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e re r mtorvme lietwceii the planting of trees and their attaining a disposable sme, must alone render
any calculation made a t the time of planting, extremely problematical. In planting, as Jn evcrv other
branch o f culture, extraordln.ary profit is attended by extraordinary production, ivhich soon sinks the
market value of the article ; add also, that, m acommercial, free, and highly-taxed country, ivhenevcr any
article attains a very high price, substitutes are found a t home, or imported from abroad I sc that no par]
tiru la r crop should be considered as exclusively tho best to cultivate, and no extraordinary profits ever
calculated on from any crop. Plantations should bo made with a joint view to all or p art of the advantages
which wo have shown to be attendant on th em ; but no more ultimate profit calculated on, from the dis-
,i¡ i f e ’ ré ". ''>“ 1 is expected from capital laid out on any other territorial improvement ■
indeed the safest principle on which to act. Is to consider capital employed in planting as o í a par with
that laid out in the purchase of landed property. j i b j u
5744 With respect to the value of trees as plantations, or in masses, th a t is entirely relative : and must be
sought for in the additional value conferred on the adjoining lands by the improvement of their climate, or
th eir beauty. This sort of value cannot easily be subjected to any general rules of estimation, but unques-
tionably capital employed in planting and cultivating trees for such purposes, especially for the former or
when they.are both united, may be considered as likely, in the end, to yield a greaterrénterest thaíi t i S
employed m the ordinary routine of tree or corn culture. In bleak exposed situations, the advantages
which have arisen from screen plantations have in some cases been so great as to be estimated at a third
pf th e value of the land, and in every case where shelter is wanted they must be considerable. These
however, should be looked on by th e prudent man ra th e r in th e light of extraordinary cases attended hv
unforeseen risks, and, though depending chiefly on skill, yet in some degree also on chance.
CiiAP. n .
Different Kinds o f Trees and Plantations.
5745. Having considered the difierent objects for which trees and plantations are cul-
r m - r a n g e trees and plantations, according to their qualities,
for fulfillmg those objects. •*
S e c t . I. Classification o f Trees relatively to their Use and Effect in Landscape.
5746. Timher is the grand object for which trees ai-e cuitivatcd, and it is either straight
or crooked m form, large or small in dimension, hard, soft, or resinous in quality, brittle
or flexible in texture, smooth or rough grained, and plain-coloured or varicffated in appearance.
‘
is chiefly producfid by the pine and fir tribes, and such other trees whose lateral
p n e r a lly acquire a timber size, as the Lombardy poplar, hornbeam, deciduous f y S
b r S ' l e S e i d m ; w a lm ^ L branching tree ; but chiefly by the oak, sweet chestnut,
5749. Timber of large dimensions, in regard to length, is produced by the spruce fir larch Lombardv
poplar, ash, nareow-leavcd e lm ; in regard to diameter by th e oak, sweet chestnut, and elm • magnitude
in both ffimensions is united m the marrow-leaved elm, beech, oak, and larch fir
’• Timber oU m M dimensions is produced by the yew, holly, thorn, ash, maple, laburnum, &c.
5751. Timbers, hard in quality, or, what are called the hard woods, are the oak,r nnv riro.ll.» t»qx.» v-q _11_ - ro. . ch.e. stnuts., sfyf cam...o re »
.ash, beech, plane, walnut, box, holly, yew, &c. Softer timbers, or th e soft woods, are the poplar willow’
lime, horsechestnut. Resinom Umbers are th e pine and fir tribes. Brittle timber is exemphfie’d he poplar, willow,in thè
robinia, hornbeam, and spmdle tree ; flexible, in th e ash, broad-leaved elm, and chestnut ¡xemplified ; smooth-grained
in the
coarse-grained, in the ash, oak, and che stnut; plain-Sloured,
in the yew, thorn, walnut, elm, plum, and many others.
iInn tthhei willow, lime, hollv: and. vanevnte1 d“. >m« rtthep- gratnekim th r i s h r r o k , ’I'tod ''a iS nM f Z S t S I n d , vpvj thnrTi «'Qinn? Qir„ „ i , _ai ’
0752. lia ik , which contains the tannm principle, is an important product of trees. T h a t which afFords
i ascertained, the Leicester willow
(ia lix alba vty.), Spanish chestnut, ash, sloe, Lombardy poplar, hazel, elm, common willow svcamore
beech, horsechestnut, birch, and larch. (L a Chim., k c i, p. 89.) , w . uiuu wiuow, sycamore,
(-/T-coal, which is made from either branches, trunk, or roots, has been afforded bv different trees
a t the followmg rates per cent. Laburnum, 24-.5; chestnut, 23-2 ; oak, 22-6; walnut,To'fi^^ i^olly beech^
maple, 19-9; elm, 19-5; Norway pine, 19-2; sallow, 18-4; ash, 17'9; birch, 17-4; Scotch pine ( / è
? Proiist found the greatest proportion of charcoal to be afforded by Sie ash
lofooo (l / cS If p T li? ^ ’ ^“ <1 poplar, 7 parts in
5755. For fu e l and fencing. The tendency of trees to produce lateral branches, and renew them when
lopped off, IS an important quality, and exists in an eminent degree in the ash, elm, oak willow poplar
hme, &c.; but not a t all in the pine and fir tribes, and but slightly in the plane, walnut and some others’
Those winch grow most rapidly are also to be desired as fuel-trees? as the rebinla, poplar wTloT in m S
h o T .L T T® T ’ hootch pine, and birch, on such as are dry. The Aildntus glandulòsa may also
be mentioned as a bulky and rapid-growmg tree . On the chalky hills a t Mereville (before the revolution
.r e T z T ¥ T e f e 1 iT T th 7 r in France), this tree thrives, and attains a consideri
o T considerarion. This quahty does not belong to the pine and fir tribes ; and onlyslightlv
to the beech, sycamore, alder, plane, &c. ; but liberally to all those mentioned above, aèd indeSl to most
ToTL" ? feu the tendency of trees to send up suckers or root-sho’ots, also
deserves th e attention of th e planter. This never takes place with the resinous trees, and seldom with
“ ès!*Tn?LmTTtK robin’i ™ prenSTyTus;
5757. For skelter rapid-growing and evergreen trees are desirable, as the Scotch pine ; and such as are
a t th e same tune clothed with branches from the ground upwards, as the spruce fir ; th e best of all trees
S L c “ "ft®®- ffe Among the deciduous teees, th e fast-growing branchy
?Tfe ». h -®’ ^® *’T ’ PopftL willow ; in very elevated situations, th e birch, moun?
f i P*"® ’ exposed to the sea-breeze, the elder a fd sycamore. To mkintain a branihy
T a a upwards, intermix trees and shrubs which stole ; or such as grow under thè
m/t o fT i? T n U i i r a i® ’ f l i’® ’ ^® ’ ^^71, yew, k c . To produce shelter, and yet adsorts
ot grass below the trees, prune any sort to single stems, and use chiefly deciduous
57.58. Far shade, close plantations are seldom desirable, a free circulation of air being necessary to coolness
; therefore use trees with lofty stems and large heads, and prune them to single stems a certain
height, as th e o-ik.-elm, chestnut, and beech, for thick shade ; the plane, robinia, and poplar, for lighter
shade ; and the birch, balm of Gilead fir, and lime, for odoriferous shade : and avoid the walnut, elder
and laburnum, the atmosphere under which is reckoned deleterious.
5759. For improving bad soils, and for all the purposes of planting, th e soil and situation, affected bv
or natural to trees, is an important study for the planter. Some are aquatics, or delight in moist
situations near water, as most of the willow and poplar tribes, the alder and elder ; others are mountain
trees, as the Scotch pine, larch fir, m ountain ash, sorb ; some delight in valleys or plains, as the narrowleaved
elm. horsechestnut. plane, lime, oak ; others, in craggy steeps and dells, as the ash, silver and
spruce firs, most of the pines, and many more ; some on chalky soils, as the beech ; others on clays, as
the oak ; on sand, as the Scotch pine ; and a few trees will grow in the most opposite situations and
soils, as the alder, which is found on mountain tops and on th e sea-shore ; the birch on the highest
raountams, on dry rocks, and on marshes. For the poorest soils, whether high or low, choose the
birch, larch, and Scotch pme ; and for the richest, the ash, elm, oak, chestnuts, limes, poplars, and
5760. For tke purposes o f the separation of, or defence from , the inferior animals, the plantations called
hedge^ or close rows of shrubs, are adopted ; when these are to be low, such shrubs as send out numerous
branches from the root upwards, and are of great durability, are most desirable ; as the holly among
evergreens ; and the hawthorn, sloe, crab, beech, buckthorn, and hornbeam, among deciduous sorts.
For moist situations, th e alder, elder, birch, and willow, are to be preferred ; and for dry upland sites
the juniper, whin, birch, and elder : avoid poisonous trees, as the yew. For tall or tree hedges such
trees as the elm, beech, hornbeam, lime, birch, and spruce fir, are desirable ; but the holly excels all
other plants for a hedge, whether low or tall, and is liable to no other objection than its slow growth
which occasions a considerable expense in protecting it till it is able to serve for defence.
5761. For seclusion and ccncealment,hxanc.hy \Qaiy a number of which have been mentioned in
§ 5757., are obviously desirable ; and, for distinction, either sorts different from what are already there
or ordinary sorts pruned and made to assume extraordinary forms. ’
5762. For the various purposes of ornament, heauty, or efl'ect, in landscape, the hardy trees may be
arranged as to magnitude, form, mode of growth, duration, and expression.
5763. Magnitude. Trees of great height are, many of the kinds of pine, the English elm, ash larch
Carolina poplar, &c. ; but the laburnum, mountain ash, and evergreen oak, arc very low trees. A
medium m height may be found in the maple, pine, and birch. Some trees exceed in breadth, as the
oak, sweet chestnut, and Scotch elm ; others of different heights are very slender, as the Lombardy
poplar, c;^ress, and bird-cherry.
•5764. Form. The oak and sweet chestnut afford the most irregular and picturesque shapes, with
round heads ; the English elm and ash have long narrow forms, and round heads ; the beech and
horsechestnut, compact and ovate forms, with obtuse heads ; th e spruce and pine tribes, in general
have conical shapes, and pointed spiry tops ; th e Lombardy poplar, cypress, and most willows, have
long narrow shapes, and oblong tops.
5765. Colour. The Scotch pine and yew are of a very dark green ; th e larch and elm, of a yellow-green :
the abele, Huntingdon willow, o f a silvery green, &c.
_ 6766. Mode and time o f growth. The n atu re of some trees is to lose th e ir lower branches as they
mcre.nse in height, as the fir tribe ; and others have a tendency to retain them, as the wych elm. In
some the branches descend, and often recline on th e ground, as th e lime tre e and platanus. Some are
yery compact m their foliage, as the horsechestnut ; others very open, as the ash and the robinia. Some
have drooping spray, as the weeping willow ; th at of others tends upwards, as in the Lombardy poplar ;
horizontally, as in the oak ; and obliquely, as in the Scotch pine. Some grow with rapidity, as the
Carolina and Athenian poplars ; others very slowly, as the oak, and the stone pine.
Il'^^'otion. The most durable of European trees is the oak ; the least so, some of the poplar
and fir tribes. A medium is to be found in the elm and lime.
5768. Expression. Some trees convey ideas of utility in the arts, and mark the attention and industry
of man, as havmg planted them for this purpose, as the oak, ash, elm, &c. Others are known or
supposed, to be of little use, and convey ideas of neglect or of wildness, as the hombeam, sorb, trembling
poplar, &c. Some indicate general improvement and artificial plantations, as the larch, and spruce fir •
others, garden-scenery or plantations near a house, as the cedar, stone pine, and platanus. Some
indicate rich deep soil, as the oak ; and rich thin soil, as the elm ; others, chalk or gravel, as the beech •
rocky ground, as the ash ; marshy ground, as th e alder ; the proximity of water, as the willow. Thei è
are also natural expressions belonging to trees, partly from general and partly from accidental
association ; as strength and stability to the oak, ease and elegance to the birch, sweetness to the lime
gloom to the cypress and yew, melancholy to th e weeping-willow, &c.
5769. Tke common hardy shrubs may be similarly arranged ; but it will be suflicient to class them
according to magnitude, mode of growth, evergreen, deciduous, native, naturalised, and exotic.
5770. Magnitude. Some shrubs are high, approaching to the character of trees, as the cratægus and
common holly ; others very low, as the butcher’s broom and dwarf-birch.
5771. Mode q f growth. Some are creepers, as the ivy; climbers, as the virgin’s bower ; trailers, as the
bramble ; of compact forms, as that of the arbor vitæ ; open airy branches, as in the tamarisk ; and singular
branches, as those of the stagshorn-sumach. Some, as shrubs, soon acquire picturesque shapes
evergreens, as the holly, laurel, yew, laurustinus, arbutus, &c!
0772. Deciduous, as the guelder-rose, lilac, syringa, &c.
5773. Native, as the holly, privet, hazel, thorn, briar. &c.
5774. Naturalised, as the rose, syringa, lilac, laburnum, &c.
5775. E.xotic, or foreign, as the rhododendron, azalea, &c.
5776. These arrangements as to the effect o f trees and shrubs in landscape, as far as form, magnitude
mode ot growth, and expression are concerned, refer to plants growing detached from other trees, and
as nearly tull-grown. It is less intended to comprehend every characteristic distinction than to suggest
to the garden artist, as such, the principal light in which he ought to view trees and shrubs. Nor could
he with confidence attempt planting, with even such a knowledge as could be obtained from the above
arrangement, completed by inserting all th e names under their proper heads ; for unless he has seen
th e majority of the full-grown trees himself, both singly and connected in groups and masses, and is
acquainted with the comparative rapidity of th eir growth in different climates and soils, he camiot
well fore.see the re sult of his labours, or look forward “ with the prophetic eye of ta s te ” to certain
beauty. Of this there are numerous proofs, arising from th e unjust preference given to exotics of
unknown shapes and duration, in situations where th e general form and situation of the tree, or even of
one or two trees, is of the utmost consequence to the effect of a whole. How frequently on a lawn, or
m a plantation near a house, do we see robinias, cut-leaved alders, variegated sycamores, &c., where
eftltT: ®® ’ beech, lime, or chestnut would have produced a much more impressive general
S e c t . I I . Classification o f Plantations, or Assemblages o f Trees.
5777. Assemblages o f trees, whether natural or ai'tificial, difler in extent, outline, disposition
of the trees, and kind of tree.
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