If 



1 



deep in the ground. The autumn is the befl: feafon 

 to low them, and in a Ihady fituation, the plants will 

 thrive better than when they are expoled to the full 

 fun •, for in all places where there are any large trees 

 their feeds fall, and the plants come up well without 

 care j fo that if the young plants are notdeftroyed by 

 cattle, there is generally plenty of them in all the 

 woods v/here there are any of thefe trees. Thefc wild 

 plants fliould be carefully taken up, fo as not to de- 

 liroy their roots. The ground where they are to be 

 planted, will require no preparation ■, all that is ne- 

 ceflary to be done, is to loofen it with a fpade 

 or mattock, in the places where the plants are to ftand, 

 making holes to receive their roots, covering them 

 a^^ain when the plants are placed, and clofing the earth 

 hard to their roots. If the plants are young, and 

 have not much top, they will require no pruning-, 

 but where they have bufny heads, they fhould be 

 fliortened to prevent their being fliaken and difplaced 

 by the wind. When the plants have taken root, they 

 will require no other care, but to cut down the great 

 weeds which would over-hang the plants ^ which may 

 be done with a fickle, being careful not to cut or in- 

 jure the young trees. This need not be repeated of- 

 tener than two or three times in a fummer the two firil 

 years, after which time the plants v/illbe'ftrong enough 

 to keep down the weeds, or at lead be out of danger 



from them. ■ 



Thefe niay be planted any tune from the middle of 

 Oftober till the middle of March, when the ground is 

 not frozen •, but in dry land the autumn is the bell 

 feafon, and the fpring for moift. The diftance which 

 they iliould be planted, is fix feet fquare, that they 

 may foon cover the ground, and by fianding clofe, 

 they will draw each other up ; for in fituations where 

 they arc much expofed, if they are not pretty clofe, 

 they will not thrive fo well. 



If the plants take kindly to the ground, they will be 

 fit to cut in about ten years •, and afterward they may 

 be cut every feventh or eighth year, if they are de- 

 fi^rned for the broom-makers only; but where they 

 are intended for hoops, they fliould not be cut oftener 

 than every twelfth year. 



The expence of making thefe plantations in* places 

 where the young plants can be ealily procured, will not 

 exceed forty (hillings per acre, and the after expence 

 of cleaning about twenty fniUings a year more ; fo that 

 the whole will not be more than 3I. and if the land 

 fo planted be of little value, the proprietor cannot 

 make better ufe of his money -, for v/hen the wood is 

 cut. It will repay the expence with interefi:, and a 

 perpetual (lock upon the ground. I have ^ctn feve- 

 ral of thefe plantations made upon land which v/ould 

 not lett for one (liilling per acre, which has produced 

 from 10 to 12 1. an acre, clear of the expence in cut- 

 ting, and this every twelfth year. The broom-makers 

 are conftant cuftomers for Birch, in all places within 

 tvv'enty miles of London, or where it is near water 

 carriage ; in otlier parts the hoop-benders arc the pur- 

 chafers i but the larger trees are often bought by the 

 turners, and the wood is ufed for making ox-yokes, 

 and other inftruments of hulbandry. 

 In fome of the northern parts of Europe, the wood 

 of this tree is greatly ufed for making of carriages 

 and wheels, being hard and of long duration. In 

 France it is generally ufed for making wooden fl:ioes. 

 It makes very good fuel. 



In fome places thefe trees are tapped in the fpring, 

 and the fap drawn out to make Birch wine, which has 

 been recommended for the (lone and gravel, as is alfo 

 the fap unfermcnted. The bark of the Birch-tree is 

 almoft incorruptible. . In Sweden the houfes are co- 

 vered with it, where it lads many years. It fre- 

 quently happens, that the wood is entirely rotten, and 

 the bark perfectly found and good. 

 The fecond fort grows naturally in the northern parts 

 of Europe, and upon the Alps ; this feldom rifes above 

 two or three feet high, having (lender branches, gar- 

 nhhcd with round leaves, but feldom produces either 

 male or female flowers here. It is preferved in fome 



D 



curious gardens for the fake of variety, but is a plant 

 .of no ufe. .... 



The third and fourth forts grow naturally in North 

 America, from whence their feeds have been brought 

 to Europe, and many of the plants have been raifcd, 

 which thrive very fift here. In Canada thefe trees 

 grow to a large fize, wliere the third fort is called 

 Merifier. The natives of that country make canoes 

 of the bark of thefe trees,' v/hich are very light, and 

 of long duration. 



Both thefe forts may be propagated by feeds in the 

 fame manner as the firil, and are equally hardy •, fome 

 of the trees now begin to produce their katkins in 

 England, fo that we may hope to have plenty of their 

 feeds of our own growdi, for at prefent we are fup- 

 plied with them from America. As thefe grow more 

 vigoroudy than tlie common fort, and thrive on the 

 mod barren ground, they may be cultivated to great 

 advantage in England, for ' their wood is much 

 efteemed in Canada, where the trees grow to a large 

 fize : and they are by no means an unfightly tree in 

 parks, for their ftems are (trait, the bark fmooth, 

 and their leaves are much larger than thofe of the 

 common Birch, fo may be planted in fuch places 

 where few other trees will thrive. 

 BIDENS. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 362. tab. 262. Lin. 

 Gen. Plant. 840. Water Hemp Agrimony. 



The Characters are, 

 'he common ey 



ofed offmaU~ 



oh 



2. 



'djloiver^ the middle cr dijl^ is ccmpofed of herma- 

 fhrcdite JioretSy which ore funnel-Jloapcd and qtiinquefid. 

 Thefe have jlve^JlKrt capiilary ftamina^ ^^tth cylindrical 

 fummits^ and an oblong germen fuppcrting a fingle fiyle the 

 length of the flamina^ crowned by two^ oblong reflexed flig- 

 ma. ' the female fiorets which corapofe the border ere 

 naked \ thefe are all fiicceeded by a fnigle^ angular^ obtiife 

 feed^ having two or more hrijllcs cr tceth^ by which they 

 f aft en themfelves to whatever paffes by them when ripe. 

 This genus is ranged in the firft fedion of Linmcus's 

 nineteenth clafs, intitled Syngenefia Polygamia ie- 

 qualis,'the powers being compofed of hermaphro- 

 dite and female florets, which, are fucceeded by 

 feeds. 



There are feveral fpecies of this plant, which are 

 feldom admitted into gardens, fome of which are 

 comnhon weeds in England, therefore I (hall only 

 mention thofe which are frequently preferved in the 

 gar'densof the curious. 



BiDENS (Frondofa) foliis pinnatis ferrads feminibus 

 ereflo-conftantibus calycibus frondofis corollis radia- 

 tis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 832. Water Hemp Agrimony with 

 winged faived leaves^ feeds fianding ere£l^ a very bufloy 

 ernpakmcnt^ and radiated flozver. Bidens Canadenfis 

 • latifolia flore luteo. Tourn. Inft. 362. 

 BiDENS {Nodiflora) foliis oblongis integcrrimis caule 

 dichotomo floribus folitariis felTilibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 

 ^32.' Hemp ^ Agrimony with oblong entire leaves^ a 

 forked ftalk^ ■ and a frngle flower growing clofe to the 



Bidens nodiflora brunelia: folio. Hort. Elth. 



ftalk 



52 



i 



3 



(Nt 



petiolads, floribus globofis, pedunculis elongads fe- 

 minibus Icevibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 833. Hemp A^ri- 



Hh fingle fawed leaves having foctflalks^ globu- 



flowers with longer foot-ft 



fmooth feeds, 



4 



Bidens fcabra flore nivea, folio trilobato. Hort. Elth. 



r 



Bidens {Frutefcens) foliis ovatis ferratis petiolatis, 

 caule frudcofo. Hort. Cliff. 399. Hemp Agrimony with 

 oval fawed leaves having foot-flalks, and a Jh^ubby 

 ftalk. - * 



5. Bidens {Scandens) foliis tcrnatis acutis ferratis caule 

 fcandente floribus paniculatis. Three-leaved Hejnp A- 

 grimony^ v^ith pointed fawed lobesy a climbing ftalk ^ and 



ftozvers growing in panicles, Chr}aanthemum trifoliatum 



fcandens, flore luteo femine longo rodrato bidente. 



Sloan. Cat. Jam. 125. 



6. BiDENs (5//&/^) foliis ovatis ferratis, inferioribus op- 



* pofins, fuperzoribus ternatis intermedio majore. Lin. 



LI Sp. 



