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.