I have, then, endeavoured to show, that the present state of the Ancient Woods of this kingdom is very far from what it ought to be, and fully proves that their owners have paid little attention to them: that they are almost valueless to them, simply and only for want of better management: that they are capable of such a degree of improvement as would insure from them a fair, reasonable return: I have endeavoured to show this by contrasting the plans of woodmen, if they can be said to have any, with those which, in my judgment, ought to be pursued; and I am not aware that I have, upon any one point, exposed the errors of their course, without suggesting that which I conceive would be the right one. It is quite impossible, however, to lay down in a book like this, or in any other, specific rules or directions which shall constitute a sufficient guide for the manager of woods, out of the difficulties of a false position, or enable him to reform the errors of a vicious practice: for, first, not one woodman in fifty would be convinced, by any process of reasoning, that the present state of woods is so bad as I have described it to be; and if they would not admit the existence of the evil, they would not be likely to perceive the value of any remedial measures that might be recommended. Next: a difficulty would every where present itself, if woods were improperly treated, from the woodman feeling that the introduction of any new plans would, necessarily, involve the condemnation of his own. Besides all this, as I have remarked before, so many things have to be considered as to the state of a wood, before a safe opinion could be given as to the best course to be taken with it, that nothing less than a minute examination, affording the opportunity of duly weighing all the circumstances of each particular case, would justify any man in suggesting a specific course. In proof of this, I would offer the example of a wood which I will suppose to be of forty years standing, and to have been started with as many oak plants as would suffice to insure a sufficient number of timber trees, possessing ample length of bole, or stem. Upon the plan of management which I have suggested, there would be, at the second cutting of the under wood, a certain number of oaks to cut out also, and from the stools of these, there would start young shoots, which, if _properly dealt with_, would, with those which would spring from every subsequent cutting, furnish a succession of timber trees; but if no care were taken in _nursing_ them, the probability is, that they would be unfit for timber, and that it would therefore be necessary, occasionally, to introduce a small number of maiden plants, even as early as the expiration of the second cycle. CHAP. II. PLANTATIONS. In order to afford some facility to the reader in perusing what I may write, I shall divide what I have to say into several distinct heads; and, first, as to the Present Modes of Planting.