TREES. 



part the other half. In China there is a tree which bears 

 lallow, of which that nation make their candles. See Sebi.. 



FERA and Tallow. 



Mr. Marfliam faw fpruce and filver firs in the dock-yard 

 at Venice above forty yards long, and one of thirty-nine 

 yards was eighteen inches in diameter at the fmalleli end. 



It was faid that they were brought from Switzerland. 



Some yews have been found in Britain fixty feet round. 



Palms in Jamaica attain the height of 200 feet, and fome of 

 the pines in Norfolk ifland are 280 feet high. 



At Tortworth, in Gloucederlhire, it is faid by the writer 

 of the report on agriculture for that diftrift, that a chefnut- 

 tree was meafured in 1791, which was found to be forty- 

 four feet and four inches in circumference. 



The great Boddington oak, belonging to the manor-farm 

 of the lame name in the fame diftrift, before it was burnt 

 down in 1790, either by accident or defign, was not lefs 

 remarkable. It grew in an old orchard-ground, and the 

 following account was given of it by Marfhall, in his work 

 on planting, as it appeared in 1783. The ftem was re- 

 markably coUefted and fnug at the root; the fides of its 

 trunk more upriglit than thofe of large trees in general ; 

 its circumference at the ground fomewhat more than eigh- 

 teen yards, and at its fmalleft dimenfions twelve. The 

 greateft extent of arm, eight yards from the flem ; and the 

 greateft height of the branches, forty-five feet. The ftem 

 quite hollow, forming a capacious well-fized room, meafur- 

 ing on the floor, one way, more than fixteen feet in diame- 

 ter. At that time it was perfeftly alive and fruitful, with 

 a large fine crop of acorns upon it. Part of the trunk, it 

 [is faid, efcaped the fire, and ftill remains, 

 i In Needwood foreft, the oak-tree called the Swilcar lawn 

 ioak contains, as Mr. Pitt fuppofes, in his account of the 

 I agriculture of StafFordfiiire, at leaft a thoufand feet of 

 timber. The Rev. Mr. Snow fays, this oak, the father of 

 I the foreft, girts at five feet high twenty-one feet ; the 

 I lower ftem is ten feet clear; the whole height about fixty- 

 I five ; the extent of the arms about forty-five feet. It is of 

 ! great antiquity, but ilill fruitful in acorns. 

 I In the firft volume of the Agricultui-al Survey for the 

 ■ County of Eflex, it is ftated, that in Hatfield foreft fir 

 ' John Barrington has a very beautiful oak, for which a tim- 

 ! ber dealer offered one hundred guineas. And that near it 

 I is the ruin of a moft venerable tree of the fame kind, which 

 ' gave the name of Broad-Oak to Hatfield. 

 i There is a Lombardy poplar in this diftridl which is a 

 ; very fine and beautiful tree, guefi'ed to be above feventy 

 I feet high, and which at five feet from the ground meafures 

 ' feven feet three inches in circumference. It is one of the 

 I three original trees of this kind wliich were brought by lord 

 ' Rochfort from Italy, and planted at St. Ofyth above forty 

 ! years ago, and from which much the greater part of thofe 

 I which are now fcattered through the kingdom originated. 

 I Very near to it is the largeft and moft beautiful laurel of 

 I the Portugal kind that is almoft any where to be feen ; it is 

 i nearly of a femi-globular form ; feathered all round to the 

 ; lawn it grows in, and is fifty-two yards in circumference. 

 j At a fmall diftance from thefe prodigies of vegetation is, 

 j it is faid, another at leaft equally interefting, an arbutus, 

 ! which would make no inconfiderable figure at Killarney. 



They are in the grounds of Mr. Naffau, in which the foil is 



a fine rich found loam. See the Report. 



There are now growing about Townley Hall, in Lan- 



.cafhire, bcfides many large fine oak timber-trees, an afti- 



tree, called the wain-houfe a(h, which meafures fourteen feet 



in circumference : a hazle-tree, which is three feet in girth : 



a yew-tree, which has fix feet two inches of girth : and a 

 Vol. XXXVI. 



white-thorn, in New Copy field, which meafures feven feet 

 in circumference. 



There are two or three very remarkable phenomena in the 

 growth of trees, which have efcaped the obfervation of the 

 naturahfts of all ages, except thofe of our own : thefe are 

 the perpendicularity of their trunks or ftems to the horizon, 

 and the parallelifm of their tufts to the fpot of earth they 

 grow on. See PARALLELISM and Perpendicularity. 



For the planting, tranfplanting, femination, pruning, fel- 

 ling, grafting, fhrowding, &c. of trees. See Plantation, 

 Planting, &c. 



On felling of trees, letters have fometimes been found 

 in the midft of them. We have inftances of this kind men- 

 tioned in the Philof. Tranf. N° 454, feft. 16. where the 

 trunk of a beech being fawed, difcovcred feveral letters in 

 the wood, about an inch and a half from the bark, and 

 near the fame diftance from the centre of the trunk. It 

 feems thefe letters liad been formerly cut into the bark, and 

 in procefs of time thefe might be covered. 



In the fame Traafaftions, we have an account of the horn 

 of a deer found in the heart of an oak. Crucifixes have 

 alfo been found in trees, and were of courfe ftiewn as mira- 

 culous to the ignorant. See p. 236. of the faid Tranfac- 

 tions in the Remarks. 



Trees are often found buried in the earth. See Morass, 

 Fossil Vv'^ood, and Bog Wood. 



For the puniftiment of ftealing trees, fee Larceny. 



By ftat. I Geo. I. c. 48. malicioufiy to fet on fire 

 any underwood, wood, or coppice, is made fingle felony. 

 By the Black-aft, to cut down or deftroy any trees 

 planted in an avenue, or growing in a garden, orchard, or 

 plantation for ornament, fhelter, or profit, is felony with- 

 out benefit of clergy ; and the hundred ftiall be chargeable 

 for the damages, unlefs tlie offender be convifted. By 

 6 Geo. 111. cap. 36. and cap. 48. wilfully to fpoil or de- 

 ftroy any timber or other trees, roots, flirubs, or plants, is, 

 for the two firft offences, liable to pecuniary penalties ; 

 and for the third, if in t!ie day-time, and even for the firft, 

 if at night, the offender fhall be guilty of felony, and 

 liable to tranfportation for feven yeai'S. 



Trees, Dijlemperalure of. See the preceding article, and 

 Composition, &c. 



Trees, HoUowtiefs of. See Hoi.lowness. 



Trees, Juices of. See Juice and Sap. 



Trees, Felling of. See Felling and Timrer. 



Trees, Parallelifm of Roius of. See Parallelism. 



Trees, Fruit, Bariing of, in Rural Economy, the injury 

 of their having the bark eaten off^ by hares and rabbits in 

 the winter feafon. It is particularly the cafe with young 

 apple and pear trees, and occafionally with foreft-trees and 

 (hrubs. Several diff"erent methods of preventing it, and of 

 protefting the trees, have been propofed at different times ; 

 fuch as twifting ftraw -ropes round the trees ; driving in 

 fmall flat ftakes all about them ; and the iife of ftrong- 

 fcented oils. But better and neater modes of effefting the 

 bufinefs have lately been fuggefted in the Tranfaftions of 

 the Scotch Horticultural Society ; as with hog's-lard, and 

 as much whale-oil as will work it up into a thin pafte or 

 paint, with which the ftems of the trees .are to be gently 

 rubbed upwards, at the time of the fall of the leaf. It 

 may be done once in two years, and will, it is faid, effec- 

 tually prevent fuch animals from touching tiiem. 



Anotlier and ftill neater method, is to take three pints of 

 melted tallow to one pint of tar, mixing them well together 

 over a gentle fire. Then, in tlie month of November, to 

 take a fmall brufh, and go over the rind or bark of the 

 trees with tb.e compofition, in a milk-wai'm ftate, as thin 



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