neceffary that a regular and proper furvey be made of the whole of the waste in each district, upon as large a fcale as may be thought advifeable, afcertaining and marking, with as much precifion as poffible, the quantity of land belonging to each manor, to each proprietor, and to each parish; delineating the hills, the plains, and the valleys; and where any variation of foil takes place, to defcribe it. From this plan," fubdividing ones may be made, allotting the hilly parts of certain dimenfions for plantations; the flat and low parts, of certain dimenfions alfo, for arable and pasture, as the foil may be fuitable; the whole of which to be inclosed, as will be hereafter defcribed. In making these fubdivifions, much judgment will be required to apportion to each its due proportion of hill and dale; and there are thousands of acres of flat and low land, from Hirtwood to Haflemere, where fprings are to be found, and which, being collected together, might make a small rivulet. A part of fuch land, where it can be had, fhould be incorporated into the hill and dale, fo as to make proper fized farms. On fome defirable spot, the house, barns, and other offices, may be erected, and which thould, as near as poffible, command the farms. The inclofures of arable and pafture, being made agreeable to the plan as laid down, under the confideration of the review of common fields,' fhould have a ditch round each, the better to keep the whole dry, as well as to convey the water from different parts, into certain refervoirs or ponds that may be made in particular parts of the farm, for the convenience of the cattle. It would not be amifs alfo, that particular fpots were fet apart, having an acre or two of ground to each, adjoining to each farm, for the purpofe of erecting one or more cottages, and the ground would enable them to raife a few potatoes and other vegetables. Having thas made provifion for the agricultural part, we proceed next to the hilly part for the plantations. In order to ferround them, it will be pro- it will fucceed to answer every purpofe without the affiftance of manure or that is required of it. As a proof cultivation. Having made this dithat what we have advanced relative greffion, to do away the idea of land to the foil of Bagfhot, not being bar- being barren, we revert to making ren, is not fallacious, we beg leave the plantations. That foil which lies to obferve, that that very foil, which to the fouth and north, and northeast is by fo many faid not to be worth of Farnham, being on the hills comcultivation, is so very defirable and fo pofed of a deep black fand, fhould be very much in request by every nurfe- planted with Scotch fpruce and larch, ryman, that he can fcarce grow a with a few filver and Balm of Gilead plant that is a native of America with firs, fkirted by fix or eight rows of any tolerable fuccefs, without having birch. For this plantation no prepafor the principal part of his compofi- ration of foil is neceffary, but the holes tion, equal to four fifths of this fpecies only dug for the plants, and that they of foil. It may be faid, that thefe are planted as foon in, the autumn as are only low flowering fhrubs. But poffible, that the whole may be comif he knows any thing of the plants pleted before Chriftmas. In the lower that are brought from America, he and more sheltered parts, a mixed will be convinced that there are a plantation may be made, compofed of greater variety of fine oaks, than are birch, firs as before, fweet cheftnuts, to be met with in any part of Europe, hornbeams, hollies, and fkirted by together with ash, brick, maple, lime, beech. In every plantation it would plantanus, cedar and hickery, all which not be amifs to fow a few pounds of grow to an amazing height and fize, laburnum feed, which, as the hares befide an innumerable variety of pines, (thofe great deftroyers of all young firs and larch. So much then for the plantations) are very fond of the foil of Bagshot. There are other foils young fhoots, they might be drawn equally light and fandy, but of a yel- from the firs, &c. until they are got low caft, and equally deferving the out of their reach. It is obfervable, appellation of barren; and yet what and not lefs remarkable, that where what would become of the plants from there are any plantations of firs, on the Cape of Good Hope, the Eaft the north and eaft fide of hills in fimiand Weft Indies, but for this fpecies lar fcils, they grow fafter and taller, of foil? Of the former we have had the grain of the wood is more comfor a great many years numbers of pact, and the tree more full of turloads annually, and would have it in pentine, (and to make them more greater quantities if the diftance did free of knots, it only requires that the not prevent us; of the latter, we an- trees fhould ftand fo nach the thicker nually draw numbers of loads from and clofer, which will be the means the fand pits at Blackheath. And of killing the under branches before wherever any of thefe foils make a they get to any fize to caufe large part of the natural compofition, the knots) than thofe which are produced greatest part of our foreft trees will from a full expofure to the fouth and thrive well. But we'll go nearer home weft, and upon which the fun has alfor proof. There is at this time ways fo much power. All trees progrowing upon this faid barren Bagshot duce the beft timber that have the leaft heath, numbers of young birch and fun. Some gentlemen with whom we Scotch fir, to all appearance in a state have lately had converfation upon the of nature. Whether they may have value of firs, have gravely affured us, been fown by any particular perfon, that they are of no manner of use, we could not learn: they, however, and not worth the expence of cultivaonly want now to be protected from tion; but thefe gentlemen, we are cattle, &c. and they will foon cut a well affured, have not enquired into very confpicuous figure, and that too the value of thofe at Moore Park, and The out-line of a plan for the inclofing thofe heaths, which comprise that range of country from Aldershot, in Hampshire, to Weybridge in this county, being thus given, and which will equally apply to those places whofe foils are fimilar, we proceed to these innumerable leffer waftes that are every where fcattered over the eaftern and fouthern part of it. We have, in defcribing them, given the quantity of foil, and therefore all that need be advanced here is, that whenever they are inclosed, it may make a part of the contract with the proprietors, that at least a certain portion of each, as commiffioners under the inclosure fhould think right, should be appropriated to the growth of fuch timber as appears moft congenial to the foil, and which will in general be found to be oak. Waverley Abbey, near Farnham; of at first, being careful that all afcents thofe of the duke of Bedford's late and defcents are regular and easy, purchase in the parish of Warrendon, which will give a lafting form to the in Bucks, as well as thofe in Bedford- road, as well for the fafety as for the fhire, or at Longleat, the feat of the pleasure of the traveller. marquis of Bath, in Wiltshire, where they would find a complete refutation of what they have advanced. As a ftrong inducement to fet about the planting the hills, and inclofing the whole, it is to be understood, that the Bafingftoke canal takes a courfe at least fifteen miles through the heath, and this being now effected, we have no hesitation in saying, that in a few years the timber which may be fuppofed to be growing on thefe hills, would make that part now wafte, of as much value as any of the inclofed land in the circumjacent districts. Thus much of the hills. The lower lands are of a more loamy nature, and although not directly the foil for oak, and confequently it cannot be quite fo good, yet will grow well, and perhaps may hereafter fave that, which may be produced from more congenial foils, for the more common purposes to which the best oak is too often applied. Let no one then fay, that while we have the means of providing trees, that are congenial to thofe foils beforementioned, and of covering these heaths profitably, that we have one acre of barren wafte in this kingdom. In making thefe divifions, and fubdivifions, it is to be prefumed, that due care will be had to the planning out the roads from town to town, and from town to village, and with as many communications to the canal as may be thought advifable, always making choice of the shortest and fafeft ways to each. The plan of the roads being thus fettled and ftaked out, let them be ploughed up in the firft inftance, into as high a ridge as may be thought fafe, and after they have lain fome time to fettle, the furveyor must come, and with his men, to fill up all the great unfafe hollows, and fhape the whole in its proper form, and which should not be done too sparingly The next thing that prefents itself to notice is the planting. If a period of feveral years experience in the art of cultivating all the fpecies of forest trees, together with a very extenfive practice in planting them in all kinds of foils and fituations, as well for use as ornament, can enable a man to derive any knowledge, it may be prefumed, without the imputation of variety, that we are entitled to lay fome claim to the confideration of the board of agriculture. In this particular in practice, we certainly fhall differ from the cuftom of the day. With men of experience, we feel eafy in what we fhall advance, and with thofe who judge from theory only, it will not be worth our while to contend. It is not for us to determine upon the number of acres which shall be taken in from each, or any of the waftes, or how they fhall be inclosed; we take it for granted they will be inclofed; and in that fituation we fhall confider them. If the land is wet, deep circumferential ditches will very much drain, but it must be effectually done before we begin to plant. If the ground is ready early in the autumn, it must be kim ploughed, and then trench ploughed. In this ftate it may remain until fpring, when the frofts, &c. will have pulverifed the ground and made it in a fit ftate for planting. But if it cannot be got ready for this autumnal operation, it may be ploughed as before, and well harrowed in the fpring, and a crop of potatoes may be planted on it, the repeated landing up of which (by a plough for that purpose) will open, meliorate, and pulverize the ground in the finest way imaginable, and will befides, if the feafon is at all favourable, amply repay all the labour. But if the crop fhould turn out ever To bad, ftill the land will not be the lefs prepared, and in that way will answer the end. As foon as the autumnal rains come on, and the potatoes are taken up, nothing more is required than to horfe-hoe the ground: (or in cafe of not having that inftrument, let it be well harrowed) which will level all thofe inequalities, which the taking up of the potatoes will have occafioned. Having in the fpring of that year fowed (in fome foil made proper for the purpose, in drills a foot wide) fuch a quantity of firs, oaks, chestnut, beech, birch, fycamore, maple, hornbeam, plantanus, and holly, with a few wild black cherry, as may be more than fufficient for your intended plantations, the ground being every where prepared and made ready, (as much at leaft as you can plant in one season, which, as thofe that were raised from the spring sowing will not have attained fufficient age and ftrength the first year, the plants may be got at any of the neighbouring nurferies, at a very easy rate: this is only meant that another season may not be loft) begin by fetting out the plantation, the oaks not to be more than twelve feet apart, and the other forts, which are to compofe the mixture, not more, than four feet. Let the holes then be fet out and properly made; a proper perfon muft fuperintend the taking up the trees in fuch propofitions as may make a regular mixture, and that as little damage as poffible is done to the roots. Thefe are to be carefully pruned, and the top root a little matter fhortened (but the better way is, that the feedlings will not be removed until the fecond year, and being fown in drills, a fkilful perfon, with a very sharp fpade may, in the month of November or February, undermine and cut the roots, from four to five inches under ground: they will in the fucceeding fummer furnish themselves with lateral fibres, which will be of very material benefit to the plant, and when taken up will require nothing more than a fharp knife to cut off any bruifed or damaged root, and to trim the points of the fibres which would otherwife perish) as much expedition as can be used in this fort of work is neceffary, in order that the roots may not be too much dried. A careful active man will then follow with the plants, which he is to diftribute according to the proposed distances, one man will hold the plant in the hole, while two will fill up the ground, the fineft of the mould being put about the fibres and the roots, gently trodden with the foot, and finally filled up with the remainder of the foil, always taking care to close up the surface about the plant with the foot. Men that are handy and accustomed to this work, will plant a great number in each day; the holes to be made by contract, but the trees to be planted by the day: two feet over, by two feet deep, is a good fize. Avoid planting deep, but as tight as poffible. All the trees may be planted at two years old. Let at least one third of the plantation be quick growing trees, and whatever of them fail muft from time to time be replaced. All which having done their duty, by affording due protection to the oak, may with great propriety, as often as is neceffary, receive a judicious thinning, until at laft nought is left but oak, and here and there a chestnut and a beech. We do not speak problema- the coppice, at a diftance of forty feet tically, when we affert, that independent of the fhelter, thefe thinnings will in a few years purchase the fee fimple of the ground. Having given it as our opinion, that plants of two years old were beft calculated for fuch a plantation, we do not mean thereby to exclude the planting trecs of a larger fize, because we are fenfible it is to be done with great fafety, and with as good fuccefs as to making or becoming good timber. Oaks and firs, however, are better not to exceed four years old, each having been before tranfplanted; but all the other foret trees may be planted from five to fix feet high, but not exceeding. Thus much with regard to planting. We fhall now conclude this fection with a few obfervations on the mode of fecuring it when raised: and that leads us to fuppofe the plantation made, in full vigour, and arrived at that period when it is neceffary that it fhould be thinned. We fhall begin by bringing to view the prefent mode of cutting down underwood, in which there are generally large quantities of oak faplings, and then fubmit the plan we ftrongly recommend in lieu thereof. For a moment let us take a view of a coppice or a plantation, confifting of any number of acres, this week in full crop, fo thick, perhaps, that a bird can with difficulty penetrate, the fucceeding one, the whole of it cut down, faving the young faplings, whose cause we are now pleading. Is it not lamentable to fee thofe very trees, which are one day to form the ornament, perhaps the bulwark of this great and happy ifle, nurfed, as it were, in a hot-bed during their infancy, fuddenly bereft of every protection, and exposed to all the feverity' of a winter's chilling blafts, and tempeft's cruel fcourge? Figure to yourfelf thefe trees, twelve to fixteen feet in height, without a fingle branch but two or three near its top, ftanding like fo many Maypoles on the remains of and upward apart, and ask yourself if reafon, if common fenfe, can justify fuch a procedure? Say rather, Is it not obvious to every unprejudiced mind, that the fudden exposure of trees, from a warm and fheltered fituation, to extreme cold and froft, must give fuch a fhock, and confequently check to vegetation, as muft materially injure them? And hence it is that they rarely, if ever, produce a tem higher than twelve or fixteen feet, (which might have been the height of the underwood before felling) but branch out into a number of fimall ramifications, which carry the appearance of a pollard, rather than that of a tree; added to which is the danger they run of having their branches torn off, and not unfrequently the whole top carried away by the violence of the wind. In oppofition to a cuftom fo injudicious, we beg to fubmit the following as the better plan: when the plantation is arrived at fuch an age and height as to require thinning, begin by lopping off the branches of fuch trees as were originally intended to be taken away. This will give air, ftrength, and light to thofe which are to remain, for feveral years, and will continue to be that fort of nurse as before. At whatever period it is found neceffary to thin the wood the fecond time, (for different foils and fituations will be more or lefs productive in growth) fuppofe it fhould happen in five or fix years, cut down and tranfplant every other tree, but fave all the oaks. This will give them another affiftance, and will protect them to the last thinning: and if by chance any of the lateral branches of the oak fhould stand in need of being fhortened, in order the better to affift the leader, and to prevent as much as poffible the tree from becoming a pollard, let a fkilful pruner be employed, and who need not be afraid of the knife nor of the faw, where it is neceffary; and if done judiciously, no danger need at all be apprehended. As there will be |