fhould be thinn'd with great Cau- 

 tion, and by flow Degrees : for if 

 the Air is let too much at once into 

 the Plantation, it will give a fudden 

 Check to the Tree's, ai,d greatly re- 

 tard their Growth j but in ihelter'd 

 Situations, there need not be fo great 

 Caution u M as in thofe Places j as 

 the Plants will not be in fo much 

 Danger of fuffering by the Cold. 



The Diftance which I mould 

 choofe to allow to thofe Trees which 

 are defign'd to remain for Timber, 

 is, from twenty five to about thirty 

 Feet, which will not be too near, 

 where the Trees thrive well; in 

 which Cafe their Heads will fpread, 

 fo as to meet in about thirty or thir- 

 ty-five Years : nor will this Duuuce 

 be too great, fo as to impede the up- 

 right Growth of the Trees. This 

 Diflance is intended, that the Trees 

 mould enjoy the whole Benefit of the 

 Soil. Therefore, after one Crop of 

 the Underwood, or, at the molt, two 

 Crops are cut, I would advife the 

 flubbing up the Stools, that the 

 Ground may be intirely clear, for 

 the Advantage of the growing Tim- 

 ber, which is what mould be prin- 

 cipally regarded : but in general mcft 

 .People have more Regard for the 

 immediate Profit of the Underwood 

 than the future Good of the Tim- 

 ber; and frequently by fo doing fpoil 

 both : for, if the Underwood is left 

 after the Trees have fpread fo far as 

 that their Heads meet, the Under- 

 wood will not be of much Worth ; 

 and yet, by their Stools being left, 

 they will draw away a great Share 

 cf Nourifrtnent from the Timber- 

 trees, and retard them in their Pro- 

 pels, 



The Soil in which the Oak makes 

 the greateit Progrefs, is a deep rich 

 ^joam, in which the Trees grow to 

 the largeit Size ; and the Timber of 

 thofe 'i nes* which grow upon this 



Land, is generally more pi i able than 

 that which grows on a mallow oj 

 drier Ground ; but the Wood of the 

 latter is much more compact, and 

 hard. Indeed there are few Soils in 

 England in which the Oak will not 

 grow, provided there is proper Care 

 taken in their Cultivation ; though 

 this Tree will not thrive equally in 

 all Soils : but yet it might be culti- 

 vated to a national Advantage upon 

 many large Waftes in feveral Parts 

 of England, as alfo to the great Pro- 

 fit of the Eftates where thefe Tratts 

 of Land now lie uncultivated, and 

 produce nothing to the Owner. And 

 mould the prefent Temper of de- 

 ftroying the Timber of England 

 continue in Practice fome Years 

 longer, in the fame Degree which it 

 has for lome Years paft, and as lit- 

 tle Care taken to raife a Supply, this 

 Country, which has been fo long 

 efteem'd for its Naval Strength, 

 may be oblig'd to feek for Timber 

 abroad, or be content with fuch a 

 Naval Strength as the poor Remains 

 of fome frugal Eftates may have left 

 growing : for, as to the large Forefts, 

 from whence the Navy has been fo 

 long fupplied, a few Years will put 

 an End to the Timber there : and 

 how can it be otherwife, when the 

 Perfons to whofe Care thefe are com- 

 mitted, reap an Advantage from the 

 Deftru&ion of the Timber ? 



Before I quit this Subject, I mnft 

 beg Leave to take notice of another 

 great Evil, which is of fo much 

 Confequence to the Public, as to de- 

 ferve their utmoll Attention ; which 

 is that of cutting down the Oaks in 

 the Spring of the Year, at the time 

 wheia the Sap is flowing. This is 

 done for the fake of the Bark, which 

 will then eafily peel off: and, for 

 the fake of this, 1 think, there is a 

 Law, whereby People are oblig'd to 

 cut dawn their' Timber at this Sea- 

 ion. 



