New Jerfey, Penns Neck. 325 



are either rotting within, or lofing their crown* 

 or their wood becomes quite foft, or their roots 

 are no longer able to draw in fufficrent nourim- 

 ment, or they die from fome other caufe. Tl^ere- 

 fore when ftorms blow, which fometimes hap- 

 pens here, the trees are broke off either juft 

 above the root, or in the middle, or at the fum- 

 mit. Several trees are likewife torn out with 

 their roots by the power of the winds. The 

 ftorms thus caufe great devaluations in thefe fo- 

 refts. Every where you fee trees thrown down 

 by the winds, after they are too much weakened 

 by one or the other of the above-mentioned 

 caufes to be able to refift their fury. Fire like- 

 wife breaks out often in the woods, and burns 

 the trees half way from the root, fo that a vio- 

 lent guft of wind eafily throws them down. 



ON travelling through thefe woods, I pur- 

 pofely tried to find out, by the pofitioa of the 

 trees which were fallen down, which winds are 

 the flrongeft hereabouts. But I could not con- 

 clude any thing with certainty, for the trees fell 

 on all fides, and lay towards all the points of 

 the compafs. I therefore judged, that any wind 

 which blows from that fide where the roots of 

 the tree are weakeft and fhorteft, and where it 

 can make the leaft refiftance, muft root it up and 

 throw it down. Jn this manner the old trees die 

 away continually, and are fucceeded by a young 

 generation. Thofe which are thrown down lie 

 on the ground and putrify, fooner or later, and 

 by that means encreafe the black foil, into which 

 the leaves are likewife finally changed, which 

 drop abundantly in autumn, are blown about by 



Y 3 the 



