OAK-TREE. 
Tou “a ground. If, in the beginning, a pale ane 1S 
m, 
and within it a quick hedge planted, the latter will become 
a good fence, by oad time the paling decays, againft all forts 
ef cattle; and when the trees will have got above the reach 
cleanfe the ground from couch, and the roots of all bad 
weeds. the ands is broken up from the green fward, 
it will be better to have one crop of beans, peafe, or turnips, 
land for fowing; but in this cafe, the ground fhould be 
O z 
ploughed, levelled, and brought into order, the acorns 
Fa be fown in drills made acrofs the ground, at about 
four pee afunder, and two inches deep ; being (tered in 
at two inches diftance. Thefe drills may be leis either 
with a driljl-plough, or by hand, with an hoe; but the 
former is the mo epeticis method ; ecto: in large 
plantations, fhould be preferred. In the drawing of the 
drills, if the land has any flope to one fide, thefe fhould be 
made the fame way as the ground flopes, that there may be 
no ftoppage of the wet by the rows of the plants crofling 
in 
carefully filled 1 in, fo as to cover the acorns fecurely ; for if 
any them are ie apo they will entice the birds and 
mice ; and if either of thefe once attack them, they will 
make great a henares nd deftruétion. The reafon for di- 
after ;\fo that the young plants have the difficulty to en- 
counter the weeds, which frequently are four or five times 
the height of the plants, and not only fhade and draw them, 
but alfo exhauft all the goodnefs of the ground, and confe- 
que itly ftarve the plants; therefore, whoever hopes to have 
fuccefs in their plantations of this fort, fhould determine to 
be at the expence of keeping them clean for eight or ten, 
years after fowing, by which time the plants will have ob- 
tained ttreng h enough to keep down the weeds; the negleC- 
ing of this has occafioned many young plantations to ~~ 
carry. About the end of March, or oe o 
the young plants will appear above ground; but before this 
if the g-ound fhould produce many young weeds, it will be 
good hufbandry to fcuffle the furface over with Dutch hoes, 
in a dry time, either the latter end cf March, or the begin- 
=~ 
. 
ning of April, to deftroy the laitp whereby thé ground 
will be kept clean, until all the plants are come up fo far 
as to be plainly difcerned ; by which time it may be proper 
to hoe the ground over again ; for by doing it early, while 
the weeds are fmall, a man will perform more of this work 
in one day than he can in three or four when they are grown 
large ; befides, there will be great hazard of cutting off or 
injuring the young plants, when they are hid by the weeds ; 
all weeds, being cut, are foon dried up by the fun, 
but large weeds often take frefh root, and grow again, efpe- 
cially if rain fhould fall foon after, and then they will grow 
fafter for being ftirred ; therefore it is not only the beft me- 
thod, but alfo the cheapeft hufbandry to begin ae early 
in the {pring, and to repeat it as often as the weeds are pro- 
duced. Inthe firft fummer, while the plants are young, it 
will be the beft way to perform thefe hoeigs by hand; but 
afterwards it may be done with the hoe-plough ; for as the 
rows are four feet afunder, there will be room enough for 
this plough to work ;‘and as this will ftir and loofen the 
ground, it will be of great fervice to the plants; but there 
will require little hand labour where the plough is ufed, in 
order to deftroy the weeds, which will come up in the rows 
between the plants; for thefe will be out of reach of the 
plough, and, if they are not deftroyed, they will foon over- 
grow and injure the young plants. 
As foon as the plants have had two years’ growth, it will 
be proper to draw out fome of them, where they are too 
clofe ; mn doing which, great care fhould be had not to injure 
the roots of thofe that are left; for as the plants which are 
rawn out are only fit for plantations defigned for pleafure, 
fo thefe fhould not be fo much regarded in their i moved, 
as to facrifice any of thofe which are eligne remain. 
In thefe pain the plants at firft fhould be left ne one 
foot afunder, which gives them room enough to grow two 
or three ae longer ; el which time it may be eafy to judge 
which are likely to make the beft trees, Thefe may be then 
ber intended at the fecond thinning will not be amifs. If 
they are left at about four feet diltance in the rows, they 
will have room enough to grow three or four years longer ; 
by which time, if the plants have made good aca their 
roots will have {pread over the ground, when it will b 
per to take up every other tree, in the rows. But, - this, 
it is not meant to be exact in the removing, but to make 
choice cf the belt plants to fland, whichever rows they m 
of about eight feet, they will nut reqnire any more thinning. 
But in two or three years time, thofe which are not to re- 
main will be fit to cut down, to make ftools for underwood, 
and thofe which are to remain, will have made fuch progrefs 
as to become a fhelter to each other; for this is what fhould 
principally | be attended to, whenever the trees are thinned ; 
therefore, in ail fuch places which are much expofed to the 
greatly retard their growth; but, in fhelte-ed fituations, 
there need not be fo great caution ufed as in thofe places ; 
the plants will not la in © much danger of fuffering fon 
Pe to the co 
roper Silanes, hich fhould be allowed to thofe 
trees oe are defigned to remain for timber, is from 
wenty- 
