133. Of shredding and lopping trees. 85 



133. \ Howe a man shonlde slirede, loppe, or croppe 



trees. 

 It is the comon sryse, to besrynne at the top of the inshred- 



oj ■> oj IT jjjjg trees, 



tree, whan he shall be shred or cropped, bycause eche ^^"^"^j^^ 

 bough shulde lye vppon other whan they shall fed, so ^p. 

 4 that the weight of the bowes shall cause theym to be 



the rather cut downe. But that is not beste, for that it is not the 



best way. 



causeth the bowes to slaue downe the nether parte, 

 and pulleth awaye the barke from the bodye of the tree, 



8 the whiche wyll cause the tree to be holowe in that place 

 in tyme commynge, and many tymes it shall hynder 

 hym. And therfore lette hym begynne at the nether- [Foi.53».] 

 moste boughe fyrste, and with a lyghte axe for an hande, 



12 to cut the boughe on bothe sydes, a fote or two foote 

 from the bodye of the tree. And specially cut it more 

 on the nether syde, than on the ouer syde, soo that 

 the boughe fall not streyght downe, but tume on the 



16 syde, and than shall it not slaue nor breke no barke. 

 And euery boughe wil haue a newe heed, and beare 

 moche more woode ; and by thy wyll, without thou must Never crop 



or head a. 



nedes do it, crop not thy tree, nor specyallye heed hym, tree with a 



20 whan the ^vynde standeth in the northe, or in the eest. wind. 



And beware, that thou croppe hjin not, nor heed hym 



(specially) in sappe-tyme, for than wyll he dye within nor in sap- 

 time, 

 fewe yeres after, if it be an oke. 



134. \ To sell woode or tymber. 



If thou haue any woode to selle, I aduyse the, retayle Retail the 

 it thy-selfe, if thou mayste attende vppon it : and if not, ^^ ^°'^' 

 thanne to cause thy baylye, or somme other wyse or 



4 dyscrete man, to do it for the. And if it be small wode, if small, sell 

 to kydde it, and sel it by the hundredes, or by the thou- ™ **sgots. 

 sandes. And if there be asshes in it, to sell the smalle 

 asshes to cowpers for garches, and the gret asshes to [FoI. 53»*.] 



8 whele-wrj'ghtes, and the meane asshes to plowe-wrightes. 



