442 The Gardener's New Director. 



twice a year, which befides the real inconveniencies of 

 expofing iheir roots to the parching heats in fuinmer, 

 and to hard frofts in the fpring following, is moft ex- 

 penfive, without being of the leafl advantage to the trees 

 themfelves ; therefore, as it will be proper to fubftitute 

 fomething in place of weeding, to enable us to attain the 

 defired fuccefb, I know no method fo proper as this, viz. 

 to cut all your young trees down within an inch, or an 

 inch and an half of the furface of the earth, flopeways, 

 that the rain may r.ot fettle or reft upon the under part 

 of the trees. This method, fimple as it is, experience 

 hath taught me to be of infiilite advantage for accelera- 

 ting, by miahy years, the growth of all plantations of 

 trees; fuffer me, therefore, to give you an accurate de- 

 tail of my management in this im.portant fubjeft. 



All earth may in general be reduced to two forts, light 

 earth, and ftrong earth. If you fow in a light earth, 

 \'ou may dig or plough it, and the lighter the earth is, 

 the lefs will be the expence ; and you may fow the feeds 

 of trees juft after the plough; but thofe kinds of foils 

 being generally burning and dry, you muft not take the 

 weeds from them the following fummer, becaufe thefe 

 keep a coolnefs about the roots of young Oaks and Beech, 

 in the hot feafon, and hinder the hot rays of the fun 

 from fcorching them; and when thefe weeds come to die 

 in v.'inter, they hinder the froft in that rigorous feafon 

 from piercing to their roots. In fhort, in a light foil, 

 trees require little or no culiure. I have fown a 

 great many acres of this kind of ground with great fuc- 

 cefs, for the roots of the young trees extend their fibres 

 eafily, whilft the rain and dews get as eafily down to 

 them, and the feeds here fown want nothing but a light 

 cover of earth to make them fucceed to your fondeft 

 Avifhes. 



But it is more difficult to propagate trees in ftrong clay 

 foils. There the labour of ploughing and digging is ufe- 

 lefs, and very often hurtful. The beft method I know 

 to fow tree feeds in fuch foils, is to cig pits with your 

 fpade the fummer preceding the autumn in which you 

 intend to fow them, that the ground may thereby be a 

 little mellowed by the fun and air, and therein fow or 

 plant vour feeds, with a fuitable cover ; ycu muft not 



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