438 The Gardener's New Director. 

 that I plantea among the Whins, grew to great perfec- 

 tion, and the Firs that were planted upon the Ipot of 

 ground thai 1 cleared of the Whins, were totally de- 

 ilroyed by the froft of the enfuing winter. This fhows 

 you what proteQion is necefTary to all young planted 

 trees, particularly Firs, of which I fhall fpeak more 

 fully when I come to treat of that article. 



With refpeft to the fowing of tree feeds in woods, 

 the following obfervations aflured me of the fuccefs of 

 thefe experiments. I had two pieces of ground, of about 

 fix acres each, fown with Foreft-tree feeds ; they were 

 both inclofed on all fides with underwood hedges, fuch 

 as Thorns, Brambles, ^c. planting them as clofe as I 

 could, 10 fave my feedling plants from the irruptions of 

 cattle; one of thefe inclofures I dug very well, and fow- 

 ed it in patches or pieces ; one piece in the middle of 

 the inclofure I fowcd with tree feeds, another piece I 

 fowed near to the hedges with the fame ; what 1 fowed 

 in the middle, came up but thinly; but what I fowcd 

 near the hedges grew very well for the firfl: and fecond 

 years. I did not perceive, or did not mind the difference 

 between what was fown in the middle, and what was 

 fown near the hedges, until the third year. Then I ob- 

 ferved a confiderable diminution of my young plants, 

 which were fown in the middle part of my inclofure ; 

 and I further obferved in the fourth year, that by the 

 drought of every fummer, and froft of every winter 

 thereafter the number of my plants was confiderably di- 

 miniflied ; and the winter of the fixth year, being ex- 

 tremely fevere, finifhed them altogether, whilft the beds 

 or fpots which I fowed in this inclofure by the fides of 

 the hedges, w&xQ ftrong, healthy and vigorous, fome of 

 them having grown four or five feet high. This ferved 

 to fhow me, that the good fuccefs of thofe beds which I 

 fowed near the hedges, was owing to the cover thole 

 hedges afforded the young plants; but in the middle 

 thereof, where there was no fnelter nor protection from 

 the feverities oF the weather, the plants iailed. To re- 

 medy therefore this inconvenience, I caufed two ditches 

 to be thrown up, croffing the middle of this inclofure at 

 right angles, and planting the tops of them with thorns, 

 brambles, poplars, and underwood, in form oi hedge? ; 



bv 



