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feveral purpoles for v/hich they arc intended, all which 

 is explained under their feveral heads ; but fruic- 

 trees, planted either againft walls, or for efpaliers, 

 fhould be allowed the following diftances : for moft 

 forts of vigorous-fhooting Pear-trees, from thirty- fix 

 to fprty feet \ for Apricots, fixteen or eighteen feec; 

 Apples, twenty-five or thirty feet ; Peaches and Ncc- 



.tarines, twelve feet; Cherries and Plums, twenty- 



.five feet, according to the goodnefs of the foil or 

 the height of the wall. But as thefe things are men- 

 tioned jn the feveral articles of fruit-trees, it will be 



, necdkf^, to repeat any more in this place, ■ ^ . 

 What hath been mentioned on this article chiefly re- 

 lates to fruit-trees and evergreens, for the adorning 



.of gardens ; but I Ihall now proceed to the planting 



. of foreft and other trees, which are in all large plan- 

 stations of parks and cxtenfive gardens the moft nu- 

 ,merous. The modern practice of tranlplanting thefe 

 forts of trees from hedge-rows and woods of large 

 fizes, and at a great expence, has too generally pre- 

 vailed in this kingdom, the generality of planters be- 

 Jng in too great hafte, and by a miftaken notion of 

 favingtime, begin by tranlplanting fuch large trees as 

 they find on their own eftates, or that they can procure 

 in' their neighbourhood, and pleafe themfelves with 

 the hopes of having fine plantations foon \ but if, in- I of the juices in plants, wemuft allow, that the heads 



were the fame pradifed on a tree of the fame age un- 

 removed, it would ftint the growth io much as not 

 to be recovered in feveral years, nor would it ever 



^ arrive to the fize of fuch as have all their branches 



: left on them. But the rcafon given for this pradice 

 is, that if the branches were left upon the trees, they 

 could not be fupported, the winds would throw thcrn 

 out of the ground •, and another (which is bad philo- 

 fophy) is, that as the roots have been greatly reduced 



. by tranfplanting, fo the heads of the trees Ihould be 

 reduced in the fame proportion. As to the firlt, it 



■ muft be allowed, that trees which are removed v/ith 

 great heads, are with great difficulty preferved in 

 their upright fituation ; for the v/inds will have fuch 

 pov/er againfl the branches as to overfet the trees, if 

 they are not very ftrongly fupported v/ith 

 Therefore this may be brought as an objeftion to the 

 tranfplanting of large trees, rather than in fupport of 

 a praftice which is fo prejudicial to them; and as to 

 the other rcafon, it has no foundation ; for if large 

 amputations are made at the root, there Ihould not 

 be the fame praftifed on the head; becaufe the wound- 

 ed part of the head will imbibe the air at every ori- 

 fice, to the great prejudice of the tree. Befides this, 

 if we pay any regard to the doctrine of the circulatine 



roDcs, 



fte^d of removing thefe trees, they would brgin by 

 making; a nurfery, and raifinp; of their trees from 



of the trees are equally ufeful to nourifli the roots, as 

 the roots are to the heads ; fo that if there is a wafte 



feeds, they v/ould kt out in a right m.ethod, and fave of fap both at the top and bottom of the trees, Jt 



. a great expence and much time, and they would 

 have the conftant pleafure of feeing their trees annual- 

 ly advance in their growth, infteand of their growing 

 worfe, as will always be the cafe where old trees are 

 removed, though many perfons flatter themfelves 

 with the hopes of fuccefs, when they find their trees 

 fhoot out the following feafon ; and as thefe will often 

 continue to grow forfome years after, fo they continue 

 ^ their expeftations, till after waiting many years, in 

 . .^which time they might have K'ad feedling trees grown 

 , 5, up to a fine fize, if they had been fown at the time 

 , ^ u^\^^ large "trees were planted, they then .find their 

 ;'' |rees,Ai^nually decaying, when jhey rnpft expefted 

 X their increafe \ for of all the plantations which I have 

 ii" yet feen of thefe large trees of any fort, therb is fcarce 

 i^ one which has ever fucceeded. And if thofe perfons 

 t'X;,wllo are difpofed to plant,..would be fo kind to them-" 

 '\ felves as tq.furvey with attention, as many^ of the 

 modern plantations of this kind as they conveniently 

 can, they will be convinced of the truth of this fa6t ; 

 - : but there are very few who give themfelves tiine to 

 :- deliberate before they begin, fo that until they meet 

 , „vyith difappointments, they fcarce reflcdt on what 



muft weaken them in proportion. For whoever will 



be at the trouble to try the experiment on two trees 



of equal age and health, and to cut the "branches off 



. from one, and leave them upon the other at the time 



of tranfplanting, if the hitter is well fccured from 



> blowino; down, it will be found to fucceed much bet- 



,-i ter than the other ; or if the fame thing is pradifed 



I a\upoh "two trees left ftanding,. the tree whofe branches 



' are cut off, will not'make half the progrefs a^ the 



:,^''bther, nor will the ftem increafe in its bulk half io faft. 



.ui'.Therefore where trees are tranfplanted young, there 



-^ Vy^ill be no necelTity for ufing this unnatural amputati- 



~'^ on, and the fuccefs of thefe plantations will always^ive 



pleafure to the owner. *.ilhave'reen Tome plantations 



of Oak-trees, which wei^e made fifty years ago, and 

 had thriven beyond expedtation moft part of the 

 rtjime, but are now annually decaying, and feem as if 

 ' they would not continue many years longer, whea 

 the treds on the fame foil and in the fame fituation, 

 which were left ftanding^ are in pcrfed: health and 



and fome of thefe tranfplanted trees which 

 have been cut down, were found to be of little value. 



vigour 



their timber being fliaken and bad. 



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^^ lenorance. or fome other motive, enconrat];e this 





they are doing. .And it too qftcn happens, that the It is common to hear perfons remarking, that from 

 perlons employed in the executiop;, either through the prefent fpirit of Plantino;, o-reat advantages will 



accrue to the public by the increaie or timber -, but 

 : whoever is the leaft flcilled in the growth of dmber 

 -, muft know, that little is to be expeflied frbrn'moft 

 ■> of the plantations which have lately been m^de \ for 

 >- there are few perfons who have had this in their view 

 -■_when they commenced planters, and of thofe few 

 : ^ fcarce any of theni have fet out right \ for there never 

 was any valuable timber produced from' trees which 



. ^: praftice of Planting. ^::j,^:: ->^^i.^.> -^...i^/V^-r; 

 - j In fome of thefe plantations, all the Elms which 

 :k could be procured from the neighbounng^ hedge- 



• \i rows have been removedx nioft o|l.which have been 

 t flickers prQduced. from th.eqld ftumps, fojiavf fcarce 



~ .T-j-tiy. ropjtsXl thefe have, .%t^ a great^ expence, been 

 ^.-;:^.planted_and watered, and perhaps many of them have 

 »:>^'' made confiderable fhoots, the whole length of the 

 tsilftem at evefy^'Khot,' and many of them have'*con-" 



* ^ tinued ten or^.twelve years alive, but have not in- 

 s^-creared in the' girt^of .thdr ftem§,half an inch, and 

 v^/all that time have fecen decaying at their heart, and 





■^ ** 



rpwine; hollow -, fo th^t when a fcvere froft in winter, 

 pj^a great drought in fummier, has happened^ there 

 has been an al moft total deftruftion of the trees, r 

 In other places I have fecn great numbers of tall Oaks 

 -u tranfplanted, 'which have appeared to thrive for fome 

 ;i'"yelfs when firft planted -, but in five or fix years 

 ■'.after, have. begun to decay at their top, and have 



leifur^ly died to the ground, than which nothing can 

 be a more difagreeable fight to the owner. And the 



. ,, method which is commonly pra6tifed in tranlplanting 

 of thefe trees would deftroy them, were thbre apoffi- 



: ability of fuch large trees furviving their removal, 



. .-.which is, .that^pf ciitting off all their branches j for, 



,; were tranfplanted of any confiderable fize, nor is any 

 of the timber of the trees which are tranfplanted 



^ yourig^ equal in gobdnefs to that "which has grown 

 from the feeds unremoved. Befide, if we confidcr 

 the forts of trees which are ufuaUy planted, it will 

 be found, that they are not defigned for timber-, fo 

 that upon the whole, it is much to be doubted, whe- 

 ther the late method of planting has hot rather 

 been prejudicial to the growth and increafe of timber, 



than otherwiie.!^:frri'f<":4r,r-;-: V • . 



, I muft btg 



*,ii *- 



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Q 





Before I quit this fubje6t of Plantln 



leave to obferve, that moft people are fo much in a 



hurry about Planting, as not to take time to prepare 



" their ground for the reception of trees, but frequent- 



; iy make holes and ftick in the trees, amongft all 



. . forts of rubbiih which is growing upon the land : 



* and I have frequently obfcrved, that there has not 



.-^een any care afterward taken to dig the grojrid, or 

 V ' / root 





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