Mr Billington’s directions on pruning and training are generally good; but he distances common sense when on his hobby of shortening of side branches, in recommending to extend this practice to pines. His breeding as a gardener, and consequent taste for espalier and wall-training, where every shoot must be under especial direction, seem to have {186} unfitted his mind to expand to the comprehension of nature’s own process of action, and disqualified him from walking hand in hand with her. We also consider that no good, but rather evil, would result from continued cutting in, and lopping off the points of the branches of all kinds of trees, excepting when the plants were stunted, or much covered with flower-buds. Even a very slight clipping greatly retards the growth of hedges; and the labour and attention requisite would be very great: besides, the poor things, the trees, trimmed to the Billingtonian standard, would, amongst the unrestrained beauties of the forest, be ready to sink into the earth for very shame of their _formal deformity_. He errs, too, in recommending not to plant sycamore plane, as being of little value while young. We have sold young planes, six or seven inches in diameter, at a higher price per foot than large oak. They will generally find a good market wherever machinery abounds, and will probably become every year in greater request. Mr Billington is particularly solicitous to render his instructions as plain as possible, in describing the mode of pruning young oaks in formation of knee timber, as he confesses to bring it down to the comprehension of gentlemen; but he is not very happy in his figures of oak trees trained to this use, from {187} want of acquaintance with the cutting out of naval crooks. He remarks that “larches are more liable to die in wet ground by their roots being soaked in water during winter, than oak and some other kinds;” but ground that is at all pervious to water, ought not to be planted till it be drained in such a manner that water will soon disappear from shallow holes; and where, from the plastic closeness of the clay, draining is not quite effectual, the planting should take place as late in the spring as the breaking of the buds will permit; and principally by slitting, which, by not breaking the natural coherence or turfiness of the soil, affords less opening for water to stagnate around the roots, and does not occasion the soil to sink down into the mortary consistence consequent to pitting; there is also less destruction of the vegetables growing in the soil, hence less putrescent matter to taint the water that may stagnate round the roots; pure water, or water in motion, not being detrimental to the roots for a considerable time: also, when the plants are put in late in spring, there is seldom long stagnation of water that season, and by next winter the ground has become so firmed around the roots as to allow very little space for water, and has