lo A Difconrfe of Foreft-Trees. 



— — ^itt montemfHccederejylvas 



Cogebant. 



Lucret. 

 though my L. Bacon prefer that which grows in the ntoifier 

 grounds for Ship-timber, as the inoft tough, and lefs fabjeft to 

 rift : but let us hear Fliny. This is a general Rule, faith he 5 

 " What Trees foever they be which grow tolerably cither on 

 *' Hills, or rallies, arife to greater ftature, and fprcad more amply 

 *' in the lower ground : But the Timber is far better, and of a finer 

 ^^ grain, which grows upon the Mountains ^ excepting only Apple, 

 *' and Tear-trees, And in the 39. cap. lib. 16. TheTifftber of thofe 

 *' Trees which grow in moift and fiadj/ places is not fo good as 

 " that which comes from a more expos'd fituationjnor is it fo clofe, 

 " fubftantial and durable 5 upon which he much prefers the Tim- 

 " ber growing in Tufcanj, before that towards the Venetian fide, 

 *' and upper part of the Gulph : And that Timber fo growing was 

 in greateft efteem long before Fliny, we have the ^ear of Aga- 

 memnon 



"-^ f;)^«^ *ce;ttoTft?Jf Sfx*^' '^>^ >'• from a Treefo ex- 

 pos'd 5 and Dydimus gives the reafon. T* ya.^ I* ^'ri/x^ (fays he) 

 irKuty yvfivdL^o/i'ijei •/'tr/gst, r»f«*, &c. For that being continually wea- 

 ther-beaten they become hardier and tougher. 



5. But to difcourage none. Oaks profper exceedingly even in 

 gravel, and moift Clays, which moft other Trees abhor j yea, even 

 the coldeft c/tf^ grounds that will hardly graze : I have read, that 

 there grow 0<«;^x(fome of which have contain'd ten loads apiece) 

 out of the very Walls of Silcefier in Hantfiire, which foem to 

 ftrike root in the very Stones. It is indeed obforv'd, that Oakj 

 which grow in rough, fiony grounds, and obftinat clays, are long 

 before they come to any confiderable ftature^ for fuch places,* 

 and all fort ofClay, is held but zjiep-mother toTrees ^ but in timfe 

 they afford the moft excellent Timber, having ftood long, and got ^ 

 good rooting : The fame may we affirm of the Yighted fands^ 

 which produces a fmoother-grain'd Timber, of all other the moft 

 ufeful for the Joyner. What improvement the fiirring of the 

 ground about the roots of Oaki is to the Trees I have already hin- 

 ted j and yet in Copjes where they ftand rearm, and fo thickn'd 

 with the under-wood , as this culture cannot be praftis'd , they 

 prove in time to be goodly Trees. 



6. That the Tranfplanting of young 0^4r gains them fe» years 

 Advance fome happy perfons have affirmed : from this belief,! have 

 dcfir'd to be cxcufed, and produc'd my Reafons for it : Nor Icfs are 

 they mijiaken, who advife us to plant Oaks of a great bigneji, which 

 hardly make any confiderable progref in an Age : Yet if any be 

 defirous to make /r/W of it, let their Stems be of the fmootheft, 

 and tendereft Bark.-^ for that is ever an indication o^ youth, as 

 well as the paucity of their Circles, which in difbranching, and 

 cutting the head off, ztftve ovfix foot height (a thing, by the way, 

 which the French ufually fpare when they Tranjplant this Tree) 



may 



