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fhelccr each other i and when they have grown a few 

 years, part of the plants may be cut down to give 

 room for the others to grov/ •, but this mufl be gra- 

 dually performed, left by too much opening the plan- 

 tation at once, the air fhould be let in anions? the re- 



maining trees with too great violence, which will ilop 

 their growth. 



' Although thefe Evergreen-trees are by many perfons 

 defpifed on account of their dark green in fummer, 

 yet a proper mixture of thefe in large clumps make 

 a fine appearance about a feat in winter, and in fum- 

 mer, by their contraft with other trees, have no bad 

 effeft in diverfifying the fcene. 

 Wherever large plantations are defigned to be made, 

 the beft method will be to raife the plants either upon 

 a part of the fame land, or as near to the place as 

 poffible, and alfo upon the fame fort of foil : a fmall 

 piece of ground will be fufficient to raife plants 

 enough for many acres, but, as the plants require 

 fome care in their firft raifing, if the neighbouring 

 cottagers, who have many of them fmall inclofures ad- 

 joining to their cottages, or where this is wanting, a 

 fmall inclofure fhould be made them for the purpofe 

 of raifing the plants, and they are furnifhed v/ith the 

 feeds and directions for fowing them, and managing 

 the young plants till they are fit for tranfplanting, the 

 women and children may be ufefuUy employed in this 

 work; and the proprietors of land agreeing with them 

 to take their plarits when raifed at a certain price, it 



. would be a great benefit to the poor ; and hereby they 

 would be engaged to have a regard for the planta- 

 ' tions when made, and prevent their being deftroyed. 

 The Scotch Pine, as was before obferved, being the 

 ' liardieft of all the kinds, and the wood of it the moft 

 ufeful, is the fori which beft deferves care. This will 

 thrive upon the moft barren fands, where fcarce any 

 thing elfe except Heath and Furze will grow ; fo that 



there are many thoufand acres of fuch land lying con- 

 ; ^venient for water carriage, which at prefent is of lit- 



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tliefe treesi Be' 

 aiid alfo a na 



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" C^h^ive taken this into their confideration, and already 



^^- paffedfome laws for th? encouraging thefe glantations, 



: ' , as alfo for their prefervation and fecurity, ]^ it may 



'be hoped that this will be undertaken by the gentle- 



' '^ men who are poffeffed of fucK lands in all the dif- 



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5jfererit "parts of the kingdom with proper Ipirit; for 

 ]:^' although they may not expeft to receive much profit 

 from thefe plantations in their own time, yet their 

 . fucceflbrs may with large intereft ; and the pleafure 

 *^;: which thole growing trees will aflbrd them, by beau- 



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fome meafure recompenfe them for their trouble and 



cxpenc^ ; and by creating employment for the poor, 



' IcfTen thofe'fates which are now fo high in many parts 



^ of England as fcarce to be borne." -- ■- A 4^^ ,;!. 1^ 



":£. The expence of makmg thefe plantations is what moft 



■/^people are afraid of, fo would not engage in it j but the 



greateft of the expence is tTxat of fencing them from 



'£: the cattle, &c. for the other fs trifling, as there will be 



" jio neceffity for pfepanrig ilie gro^ the 



planft; and the charge of planting an acre of land with 



thefe plants will not be more than twenty or thirty 



fliillings where labour is dear, exclunye of the plants, 



which may & valued' at forty fhillingsino^^ have 



plant;ed many acres of land with thefe trees, which 

 ^^ was covered with Heath and Furze, and have only 

 /dug holes between to put in the plants, and afterward 



upon 



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furface of the ground about their roots, ^to prevent 



.- the ground drying, and few of the plants have failed. 



{; Thefe plants were moft of them four years old from 



Tfeed, nor was there any care taken to clean the ground 



' afterward, but the whole left to fhift, and in five or 



fix years the Pines have grown fo well as to overpower 





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the Heath a:hd Fufte, and deftroy it. 

 The diftance which I have generally planted thefe 

 plants in all large open fituations was about fgurfeet, 

 but always irregular, avoiding plantin^jn ro^vs as 



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much as pofTiblc -, and in the planting, the r.rca^ ca-e 

 is not to take up the plants fader than they c^ ^\y. 

 planted, fo that fome men have been employed i^i 

 digging up the plants while others were plantint^ 

 1 hofe who take up the planes nmft be looked aftc*?' 

 to fee they do not tear off their roors or wound ihcir 

 bark ; and as faft as they are talcen up, tlieir roots 

 fhould be covered to prevent their drving, and put 

 into their new quarters as foon as poffible. In planting ' 

 them, care fnould be had to make the holes lare? 

 enough for their roots, as alfo to locfen and break the 

 clods of earth, and put the fineft immediately about 

 their roots, then to fettle the earth gently with the 

 foot to the roots of the plant. If thefe things are duly 

 obferved, and a proper feafon chofen for performing 

 it, there will be very little hazard of their fucceedins*^ 

 but I have feen fome plantations made with plants 

 which were brought from a great diftance, and had 

 been fo clofely packed up as to caufe a hear, whereby 

 moft of the plants within had their leaves chanc^ed yel- 

 low, and few of them have grown, which has^'dilcou- 

 raged others from planting, not knowing the true 

 caufe of their failure. 



After the plantations are made, the only care they 

 require for five or fix years will be to fecure the plants 

 from cattle, hares, and rabbits ; for if thefe are ad- 

 mitted to them^ they will make great deftruftion in 

 a fhort time ; for if the branches are gnawed by harts 

 or rabbits, it will greatly retard the growth of the 

 plants, if not deftroy them. 

 In about five or fix years after planting, the brandies 

 of the young trees will have met, and begin to inter- 

 fere with each other \ therefore they will require a ' 

 little pruning, but this mull be done with great Cau-^ 

 tion. ■ The lower tier of branches only fhould be cut' 

 N ofFj this fhould be performed in September, at which 

 •' time there^will be no danger of the wounds bleeding 

 too much, and the turpentine will, harden over the 

 • 4: wounds as the_feafon grows cold, fo will prevent die 

 ■.wet from penetrating the wounds. Thefe branches 

 J Jthould be cut off clofe to the ftem of the plants, and' 

 :^;:care fhould be taken in doing this not to break any 

 of the remairiirig brariches of the young trees. This 



fhould be repeated every other year, at each 



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: time taking off only the lower tier of branches; for 

 ,'if the plants are much trimmed, it will greatly retard ;, 

 ' their growth, as it does in general that of all trees j 

 H but as thefe trees never put out any new (liOots where ■ 

 •they are pruned, fo they fuffer more from amputa- 

 ■ tion than thofe .which do. : ?-'' ' 



In thofe parts- of France where they have fore(l:s of 

 thefe trees, the proprietors always give the ftggots to 

 thofe, who prune their young trees firft, for their 

 labour, fo it cofts them no money. At the fecond 

 pruning the proprietor Tias one-third of the faggots, 

 and the dreffers have the other two for their work, 

 •;;- and afterward the faggots are equally divided between 

 ;? the. workmen arid proprietors, btit there rnuft be great 



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i care taken that they do not cut oif more than ihould 



f; In about twelve or fourteen years thtit inn require 



•■no niore pruning, for their upper branches will kill 



thofe belo\v where they have not air j but focn after 



^^ this, if the plants hav^ made good progrefs, it may be 



necefiary to thin them ; but this Ihould be gradually 



performed, beginning in the; middle or the pianra- 



^;tion firft, leaving "the'cutfide'clofe to fcreen.tjiore 



^.-within from the cold, fo by degrees coming to them 



'•"at laft, whereby ttiofe which were Brft thinned will 



', have had time to get ftrength, fo will not be in danger 



'" of fuffering frorti the admiffiofi of cold air.. When- 



' r thefe plantations are thinned, the trees fhould not be , 



" .dug up, buttheir {iems cut off clofe to the ground, 



for their roots never ftioot again, but decay in.ui^ 



"earth," fo there can no harm arife by leaving tnem, 



,; and hereby the roots of the remaining plants ^^^^ ^^" 



', Injured. "...The trees which are now,cut will be httor 



. , many purpofes ; thofe which are fti:ait will make gootl . 



' putlocks forthe bricklayers, an4 ferve-fer fca&olding ■ 



u poles, fo that there may be as mucli made by tne 



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