po A Difcourfe of Foreft-Trees. 



were make perforation through the feveral If/fegHme»ts to the 

 middle, or very neer j which part is, as it were, a Root of the 

 bough into the body of the Tree ^ and after becomes a kfiot, 

 more hard then the other wood : And when it is larger, manifeft- 

 ly (hewing it felf alfo to confift of feveral Integuments^ by the 

 circles appearing in it, as in the body : more hard, probably 5 

 becaufe ftreightned in room for growth ; as appears by itsdifl:end- 

 ing, buckling, as it were, the J»/fg««/e/;?j oixhewood about it ^ 

 fo implicating them the more 3 whence a knotty ^itct oi wood\s 

 (6 much harder to cleave. 



It is probable, that a Cience or Bud, upon Graffing, or Inocula- 

 ting^ doth, as it were, Root it fclf into theftockjn the lame manner 

 as the branches^ by producing a kind of knot. Thus far the ac- 

 curate DoHor. 



20. To this might be fubjoyn'd the vegetative motion ofPUnts, 

 with the diagrams of the Jefuite Kercher, where he difcourfes of 

 their ftupendious Magnettfms, &c. could there any thing mate- 

 rial be added to what has already been fo ingenioufly inquir'd in^ 

 to : therefore let us proceed to their felling. 

 „„. 21. It fliouldbeinthis^<?^«/, vigour and perfeftion of Trees, 



' ^"^' that a felling fliould be celebrated \ fince whiles our Woods are 

 growing it is pity, and indeed too foon i and when they are decay- 

 ing:, too late : I do not pretend that a man (who has occafion for 

 Timber') is obliged to attend fo many ages ere he fell his Trees 5 

 but I do by this infer, how highly neceflary it were, that men 

 Ihould perpetually be /?/4»/^i»^j that fo ;><7i?erz^^ might have Trees 

 fit for their fervice of competent, that is , of a middle growth 

 and age, which it is impoffible they Ihould have, if we thus con- 

 tinue to deftroy our fVoods, without this providential /?/4»^/«g in 

 their ftead, and fel/ing what we do cut down, with great difcreti- 

 on, and regard of the future. 



22. Such therefore as we (hall perceive to decay arefirflto be 

 picked out for the-^jf^ and then thole which are in their J?(«/e, or 

 approaching to it 5 but the very thriving, and manifeftly impro- 

 ving, indulg'd as much as polTible. 



23. The time of the year for this deflruftive wor kis not uliially 

 till about the end of j4pril Cat which feafbn the bark^ does com- 

 monly rife freely) though the opinions and praftice of men have 

 been very difTerent: Vitruvius is for an Autumnal Fall-^ others ad vife 

 December and January : Cato was of opinion Irees (hould have lirft 

 born their Fruit, or, at leaft, not till full ripe, which agrees with 

 that of the ArchiteS : And though Timber unbarkfd be indeed 

 more obnoxious to the Worm, and to contraft fomewhat a dark- 

 er hue (which is the reafon fo many have commended the feafon 

 when it will mod: tieely Jtrip) yet were this to be rather confi- 

 der'd for fuch Trees as one would leave round, and unj?ptar'd j 

 fince we finde the wilde Oal{^, and many other forts , fel/'d 

 over late, and when the fap begins to grow proud, to he very 

 fubjeft to the worm J whereas being cut about mid-»'/«*er it nei- 

 ther cajis, rjfts, nor tvoines 3 becaule the cold of the winter does 



both 



