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.