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manner, may be tflkcn into confideration. It may often liap- 

 pen that their proper originally intended dates cannot be 

 attempted, but that which has been gradually acquired muft 

 be promoted. With a view to the accomphniment of thofc 

 intentions, plantations may be confidered as confilling either 

 of hard woods only, of evergreen or refmous trees only, or 

 of both thefe forts of trees in mixture. 



in the firll of thefe kinds, or thofe which arc compofed 

 folely of the hard-wooded forts of trees and plants, where 

 they are to be brought to the ftate of woods, as timber 

 trees and undergrowths, and the latter to be ufcd only as 

 fuel, the good trees of fuch kinds as are fuitable to the foil, 

 and the probable demand of the vicinity and other parts, 

 /hould be fixed upon, and left as llandard trees ; the whole 

 of the others being cut over by the furface of the ground, 

 fo that they may become llools for fupplying the under- 

 growths. When this has been performed, the ground, 

 where neceflary, (hould be dug, hoed, or trenched over, as 

 circumftances may direft ; but where the trees and under- 

 woods have been much crowded, thefe kinds of work will 

 feldom be required. However, if, inltead of the common 

 underwood, oak be required, then after pitching upon the 

 TOoll proper and fuitable llandard trees for remaining, the 

 whole of the reft are to be taken up by the roots, the land 

 dug over, and acorns planted out upon it ; which, when they 

 are grown up, muft be kept clean and free from weeds for 

 fome years, in order to promote their healthy growths and 

 rifing to the ftate of young trees. 



Where the whole is to be reduced to the ftate of copfe 

 wood for fuel only, the beft way is to cut over every part 

 by the fmface of the ground ; and when for bark, to root 

 out the whole, only referving the oaks, and planting with 

 acorns, as already noticed. 



In cafe the grove forms are to be produced, the moft 

 -uitable and appropriate trees are to be left at proper dif- 

 tances, and the whole of the remainder taken out by the 

 roots ; after which the ground (hould have the proper cul- 

 ture, until the trees are incapable of being injured by cattle 

 ftock ; at which time the whole may be laid down with 

 natural grafs feeds. 



In the fecond forts of plantations, where they have re- 

 mained, after planting, without being in any way thinned, 

 for a great many years, they are often, in a great meafure, 

 incapable of being remedied, as they arc, for the moft part, 

 fo overpowered by each other, that their growth is fuf- 

 pended ; wherever any thinning takes place, the trees all 

 around are deftroyed. In thefe cafes it is the advice of fome 

 to have the whole grubbed up by the roots and replanted, 

 after the ground has been properly prepared by fallowing 

 and repeated corn crops. But as there may fometimes be 

 much lofs in this way, it may be proper to try the cautious 

 thinning of them, which (hould be done during the latter 

 fummer months in a careful manner, as fuccefs has occa- 

 fionally attended this method. 



With natural plantations of this kind under twenty years' 

 growth, and artificial ones under ten, much advantage has 

 been gained by fuitable cautious thinning and retrenching. 

 In all thefe cafes there is no neceflity whatever for the culti- 

 vation of the ground, as the trees fuffer few or no plants to 

 rife below them, and befides, injury may be done to their 

 fuperficial roots. 



The management in the laft or mixed kinds of planta- 

 tions, where the evergreen trees are in fuch proportions as 

 not to admit of either of the above modes, is to reduce them 

 to the grove plan only, or to this in fome parts and the 

 wood kind in others ; the modes of accomplidiing both of 

 V'hich have been already laid down. However, in each of 



thefe methods, it will frequently happen that the tree or 

 trees which are the moll advantageous and defirable in the 

 parts where the plantations exift, are either very deficient, 

 or wholly wanting. In all fuch inllunccs it is probably the 

 belt and moft beneficial praftice to grub up nearly the 

 whole of fuch trees, and replant the ground with the pro- 

 per fort or forts ; care being taken to leave fuch a number 

 of the old trees, either in a fcattered manner, or in narrow 

 ftripcs and fcreens, for (heltcring and protefting the young 

 trees, plants, and feeds, which have been put in, planted, 

 or fown. See Plantation and Wood. 



It may be noticed that in reclaiming all kinds of wild 

 and negleftcd plantations in lands which are inclined to the 

 retention of moifturc ; the firll thing which is nccefiary is 

 invariably that of the removal of the llagnant wctnefs, as 

 where this is not properly performed, the other operations 

 will be of but little avail, however well they may be exe- 

 cuted. In many extcnfive tradls of this nature, the injury 

 which is fuftaincd by this fort of negleft is fcarcely to be 

 calculated. There are many thoulands of acres, in dif- 

 ferent fituations in this country, which would by this means 

 alone be brought to twenty times and more their prcfent 

 value. And as this fort of work in fuch cafes can, for the 

 moft part, be accomplilhed by open cuts or gutters alone, 

 at a very trifling expence in comparifon of that for arable 

 and fome other forts of land, it (hould never be neglefted 

 where good management is in the leaft degree attended to. 

 See Spuing and Sl'ri'ace Drawing. 



It is a material point in reclaiming all thefe forts of plan- 

 tations and timber woods, to keep the furrounding ditches 

 and fences well up and in a proper fafe ftate, as large trails 

 are often completely ruined in a very (hort time by inatten- 

 tion in this refpe£t, from the cropping, rubbing, and de- 

 ilrudlion in other ways produced by the entrance of cattle 

 of difi"ercnt kinds into them. There is hardly any thing fa 

 injurious to the more young timber plantations as cattle 

 being luflered to get into them. See Fence. 



The retrenching of old ill-managed plantations of thefe 

 kinds (hould conllantly be done in a very gradual manner, 

 having due regard to their length of Handing, the nature of 

 the trees, the quality of the land, the fituation and expofure, 

 as well as fome other points. Their outfide parts are in 

 general to be left more thick and clofe, than thofe which 

 are more in the interior, and the parts of the foil which are 

 of a bad thin quality, (hould be left lefs thick of trees and 

 plants than where it is of greater depth and richnefs. And 

 open expofures ihould be kept more thick and clofe than 

 where they are more warm and (heltered. 



In retrenching the branches of the different trees, the 

 work (hould be performed according to the length of time 

 the trees have been growing, their particular growths and 

 fizes, the difference of kind, and the ufes, purpofes, and in- 

 tentions for which their wood or other parts are deCgned* 

 It is always proper to ftop rather (hort, than to carry it to 

 an extreme, as there is fometimes danger in the latter cafe. 

 See Prunixg. 



It is always necelTary and elTential to reclaim thefe old 

 wild forts of plantations as foor. as poflible, as the forming 

 of new trafts of this kind chiefly benefit pofterity, while 

 the ameliorating and improving of the other, by thefe 

 means, ai-e an immediate and direft gain to the prefent pro- 

 prietors, of very great national importance at the prelent 

 time, and which would otherwife be complete lofs to both. 

 No forts of woods of the timber kind (hould indeed ever 

 be luffered to remain any great length of time without 

 being properly looked over and put into fuch Hates as that 

 they may go oa in the moil beneficial and profitable manner, as 



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