
remotest idea that they are doing so serious an injury to the property
of their landlords. This is fully proved by the fact, that they
treat their own trees in precisely the same way. It is, then, to the
indifference that has hitherto been manifested by the proprietors of
Hedge-row Timber, and the consequent prevalence of mistaken views on
the subject, that the present state of things is to be attributed. Some
gentlemen do indeed introduce into their Agreements, clauses affecting
to provide against the _mischievous pruning_ which is here condemned,
but, except in the neighbourhood of a mansion, where a strict look out
is generally kept, they are quite _inoperative_—they are a dead letter,
for not only does the _pruning_ go on, but, as I have just hinted, the
trees are often attacked _below too_, and deprived of their _roots_, as
well as their branches, thus cutting off their supply of nutriment from
the atmosphere above, and from their legitimate sources of supply from
the soil. Both these practices ought to be _most strictly interdicted_.

My indignation and regret have a thousand times been excited, on
seeing the noblest of all our Hedge-row Trees, the Oak, clipped of its
beautiful proportions, and reduced by repeated _snaring_, as it is most
aptly called, to the capacity and shape of a huge _besom_! and by this
truly infamous treatment, deprived not only of all its scenic beauty,
but actually of its specific character! and, if not altogether stopped
in its growth, rendered utterly worthless for application to the chief
end and purpose for which it is adapted and intended. I need not say,
that I mean—the building of ships.

Upon this subject there ought not to be two opinions: neither will
there, among those who really understand it; but it is much to be
lamented, that a very large portion of the Hedge-row Timber of this
country is in the hands of persons who either do _not_ understand the
management of it, or who are indifferent about it. It very frequently
happens, that there is no person but the Land Steward, who can make any
pretensions to a correct judgment in the matter, and he has often quite
enough to attend to, without so responsible a duty as this is—being
added to his department. He therefore, very naturally, attends to those
duties which are indispensable; and as for the Timber, &c. &c. he only
thinks about _it_ seriously, when he wishes to ascertain _how much of
it he can turn to profit_.

Every considerable estate ought to have a person upon it, whose
attention shall _exclusively_ be devoted to the supervision of the
Woods, Plantations and Hedge Rows, &c. He should be a _well-educated_
and an intelligent man; and should be so _well-paid for his services_,
as to feel that his employer has a moral claim upon him, for the
entire devotion of his _mind_, as well as his physical powers, to the
efficient discharge of his duties.

An inquiry into the _natural history_ of Hedge-row Timber, if I may so
speak of it, would furnish a field for highly interesting remark, and
it would assuredly remove any doubts that might remain in the minds of
those who have gone no farther than to _suspect_ that the management of
it has been bad. When it is considered that the Timber of our Hedges
is the product of _chance_, or even worse than that, that it has grown
to what it is, notwithstanding that it has been subjected to the most
barbarous treatment; it is impossible not to perceive, that if it had
been watched and tended as it _ought_ to have been, it would have
equalled any thing that could have been conceived of it.

The classes of trees which may be met with in our Hedge-rows are
various, and are so situated in many places, as to really give rise to
the idea just now referred to—that they are found there, more as a
matter of chance, than of design: and this may be assigned, partly at
least, as the reason why they have been so neglected, or so shamefully
used. If they had been planted, and if any calculation at all were made
before planting, it might be imagined that a gentleman would wish to
ascertain what would be the _surest_ mode of raising a class of fine
unblemished trees, whether they were Oaks, or Elms, or Ash, or any
other kind; and having carefully, and at some expense, introduced them
into his hedges, it is difficult to suppose, that he would either leave
them to shift for themselves, or to the tender mercies of their natural
enemies, the occupiers of the land on which they might be growing: it
is therefore more than probable, that a considerable proportion of them
are in the hedges more by accident than any thing else. But however
that may be, the fact remains the same: they are, very generally,
standing memorials of the ignorance of the men in whose care they have
been placed, and a triumphant vindication of the propriety of my title.

If Hedge-row Trees have length of bole, they have it—not because they
were properly trained and assisted when they were young, and therefore
needed it, but—in consequence, most likely, of indiscriminate lopping
and pruning at some former period of their growth, the fruits of which,
although now invisible to the unpracticed eye, will appear hereafter,
to the dismay, and serious loss, of the person who may have to saw them
up.

I have elsewhere given my opinion very freely on the subject of
pruning, but as it will be necessary just to glance at it, in
connection with Hedge-row Timber, I will again take the Oak, which is
almost the only tree that I would recommend for hedges. As this noble
tree will naturally grow of a bush-like shape, when standing alone,
it is absolutely necessary that it be pruned, or it will not acquire
sufficient length of stem. I am not, therefore, the wholesale condemner
of pruning, even of Hedge-row Trees, but I would have no pruning done
after they had arrived at a certain age—say, twenty years: all work of
this kind should be done during the _infancy_ of the tree, or not at
all. I would much sooner _cut down a tree, if it had not sufficient
length of bole_, and trust to the chance of raising a better _from
its stool_, than take off _large branches, particularly if it was not
over thirty years of age_. Indeed the former method of repairing the
mischief of long neglect, appears to me as one peculiarly adapted to
the circumstances in which some estates are placed, as to the timber;
and I should not hesitate to adopt it upon an extensive scale. I
have, in fact, seen many estates where I should cut down Oaks very
freely, which have _not_ length of bole, or which, from some cause or
other, are _not healthy_; even though they might not produce timber
enough to pay for the cost of cutting. There are estates within less
than two hours ride of my residence, which are _apparently_ well
stocked with timber, but it is of such quality that, were it under
my own management, I should instantly cut it down; and from a large
proportion of the stools I should train up a new race of trees. These
would, if well attended to, grow into a class and quality of timber,
very little, if at all, inferior to maiden trees; while, on the
other hand, from those which are standing, _whatever length of time
they may remain_, nothing can be expected, but a _small quantity of
timber, and that of middling quality_. But to return to _pruning_. In
a Wood, or a Plantation, trees will draw up each other to a certain
length, and many of the lateral branches, from the exclusion of light
and air, will die, and some of them will fall off; this is, of course,
_natural_ pruning: but in a Hedge-row, they have no such help, they
will, therefore, require _artificial_ pruning; which should commence
at the time of planting, and continue until it can be seen that they
will assuredly acquire ample length of bole. The kind of pruning which
is here advocated _cannot possibly do any harm, if it be well done_,
and done at a proper season. The soundness of an Oak will in no degree
be impaired by it; and consequently, it will be, on all accounts, more
serviceable for naval purposes, than if it were not pruned; for it will
not surely be contended, that clearness of grain, and length of stem,
are not likely to recommend it to the ship-builder. So far from having
a doubt upon this point, I am of opinion that timber thus carefully
trained, will be, on every account, _incomparably superior_ to that
which is at present obtained from our Hedge-rows;—it will exhibit a
healthy developement, from the pith to the alburnum; so that wherever
there is a _bend_, a _crook_, or a _knee_, in it, the purchaser will
be sure that it is _sound_—whereas the very opposite is the case with
by far the greater part of that which now comes into the market. The
reckless extent to which the abominable practice of pruning, lopping,
or _snaring_—whichever it may be called—is carried, renders the
conversion of timber a very hazardous speculation, and should long
since have taught the growers of it, to avoid the commission of such an
error themselves, and to impose a heavy penalty on all those belonging
to them, who should be found guilty of it.

To illustrate a little further the statement here made, and the
opinion here given, it may be remarked, that the effect of such a
vile mutilation of Hedge-row Timber as is, in almost every quarter,
permitted, is seen and felt most in those very parts where strength
is most wanted, and which, _if sound_, would render the timber so much
the more valuable. It is on the outsides of _bends_ or _knees_, that
blemishes are so frequently found, and which are often so considerable,
as to reduce the value of a valuable crook to almost nothing.

These defects in timber are sometimes so far within the body of the
tree, as to elude the scrutiny of the keenest eye, proving, in some
very old trees, that pruning is not an evil of modern date. In a still
greater proportion, as to the whole quantity, however, the eye of
Ship-builders, or Timber Merchants—all of whom have frequently been
bitten—will detect, from external appearances, the _snag-pruning,
covered over both with wood and bark_; and consequently, they protect
themselves as well as they can in their purchases, against the
contingency of unsound timber, by shaping their offers accordingly.
This, of course, affects the _seller_ in no inconsiderable degree, and
is one other reason why he should put a stop to the practice of pruning
altogether, except when it could be done under the eye of his own Wood
Manager.

The last point connected with Hedge-row Trees which I shall mention,
is the _planting_ of them; but upon this part of the subject, I shall
not say much. I might, indeed, have passed it over in silence, and
still have fulfilled the requirements of my Title-page; but inasmuch as
the planting of Hedge-row Timber, _must_ form a part of an _improved_
system of management, however it may be left out of the present
practice, it does not seem quite right to overlook it altogether.

If Hedge-row Trees are to succeed at all, they must have a _good
start_; and if they are to have a _good start_, there must, of
necessity, be some trouble bestowed in the preparation of the site on
which they are to be planted. In the fences of _new inclosures_ there
will be no difficulty at all. If the border, as it is often called,
be well prepared for the _quick_, it will be in a right state for an
Oak Tree; and it would really appear to be a piece of unaccountable
neglect—an inexplainable circumstance, as the act of a man of
business—if a tract of land were to be enclosed, and new fences put
down, without the opportunity being seized to plant a suitable number
of Oak Trees. I say, of _Oak_ Trees, because I am persuaded that it
would be very difficult indeed to find a locality where any other kind
of timber, other circumstances being equal, would be likely to pay
so well. In the line of every Quick fence, then, I should certainly
recommend that healthy Oak Plants, of four years old, which have been
at least twice transplanted in the nursery, should be inserted, at a
distance from each other—say, of twenty yards—and if they are properly
guarded and _nursed_, nothing is more certain, than that they will
become a fine race of trees. But planting young Oaks, or young trees
of any kind, in an _old Hedge-row_, is quite a different affair. It
is indeed an undertaking involving real difficulty, and requiring a
very considerable degree of skill on the part of the workman, and of
firmness and determination on the part of his employer.

It would be found all but impossible to rear a young Oak _in the exact
line_ of an old and vigorous thorn hedge; but there are many situations
which present much less difficulty. For example: In the year when a
hedge is plashed or laid, where there is a moderate space on the bank
which has been raised when the quick was first planted—say, of a foot
or more—there will be room for a tree; and in all cases, where the
bank has not been _pared down_, there will be more room than is here
supposed. Many other places, such as the sides of the banks of large
ditches, the gaps of hedges, &c. &c. may be met with, on almost every
estate, which ought to be filled with Oaks, after the ground has been
prepared in a suitable manner.

But, _a previous preparation of the plant is necessary_. Planting in
Hedge-rows, where planting has been done at all, has been performed
in the same ill-adapted way as every thing else relating to timber.
The plants have been taken out of the nursery, indiscriminately with
others, which have been intended for close planting; instead of having
such, and such only, as have been _twice or thrice shifted_, and each
time into a more exposed situation, and wider apart, in order that
they might acquire more fibrous roots, and induration of bark, and
thus be enabled to cope with, and surmount, the disadvantages of their
new position. Another point, which has previously been hinted at, is
the _guarding_ of the trees. No matter what the expense may be, if a
gentleman determines to have Hedge-row Timber, _he must guard it well_.
It stands more in need of the watchful eye of the Wood Manager than
almost any thing else: in fact, it is of little or no use planting at
all, if a good and sufficient guard fence be not immediately put down:
but, having put in good plants, and effectually protected them, I say
again, I know of no reason why Hedge-row Timber should not thrive and
prosper, and, ultimately, turn out as sound, as any other. That it is
not so with the race of Timber Trees now growing, except to a very
limited extent, I assert without fear of contradiction; and, with
the same confidence, I plead this fact as my justification, when I
re-assert, that their treatment, from first to last, is neither more
nor less, than a course of gross “MISMANAGEMENT.”


THE END.


Printed by J. PERFECT, Cartergate, Newark.




  Transcriber’s Notes

  pg 47 Changed: in the agregate, a comparatively valueless property
             to: in the aggregate, a comparatively valueless property

  pg 119 Changed: having carefully, and at some expence
              to: having carefully, and at some expense

  pg 122 Changed: are not likely to recommed it
              to: are not likely to recommend it





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