QJJ 



tc {own as foon as may be after the 

 Acorns are ripe: for although thefe 

 may be preferv'd in Sand for fome 

 time, yet they will be apt to fprout ; 

 and, if fo, the Shoots are in Danger 

 of being broken and fpoil'd : there- 

 fore I fliould advife thefowing early, 

 which is certainly the belt Method^. 



In making choice of the Acorns, 

 all thofe mould be preferred, which 

 are taken from the Jargeft and molt 

 thriving Trees : and thofe of Pollard- 

 trees fliould always be rejected, tho' 

 the latter are generally the moil pro- 

 ductive of Acorns ; but thofe of the 

 large Trees will commonly pro- 

 duce the flrongeit and moll thriving 

 Plant?. 



The Seafon for fowing of the 

 Acorns being come, and the Ground 

 having been plow'd, and levell'd 

 fmooth, the next Work is to fow the 

 Acorns, which mull: be done by 

 drawing of Drills acrofs the Ground, 

 at about four Feet afunder, and two 

 Inches p'eep, into which the Acorns 

 fhculd be Icatter'd, at two Inches 

 Diitance. Thefe Drills may be 

 drawn either with a Drill-plough, or 

 by Hand with an Hoe ; but the for- 

 mer is the moll expeditious Method, 

 therefore in large Plantations mould 

 be preferr'd: in the drawing of the 

 Drills, if the Land has any Slope to 

 one Side, thefe mould be made the 

 fame Way as the Ground Hopes, that 

 there may be no Stoppage of the Wet 

 by the Drills or Rows of Plants crofl- 

 ing the Hanging of the Land. This 

 fhould be particularly obferv'd in all 

 wet Ground, or where the Wet is 

 fubjecl: to lie in Winter. When the 

 Acorns are fown, the Drills mould 

 be carefully nlPd in, fo as to cover 

 the Acorns fecurely ; for if. any of 

 them are expos'd, they will entice 

 the Birds and Mice ; and if either of 

 thefe once attack them, they will 

 wake great Havock with them. 



The Reafon of my directing the 

 Drills to be made at this Diftance, is 

 for the more convenient ftirring of 

 the Ground between the Rows, to 

 keep the young Plants clean from 

 Weeds : for if this is not carefully 

 done, it cannot be expected, that 

 the young Plants fliould make much 

 Progrefs ; and yet this is generally 

 neglected by many who pretend to 

 be great Planters, who are often at 

 a large Expence to plant, but fel- 

 dom regard them after : fo that the 

 young Plants have the Difficulty to 

 encounter the Weeds, which fre- 

 quently are four or five times the 

 Height of the Plants, and not only 

 fhade and draw them, but alio ex- 

 hauft all the Good net's of the Ground, 

 and confequently ftarve the Plants, 

 Therefore, whoever hope to have 

 Succefs in their Plantations, fliould 

 determine to be at the Expence of 

 keeping them clean for eight or ten 

 Years after fowing, by which time 

 the Plants" will have obtain d Strength 

 enough to keep down the Weeds : 

 the neglecting of this has occafion'd 

 fo many young Plantations to mif- 

 carry, as are frequently to be met 

 with in divers Parts of E?ig!and. 



About the End of March, or Be- 

 ginning of April, the young Plants 

 will appear above-ground ; but, be- 

 fore this, if the Ground fliould pro- 

 duce many young Weeds, it will be 

 good Hufbandry to fcuffle the Sur- 

 face over with Dutch Hoes, in a dry 

 time, either the Latter- end of March t 

 or the Beginning of April, to deflroy 

 the Weeds, whereby the Ground 

 will be kept clean, until all the Plants 

 are come up, fo as to be plainly dif- 

 ccrn'd ; by which time it may be 

 proper to hoe the Ground over 

 again ; for by doing it early, while 

 the Weed's are fmall, a Man will 

 perform more of this Work in one 

 Day than he can in three or four 



when 



