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.