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THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



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and all that time have been growing hollow and decaying at 

 heart, so that when a severe frost in winter or a very dry 

 summer has occurred, they have produced an almost total 

 destruction of these trees. In other places great numbers of 

 tall Oaks have been transplanted, which have appeared to 

 thrive for the first few years ; but in rive or six seasons after 

 have begun to decay at the top, and died leisurely down to 

 the ground, which is a most offensive "sight to the owner. 

 Indeed the common method of transplanting these invaluable 

 trees is of itself sufficient to destroy them, if it were at all 

 possible for them to survive their removal. The method 

 alluded to is the practice of cutting off all their branches ; 

 for if the same tree were suffered to stand and have all its 

 branches cut off, it would stint the growth so much, that 

 it would not recover for several years, nor indeed could it 

 ever afterwards arrive to the size of those which are suffered 

 to retain their branches. The reason given for this practice 

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

 not be supported, because the winds would blow them out 

 of the ground : another, which is bad philosophy, is, that as 

 the "roots have been greatly reduced by transplanting, so 

 the heads of the trees should be reduced in the same pro- 

 portion. As to the first, it must be allowed that trees which 

 are removed with great heads, are with great difficulty pre- 

 served in their upright situatidn ; for the winds will have 

 such power against the branches, as to overset the trees if 

 they are not very strongly supported with ropes. Therefore 

 this may be brought as an objection to the transplanting 

 of.large trees altogether, rather than in support of a practice 

 which is so extremely prejudicial to them. As to the other 

 pretext, it has no foundation ; for- if large amputations be 

 made at the root, there ought not to be the same inflicted on 

 the head, because it will imbibe the air at every orifice, to the 

 great injury of the tree. Besides this, if we pay any regard 

 to the doctrine of the circulation of the juices in plants, we 

 must allow that the heads of the trees are equally useful to 

 nourish the roots as the roots are to the heads : so that if 

 there be a waste of sap both at the top and bottom of the 

 trees, it must weaken them in proportion. For whoever will 

 be at the trouble to try the experiment on two trees of equal 

 age and health, and cut off the branches from the one, leav- 

 ing them on the other at the time of transplanting, if the 

 latter be .well secured from blowing down, it will be found 

 to succeed much* better than the other; or if the same thing 

 be practised on two trees left standing, the tree, the branches 

 of which are cut off, will not make half the progress of the 

 other, nor will the stem increase in its bulk half so fast. 

 Therefore where trees .are transplanted young, there will be 

 no necessity for using this unnatural amputation, and the 

 success of such plantations will always afford pleasure to 

 their owner. "I have seen," said Mr. Miller, "some planta- 

 tions of Oak-trees, which were made fifty years ago, and 

 had thriven beyond expectation most part of the time, but 

 are now annually decaying, and seem as if they would not 

 continue many years longer, while trees on the same soil and 

 in the same situation, which were left standing, are in per- 

 fect health and vigour; and some of these transplanted trees 

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

 being shaken and decayed." We have often heard persons 

 remarking, that from the spirit of planting which has pre- 

 vailed of late years, great advantage will accrue to the public 

 by the increase of timber; but whoever is skilled in the 

 growth of timber must know, that little can be expected 

 from most of our. plantations, because few of our planters 

 have set out right. No valuable timber was ever yet pro- 

 duced from trees transplanted after they attained to any con- 



siderable size; nor is any timber, even of the trees which are 

 transplanted young, equal in goodness to that which has 

 grown from the seeds unremoved. But above all, if we con- 

 sider the sorts of trees usually planted, it will be found that 

 they are not intended to produce useful timber; so that, upon 

 the whole, it is much to be doubted whether the late method 

 of planting has not been rather prejudicial, than productive 

 of the increase of timber. Most people are so much in a 

 hurry about planting, as not to take time to prepare their 

 ground for the reception of trees, but frequently make holes, 

 and stick them in amongst all sorts of rubbish which is 

 growing upon the land; and afterwards there has been no 

 care taken to dig trie ground, or root out the noxious plants; 

 but the trees have been left to struggle with these bad neigh- 

 bours, who have had long previous possession of the ground, 

 and established themselves so strongly in it as not to be easily 

 overcome. Now, what can be expected from such planta- 

 tions of deciduous trees? For it is allowed that Pines and 

 Firs, if once well rooted in the ground, will soon get the better 

 of the weeds, and in time destroy them. There are some 

 careful individuals who begin better, and will be at all the 

 trouble and expense of preparing the ground and planting 

 the trees, but take very little care of them afterwards : so 

 that in the year after they are planted, it is common to see 

 them overgrown with weeds, that always retard the growth 

 of young trees, and sometimes entirely destroy them. On 

 this account, says Mr. Miller, I would advise every person 

 who proposes to plant, to prepare the ground well before- 

 hand, by trenching or deep ploughing, and clearing it from 

 the roots of all bad weeds ; which will lay a sure foundation 

 for future success and profit. No person should undertake 

 more of this work than he can afterwards keep clean, for 

 all plantations of deciduous trees will require care and atten- 

 tion during the first seven years. All small plantations there- 

 fore should have the ground annually dug between the trees; 

 and between those that are large it should be ploughed : 

 this will enable the roots of the trees to extend themselves, 

 so that they will find a much greater quantity of nourishment, 

 for by loosening the ground, the moisture and air will more 

 easily penetrate to the roots, to the no small advantage of 

 the trees : but, besides this operation, it will be absolutely 

 necessary to hoe the ground three or four times in the sum- 

 mer, either by hand or with the hoe-plough. This will be 

 objected to by many, on account of the expense ; but if the 

 first hoeing be performed early in the spring, before the 

 weeds have gotten strength, a great quantity of ground may 

 be gone over in a short time; and if the season be dry when 

 it is performed, the weeds will presently die after they are 

 cut: and if this be repeated before the weeds are come up 

 again to any size, it will be found the cheapest and very 

 best husbandry; for if the weeds be suffered to grow till 

 they are large, it will be more expensive to root them out 

 and make the ground clean; and they will have already rob- 

 bed the trees of great part of their nourishment. It is some- 

 times said to be necessary to let the weeds grow among trees 

 in summer, in order to shade the roots and keep the ground 

 moist; but this has come from persons of no skill, and the 

 following is an exposure of this fallacy. If the weeds be 

 allowed to grow, they will certainly absorb all the moisture 

 from the roots of the trees for their own nourishment, so that 

 the trees will not profit by the kindly dews and gentle showers 

 of rain which are so beneficial to young plantations : these 

 will be entirely imbibed by the weeds ; so that gre:tt rains 

 only can descend to the roots of the trees. Whoever has 

 the least doubt on this head should try the experiment, l>y 

 keeping one part of the plantation clean, and suffer the 



