84 



132. Of shredding and lopping trees. 



[Fol. 52»J 



How to 



stack 



faggots. 



the lyghter to carye, and the better wyll they brenne, 

 and lie in lesse rowme. And whan thou shalt bryng them 

 home to make a stacke of them, set the nethermoste 



12 course vpon the endes, and the seconde course flat vppon 

 the syde, and the endes vpwarde, and the thyrde cou[r]se 

 flatte on the syde ouerthwart the other. And so to 

 peruse them, tyll thou haue layd all vp. And whan thou 



1 6 shake brenne them, take the ouermoste fyrste. 



How to 

 shred, lop, 

 and crop 

 trees. 



Do not head 

 trees too 

 low. 



[Fol. 52*3.] 



Trees grow 



only to a 

 certain 

 height ; then 

 they spread. 



132. \ To shrede, lop, or croppe trees. 



If thou haue any trees to shrede, loppe, or croppe 

 for the fyre-wodde, croppe them in wynter, that thy 

 beastes maye eate the brouse, and the mosse of the 



4 bowes, and also the yues. And whanne they be broused 

 and eaten, dresse the wodde, and bowe it clene, and 

 cutte it at every byghte, and rere the greatte wodde to 

 the tree, and kydde the smal bowes, and set them on 

 8 ende. And if thou shalte not haue sufficyent wodde, 

 excepte thou heed thy trees, and cut of the toppes, than 

 heed theym thre or foure fote aboue any tymber: and 

 if it be noo tymbre tree, but a shaken tree, or a hedge- 



12 rote full of knottes, than heed hym thyrty foote hyghe, 

 or twenty at the leaste, for soo ferre he wyll beare 

 plentye of woode and bowes, and moche more, thanne 

 if he were not heeded. For a tree hath a propertye to 



1 6 growe to a cert^yne heyght, and whan he commeth to 

 that heyghte, he standeth styll, and groweth noo hyer, 

 but in brede ; and in conclusion the toppe wyll dye 

 and decrease, and the body thryue. And if a tree be 



20 heeded, and vsed to be lopped and cropped at euerye 

 .xii. or .xvi. yeres ende, or there-about, it wyll beare 

 moche more woode, by processe of time, than if it were 

 not cropped, and moche more profyte to the owner. 



