UNDERWOOD. 



planted grounds are always earlier cut ; the (hoots are more 

 rapid and ftrong. 



It is noticed as worthy of remark and deferving of atten- 

 tion, that underwoods, at twelve or thirteen years' growth, 

 are as valuable upon fome foils, as they would be, if cut 

 down or over at a later age, efpecially if they are advan- 

 tageoufly planted in the neighbourhood of hop-grounds ; as 

 yoles of that age and fize are equally as good, and anfwer 

 all the purpofes of larger : as when underwood has exceeded 

 the fize of poles, its utility, it is faid, is there not otherwife 

 effentially ferviceable than as it is valuable for fuel. The 

 younger, therefore, it is cut there, if fit for the market, the 

 more productive it will turn out, and the fooner the fuc- 

 ceeding crop will be ready for fale ; for when underwoods 

 are left too long before they are cut, befides growing flower, 

 the intereft of the money is loft for which they might have 

 been fold. The under or fmall wood upon the nioft grow- 

 ing foils, as the difference that exifts is confiderable in this 

 refpeft, is worth from eight to ten or eleven pounds the 

 acre ; but that to gain fuch a produft, the land, it is ob- 

 ferved, muil be exceedingly kindly for the growth of 

 wood. 



The beech underwoods of the county of Oxford moftiy 

 confift of trees or plants growing on their own flems, pro- 

 duced by the faUing of the beech maft ; as very little is there 

 permitted to grow on the old itools, which are commonly 

 grubbed up. They are occafionally drawn out, but never 

 felled all at one time, except in particular inftances of con- 

 certing the land into tillage, which is lately become more 

 common. The beech underwood drawn in this manner is 

 moftiy either fold in long lengths, called poles, or, when 

 cut fhort in billet lengths, for fuel. It requires confiderable 

 judgment, it is faid, to thin thefe underwoods in fuch a way 

 that the prefent ftock may not hang too much over the 

 young feedlings ; at the fame time, too, in a foutliern af- 

 peft, an injury may take place, by expofing the foil or 

 fufface of the land too much to the fun : for it is to be 

 obferved, that the north fide of a hill will produce a better 

 growth of beech than the fouth fide ; the very reverfe of 

 which is the cafe in regard to corn. In beech underwoods 

 alfo, the fuccefTion of young trees is greatly injured by ad- 

 mitting fheep or other cattle into them ; and though it is 

 fuppofed by fome, that fheep do no damage in winter, when 

 the leaf is off, but find confiderable feed from the grafs and 

 other plants abounding in fuch underwoods, yet it is the 

 opinion of others, that the wool which is left hanging on 

 the young ftocks is prejudicial to their growth, allowing, 

 what is doubtful, that the flieep do not crop them. Some 

 improvement might probably be produced by keeping 

 better fences, efpecially againft commons, where a wide 

 ditch is often an effential part of the mound ; and alfo by 

 tranfplanting the young beech from thofe parts of an under- 

 wood where they are too thick, fo as that they would be 

 deftroyed, by the ftrongeft overpowering the weakeft, to 

 thofe places where they may not ftand fufficiently thick, 

 there being moftiy fpots of both thefe forts to be found in all 

 underwoods of this kind. 



In Cornwall and fome other fouthern counties, the under- 

 woods are moftiy of the common oak, and are ufually cut 

 at from twenty to thirty years' growth, feUing at from 

 twenty to fixty pounds the .acre, the chief profit depending 

 upon the bark. Some of the wood is converted into poles, 

 for farm and other purpofes ; but the greateft part is com- 

 monly charred, for the ufe of the blowing-houfes, and do- 

 meftic purpofes ; the brufhwood being fold for fuel. Such 

 are the advantages of this fort of wood for different ufes in 

 the/e places, that inftances of the grubbing up of under. 



woods are very rare. In the felling of underwoods, in thefe 

 fituations, a great advantage has lately been foimd, in more 

 attention being paid to the refervation of faplings as ftand- 

 ards, than was formerly the cafe. The land producin"- 

 underwood of this kind, in thefe diftrifts, is found to be 

 more valuable than that in the ftate of tillage, in many 

 cafes. 



In fome of the more northern counties, much advantage 

 is derived, in different cafes, from underwoods of the afh 

 kind, when cut at about fourteen years' growth, for va- 

 rious ufes. 



It may be noticed that underwoods, in many fituations, 

 are greatly neglefted, and managed in a very indifferent 

 manner ; but they require a good deal of attention in dif- 

 ferent refpefts, to have them in good perfeftion ; and it is 

 neceffary, in many cafes, to grub up the old decayed 

 ftubs at every time of felling the wood, when frefh plants 

 will come forth of the different kinds, before the next 

 felling, which will keep the underwood in a perfeft and 

 proper ftate of cultivation and growth. 



The proper foils for the growth of underwood muft ne- 

 ceffarily vary with the nature of the plants ; but for the oak. 

 and afh, thofe of a rather ftrong ftift quality are found the 

 moft fuitable. In Suffex, the former rifcs with aftonifhing 

 rapidity in a fort of red clay. The chefnut, hazel, and 

 fome others, require a more light and free foil ; and the 

 willow, one that inclines to nioifture. But they all allow of 

 confiderable variety in the qualities of the foils on which 

 they grow. 



Underwoods in many cafes rife naturally from the ftubs 

 and feeds of the old wood, and they are formed and planted 

 in different ways, according to circumftances, and the na- 

 ture of the plants. For raifing chefnut underwood, which 

 is the beft and moft lafting wood for ftakes, hop-poles, and 

 fome other ufes, Mr. Forfyth advifes the following method 

 as the moil advantageous. To prepare the land well by 

 ploughing or trenching, and fummer-fallowing, planting the 

 young trees in the quincunx order, in rows tix feet apart, 

 and at the diftance of fix feet from plant to plant in the 

 rows. In forming large extents of fuch underwoods, it is 

 the moft expeditious way to plant after the plough, tread- 

 ing the mould firmly about the roots of the plants. Bafins 

 fliould be formed round the plants on the furface, in order 

 to mulch them, in cafe the firft fummer feafon after put- 

 ting them in be dry. It may fave time, too, to put the 

 plants in loofely at firft, in order to keep up with the 

 plough, returning afterwards to tread the earth about them, 

 and form the bafins for mulching. When the trees arc be- 

 come fit for poles, every other one is to be cut down nearly 

 clofe to the ground, throughout the whole, conilantly cut- 

 ting them in a Hoping manner, and as near to an eye or bud 

 as may be. Thofe intended to ftand fhould be left in every 

 other row, which will leave them twelve feet apart every 

 way : if the foil be, however, rich and deep, they may be 

 left twenty-four feet apart. As in many counties, particularly 

 Hertfordfhire, the underwood is more valuable than the 

 other ; in that cafe it will be moft judicious, it is faid, 

 to leave but few ftandards ; in the meantime the under- 

 wood will amply repay the expence of planting and other 

 things, as well as the rent of the ground, while at the fame 

 time a fufficient produce of timber-trees is had upon the 

 land. In the county of Kent, it is remarked, they com- 

 monly plant out chefnuts and afh for hop-poles at three 

 years old, and cut them fourteen years afterwards, wliich 

 makes in all feventeen years before they are fit to cut ; and 

 they bring from one guinea and a half to two guineas the 

 hundred ; but if they were raifed from large itools, it is 



faid. 



