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CAR PIN us. Lin. Gen. Plant. 952. [fo called of 

 carpcrc, LaLto crbv\ bccaufc it maybe eafilycropped, 

 or its wood is cafily cleft. ] The Piornbeam, or Hard- 

 beam, in French Charme. 



The Characters are, 

 Ithctb ynalc and female flois:ers^ gro^joing feparate en tl>€ 

 Javde plant. 'The ivc.le flo-zvcrs are difpofcd in a cylindrical 

 rcpc cr kalian^ ivbich is hofe and fcdy^ each fc ale covering 

 cr.e JIg-u;c}\ zvhich bath no petals^ hut ten fmall Jla 

 iiujhi^ tcy}n:nated by cornprejfcd hain ftimmits, The female 



rre difpofcd in the fame formy and arefingle ladder 

 each f( ale \ thcfe have one petals which is fJjcped Uke'a 

 cup^ cut into fix parts^ and t^joo fhcrt germen. each having 

 i'-jco hairy fiylesy crowned by a fingle figrna. The kdtkin 

 aft crv:ard grows large^ and at the bafe of each fcale is 

 lodged an oval angular nut, 



Tiiis genus of plants is ranged in the eighth feftion 

 of Linnisus's twenty-iirft clafs, intitled Monoecia Po- 

 1} andria, the plants of this clafs having male and fe- 

 r.^ale flowers growing feparate on the fame tree, and 

 thofe of this fe£lion have many ftamina.- 



Th^- ^ 



'- 



J' 



it ^.i, if I. 







PECics are* 



Carpinus (Vulgaris) fquamis {Irobilorum planis. 

 Hort. Cliff. 447. Ilornbeam 'with flat fcales to the cones. 

 Carpinus. Dod. Pempt. 841. Comraon Hornbeam. 



Carpinus {Ofrya) fquamis flrobilorum inflatis. Hort. 



Cliff. 447. Hornbeam with inflated fcales to the cones, 

 Oftrya ulmo fimilis, fru6iu racenfofo iupulo fimilis. 

 C. B. P. 427. The Hep Honilearni 

 Carpinus [Orientalis) foliis ovato-lanceolatis Jerratis 

 ftrobilis brevibus. Hornbeam %mth oval^ fpear-fhaped^ 

 f awed leaves^ and the fijortefi cohh. Carpinus Orien- 

 talis folio minori, fruCtu brevi. T. Cor. 40. Eafiern 

 Hornbeam^ with afmallcr leaf and foorter fruit, 

 .4. Carpinus {Virginiana) foliis lanceolatis acuminatis, 

 ftrobilis longiffim/is. Hornbeam zvith pointed fpear-fJjapcd 

 leaves^ and the longefl cones, Carpinus Virginiana fio- 

 refeens. Pluk. Virgijiia flowering Hornbeam, 

 The hrft fort is vei^ common in many parts of Eng- 

 land, but is rarely fuffcred to grow as a timber-tree, 

 being generally reduced to pollards by the country 

 people -, yet where the young trees have been pro- 

 perly treated, they have grov/n to a large fize. I have 

 feen fome of diem in woods, upon a cold ftiff cfay, 

 which have been near feventy feet high, with large, 

 noble, fine ftems, perfedly ftrait and found.. Of 

 late years, this has'oeen only confidered as a rfirub, 



and never cultivated but for under-wood in tKe coiin- 

 try, and in th.e nurferies to form hedges, after the 

 r rench tafte \ for in moft of their great gardens, 

 their cabinets, &c. are formed of thele trees, as are 

 their trellilTes and hedges which furround their plan- 

 tations. But fince thefe fort of ornaments have been 

 ^ almoft banifhed from the Englilh gardens, tliere has 



, 'been little demand for thefe trees in the nurferies. 

 As this tree v.-ill thrive upon cold, barren, expofed 

 hills, and in fuch fituations where few other forts will 

 grow, it m.ay be cultivated to great advantage by 

 th.e proprietors of luch lands. It v/ill rcfift the vio- 

 lence of winds better than moft other trees, and is by 

 no means fiow in its grov;th. , But where thefe are 

 ■propagated for tiniber, they fnould be raifed from 

 feeds, upon the fame foil, and in the fame fituadon, 

 where they arc defigned to grow; and not brouo-ht 



- from better land, and a warmer fituation, as is too 

 i'requently pradtifed. Nor fliould they be propagated 

 by layers, wliich is the common niethod where they 

 are intended for hedges or under- wood ; for which 

 thofe fo raifed v^iil anfwer the purpofe full as well as 

 thofe raifed from feeds, but the latter muft always be 

 preferred for timber-trees. 

 The feeds of this tree fhou]d be fow^n in the autumn, 



foon after they are ripe •, for if they are kept out of 

 the ground till ipring, the plants Vv^ill not com.e up 

 till the following year. When the plants appear, they 

 muft be kept very clean from* weeds, -nd treated as 

 other foreft-trees •, in two years time thicy v/ill be fit 

 to tranfplanr, for the fconer all trees winch are de- 

 figned for timber lire planted where th-y are to rc- 

 HKiln, tlie larger they will aro'w, and the w^ood will' 



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be firmer and more durable. If tliefe are not inter- 

 mixed with other kind of trees, they ftiould be planted 

 pretty clofe ; efpecially on the oiitfide of the phin- 

 tations, that they m.ay prote6t and draw each other 

 up : and if they are kept clean from weeds three or 

 four years, it will greatly promote their growth, afici* 

 which the plants will have obtained funicient ftrengtii 

 to keep dov/n the weeds. 



As the trees' advance in their growth, they muft 

 be thinned, which ftiould be done with caution, cut- 

 ting away the moft unpromifing plants gradually, fo 

 as not to let much cold air at once, to thofe which 

 are left, efpecially on the borders of the plantation. 

 For in all young plantations of timber, It is much tlic 

 better method, to take away a few trees every year, 

 w^here it is wanted, than, as is commonly pradtifed, 

 to let all grow till it is fit to cut as under-wood, and 

 then cut all away, except thofe intended for timber ; 

 w^hereby fo much cold air is fuddenly let in upon 

 them, as to ftop their progrefs for fome years ; but 

 by this method a prefent advantage is gained, which 

 is nov/ more generally attended to, than the future 

 profit. 



The timber of this tree is very tough and flexible, 

 and might be converted to many ufeful purpofes, v/hen 

 fuftcred to grov; to a proper Iize •, but as they ha\'c 

 been generally treated otherwife, the principal u] 

 it has been applied to, was for turnery ware, for 

 which it is an excellent wood, and alfo for makimr. 

 mill-cogs, heads of beetles,-&c. It is alfo excellent fueL 

 The leaves of this tree remain- upon them, till the 

 young buds in the fpring thruft them off", fo they af- 

 ford much flielter to birds in winter;- and this ren- 

 ders them very proper to -plant round the borders of 

 other plantations in expofed fituations, where they 

 will defend the other trees in winter, and thereby 

 greatly promote their growth. 



The Hop Plofnbeam ftieds its leaves in winter, with 

 the Elm, and other deciduous trees. This tree, 

 tho' but lately much known in England, is very 

 common in Germany, grov/ing promifcuoufly with 

 the common fort. It is alfo faid to grow plentifully 

 in many parts of North America", but it is doub?:fuI 

 whether that Is not a difitrent fort from this. The 

 EIop ITornbcam is of quicker growth than the com- 

 mon fort, but v/hat the wood of that will be I \\o 

 not know-, for there are but* few of the trees in 

 England growing upon their own roots, moft of them 

 having been grafted upon the common Hornbeam, 

 which is the ufual method of propagating them in 

 the nurferies •, but the'trees fo raifed are of fliort du- 

 ration, for the graft generally grows much fafter 

 than the ftock, fo that in a few years there is a great 

 difproportion in their fize^ and where they happen 

 to fcand expofed to ftrong winds, the graft is fre- 

 quently broken from the ftock, after many years ' 

 growth \ for v/hich reafon, I v/ould caution every 

 perfon not to purchafe any of thefe trees which have 

 been fo propagated. 



The Virginian flowering Elornbeam is ftill lefs com- 

 mon than the laft, and only to be feen in curious gar- 

 dens ; it is equally as hardy as the other, and may be 

 increafed by layers. 



This fort will grow to the height of thirty feet, or 

 more, and is of cuicker growth than either of the 

 form.er Torts : it fheds its leaves in autumn, aoout 

 the fame time with the Elm ; and, during the time 

 of its verdure, this tree makes a good appearance, 

 being v/ell clothed with leaves, v/hich are of a deep, 

 ftrong, green colour, refcmbling; more the long-iea\'cd 

 Elm than the Hornbeam.. 



The Eaftern Hornbeam is a tree of humble growth, 

 rarely rifihg above ten or twelve feet high in this 

 country, fhooting out many horizontal irre^-uhir 

 branches, fo cannot eafily be trained up to a ftcin. 



The leaves of this fort are much fmaller than thofe 



of tlie common Hornbeam, and the branches grow 



clofer together, therefore may be very proper for low 



hedpes, where they are wanted in gardens ; being a 



very tonfilc plant, it nmybe kept in lefs compals 



than 



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