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but afterward it may be done with the hoe-ploug'i •, 

 for as the rows are four feet afundcr, there will be 

 room enough for this plough to workj and as this 

 will ftir and loofen the ground, it will be of great fer- 

 vice to the plants ■, but there will require a little hand- 

 labour where the plough is ufed, in order to dcftroy 

 the weeds, which will come up in the rows between 

 the plants -, for thefc will be out of the reach of the 

 plough, and if they arc not deftroycd, they will foon 

 overgrow and bear dow;i the young plants. 

 After the plants have grown two years, it will be pro- 

 per to draw out fome of them, where they grow too 

 clofe V but in the doing of this, great care ibould be 

 had not to injure the roots of thofe left ; for as the 

 plants which are drav/n out are only fit for planta- 

 tions defigned for pleafure, fo thefc Ihould not be fo 

 much regarded in their being removed, as to facrifice 

 any of thofe which are defigned to remain. In the 

 thinning of thefe plantations, the plants may at the 

 jfirft time be left about one foot afunder, which will 

 give them room enough to grow two or three years 

 longer, by which time it may be cafy to judge which 



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much W01L3 ; ^iwl yet, by then- ftooh;bein^lrft, thev 

 will draw a-.vay u great Ihare of nourifiiment fio:^ the 

 timber-trees, and retard them in their progrefs. 

 The foil in which the Oak makes the grcareft pro- 

 grefs, is a deep rich loam, in which the trees grow to 

 the largeft fize ; and the timber of thofe trees whicii 

 grow upon this land, is generally more pliable than 

 that wlilch grows on a llialbwer or drier ground, b-jt 

 the wood of the latter is much more comrja<!;t and 

 hard. Indeed there are fewloils in Engiand/in ^vhich 

 the Oak will not grow, provided there is proper care 

 taken in their cultivation, though 'this tree v;iii not 

 thrive equally in all foils; but yet it might becuUi- 

 vated to a national advantage upon many larr/e waftes 

 in feveral parts of England, as alfo to the great profit 

 of the eftates where thefe tracls of land now he uncul- 

 tivated, and produce nothing to the owner. And 

 fliould the prefent temper of deflroying the timber 

 of England continue in pratlice fome years lun2;er, 

 in the iame degree Vv'hich it has for fume years paft, 

 and as little care taken to raifc a fupply, this country 

 which has been fo long efteemed for its naval ltrenc»-th, 

 are'likely to make the beft trees ; therefore thefe I may be obliged to feek for timber abroad, or be con- 

 may be Uien fixed on as ftandards to remain, though 1 tent with fuch a naval ftrength, as the pour remains of 

 it will b^ proper to have a greater number at this time j fome frugal eftates may have left growing ^ for as to 

 marked than can be permitted to grow, becaufe fome I the large forefts, from whence the navy has been To 

 of them may not anfwcr the expedtation ; and as it j long fupplied, a few years will put an end to the tim- 

 will be improper to thin thefe trees too much at one j her there y and how can it be othervviie, when the 



time, fo leaving double the number intended at I perfons to whofe care thefe are committed, reap an 



the fecond thinning will not be amifs. Therefore, if 1 advantage from the deflruclion of the timber ? 



' th,ey are then left at about four feet diftancq in the J ' Before I quit this fubjed, I muft beg kave to take 



rows, they will have room enough to grow three or | notice of another great evil, which is of fo m 





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four years longer ^ by which time, if the plants have J confequence to the public, as to defervc their utmoft 

 made good progrefs, their roots will have fp read over j attention ; which is, that of cutting down the Oaks 



the ground, therefore it will be proper to take up I i in the fpring of the year, at the time v/hen the fap is 



flowirigi This is done for the fake of the bark, which 



^ill then eafily peel off; and for the fake of this, I 



^think^ therq is flaWj, wherebypeople are obliged to 



cut^^pwn tjielr timber at this feafon. But by fo do- 



X ing, the timber is not halffo durable'as that which is 



; fallen in the winter. To that thofe fhlps, which have 



r been built of this fpring-cut timber, have decayed 



>. more in feven br* eight years, than others which were 



-?; built with timbei: cut in winter ; have done in twenty 



,,: .or t|iirty.^ And this^ur neighbours the French have 



;, experienced, and therefore have wifely ordered, that ' 



- the bark Ihould be taken off the trees Handing, at the 



proper time, but the trees are left till the next, an4 



every other tree in the rows. But by this J do not 

 r.ican to be exaft in the removing, but to make chQice 

 of the beft plants to ftand, wmch^ ever rows they may 

 be in, or if they "fliould not be exadlly at the diftance 

 fiere afllgneS j all that is defigned here, is to lay down 

 , general rules, which iKould be as nearly complied 

 with as the plaritTwill permit 5 therefore, every perfon 

 , ihoiild be guided by the gr9;\(?;,h g£ the tr??s in the 



performance of this work 

 ,,: When the plants have been reduced to the djftance of 

 iv f bout eight feet, they will not require any mort thih- 

 .'ning. But in two or three years time, thofe which 

 ! are not to remain will be fit to cut down, to make 



1 ,^«- J j 



i^Jfi-t., 



ftools for under- wood; and thofe which are to remain, [ fometimes until the fecond winter, before they are 



. will have made fuch progrefs as to become a fhelter j cut down ; and the timber of thefe are found to be 



to each others for this is whatflaould be principally more durable and better for ufe,thanthat of any trees 



^ttendedtOjV/henever the trees are thinned; therefore .which have not been peeled. . Therefore i v/illi.we 



^ all fuch places as are much expofed to the wind, , were v/ife enough to copy after them in thofe things 



. ^theVrees fhould bcthinned with great caution and by which are for public <};ood, rather than to imitate them 

 llow degrees ; for it the air is let too much at once 

 into the plantation, it will give a liidden check to 



the trees, and greatly retard their growth ; but in Ihel- 

 }^ tered fituations, there need nqt^. be _fo great caution 

 : vf^d as in thofe places, fof the plants will not be in 



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:hpfe 



V . trees which are deugned to remain for timber iSj^from 

 2, twenYy-five*to about thirty feet, which will hot be too 

 inear, where the trees thrive well ; in which cafe their 



..- in their follies, which has been too much the faftiou 

 of late years. 



-II. - 



QJJ I C Kr- By the word Quick is generally underftood 

 '>^ all livc'hedges, of whatever fort of plants they are '' 

 icompofed, to diftinguilh them from dead hedges'; 

 , but, in the more ftridt fenfe of this word,, it is gene- 

 ;;: rally applied to the Hawthorn, or Mefpilus Sylvef- 

 ^;,tri§ 5 Mndcr which name the yoiing plants or fets, are 

 -r commonly fold by the nurfery-gardeners, who raife 

 ■■:'- them for fale. : r v :-* " ' 



■--, ._-*--, 



Heads will fpread, fo as to meet in about thirty or [ -:In the choice of thefe {tt% thofe which are raifed in 

 r thirty-fivQ years •' nor will this diftance be too great, I - the nurfery, are to *be preferred to fuch as are drawn 



>ut of the woods, becaufe the latter have feldom good 



^ 



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th 



roots ; though as they are larger plants than are com- 

 vmonly to be had in the nurfery, many people prefer 



.the under- wood, or at the rnofl two crops are cut;,. I [ them on that account •, but from long experience I 



}, would acivife the ftubbing up the ftools, that the [ .have found, th;;t thofe hedges which have been plant- 



y ground may be entirely clear, for the advantage of t ^d with young plants from the nurfery, have always 



the growing timber, which is what fhould be princi- | made the beft hedges. Indeed, if perfons would have 



P^^y FFga^ded ; but in general, moft people have | . patience to wait for thefe from feed, and to fow the 



- °?9r9J^gatdfor the immediate profit of the under- { . Haws in the place where the hedge is defigned, thefc 



wood than the future good of the timber, and fre- I unrembved plants will make a mu^chftronger and more 



queritly fiy fo doing fpoil both; for if the under^ [ ; durable fence, than thofe which are tranfplantcd ; but 



wood is left after the tfees havefpread fo far as that 



\ their heads niie^eV the unjTer-wood will not be of 



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;I am aware that moft people will be for condemning 



this pradice, as tedious in raifing j but if the Haws 



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