622 Cultivation of Grafs-Land. Management of Woods Cutting of. 



of new fences, but the profit is greatly increafed by the rapid growth of the wood, 

 when planted in fituations that are fheltered by other treecs and plants already 

 planted. In woods where faplings rife in great numbers fpontaneou fly, their 

 growth fhould be encouraged. As, at the time of cutting the underwood, fuch 

 faplings may, perhaps, be 14 or 15 years old ; it might appear proper, after leav 

 ing for timber-trees fuch as are ftraight and handfome, to cut off the reft for un 

 derwood ; but a great part of the faplings at that age fo cut off will not be large 

 enough to produce fhoots fufficiently ftrong to get up as faft as the other under 

 wood. Thefe fhoots will therefore fuffer, and the (locks never come to perfection. 

 It is confequently, in general, mo re ad vi fable not to cut off fuch faplings as are in 

 tended for underwood, until the fecond cutting of the wood, when they may be 

 probably near 30 years old, and will then throw out (hoots (Irong enough to fight 

 their way, and keep pace with the furrounding underwood. But where faplings 

 do not fpring up in abundance in this way, young trees mud be planted ; part of 

 which may be preferved for timber, and the reft left to be ftubbed off for under 

 wood at a proper time.* 



For the purpofe of filling up fuch woods as are &quot; grown thin by age or neglect, 

 the proper time is one year, or at the utmoft two years, after the underwood is 

 cut. The young plants (hould be eight or ten feet high, and an inch and a half in 

 diameter at the ground, and mould be planted without cutting off. If the foil be 

 dry, no other preparation is neceffary than barely digging the holes for the plants. 

 If wet, deep drains fhould be made to take of the fuperabundant water. The 

 earth dug from thefe drains being thrown out on the lower fide of them, upon this 

 new earth the plants mould be planted. If land of this latter defcription be black 

 and peaty, afh is peculiarly proper for it ;and will if planted on the earth thrown 

 from the drains, make a mod furprifing progrefs. If it be a ftiff yellow clay, it it 

 generally more favourable to the growth of oak than of afh. In fuch foils, oak 

 for timber, with a mixture of willow, birch, alder, and Spanish chefnut for un 

 derwood, will perhaps be the moft proper. All thefe kinds mould ftand one round 

 of the underwood, and ifftill weak fhould ftand two,before thofe are cut off which 

 are intended for underwood. Birch plants however are an exception to this rule: 

 they mould always be cut off the firft round of the underwood ; for if they are large 

 when cut off the ftocks frequently decay a^d die. In all mixtures of kinds of 

 wood for coppices thofe forts fhould be ufed which are not unfriendly to each 



* Davis in Bath Papers. 



