90 OUR FORESTS AND WOODLANDS 



Its uses, and its national importance formerly, may 

 be estimated from the following appreciation of 

 it in Holinshed's Description of England (chapter 

 xxii.) : * Howbeit as everie soile dooth not 

 beare all kinds of wood, so there is not anie 

 wood, parke, hedgerow, grove, or forrest, that is 

 not mixed with diverse, as oke, ash, hasell, haw- 

 thorne, birch, beech, hardbeame, hull, sorfe, 

 quicken aspe, poplers, wild cherie, and such like, 

 whereof oke hath alwaies the preheminence, as 

 most meet for building and the navie, where- 

 unto it is reserved. This tree bringeth foorth 

 also a profitable kind of mast, whereby such as 

 dwell neere unto the aforesaid places doo cherish 

 and bring up innumerable heards of swine. In 

 time of plentie of this mast, our red and fallow 

 deere will not let to participat thereof with our 

 hogs, more than our nete : yea our common 

 pultrie also if they may come unto them. But 

 as this abundance doth proove verie pernicious 

 unto the first, so these egs which these latter doo 

 bring foorth (beside blackenesse in color and 

 bitternesse of tast) have not seldome beene 

 found to breed diverse diseases to such persons 

 as have eaten of the same.' 



