OF FOREST-TREES. 



311 



provement of those few acres amounts to 300/. more than the rent of CHAP. VII. 

 the land, and what it was before worth to be sold. Once more, and I ^-''^y'"^ 

 have done. 



Upon the estate of George Pitt, Esq. of Stratfieldsea, in the county of 

 Southampton, a survey of timber being taken in the year 1659, it came to 

 10,300/. besides near 10,000 samplers not valued, and growing up na- 

 turally : since this, there hath been made by several sales 5600/. and 

 there has been felled for repairs, building, and necessary uses, to the value 

 (at least) of 1200/. so as the whole falls of timber amount to 6800/. 

 The timber upon the same ground being again surveyed anno 1677, ap- 

 peared to be worth above 21,000/. besides eight or nine thousand samplers 

 and young trees to be left standing, and not reckoned in the survey : but 

 what is yet to be observed, most of this timber above-mentioned, being 

 Oak, grows in hedge-rows, and so as that the standing of it does very 

 little prejudice to the plough or pasture. 



It is likewise affirmed, that upon a living in the same place, of about 

 40/. rentp(?r ann. there were (by an estimation taken in the year 1653) 

 three hundred and thirty-eight yovmg timber-trees, valued at 59/. the sap- 

 lings at 31/. 14.?. And upon a later survey, taken the last year, 1677, the 

 worth of the timber on that living is valued at above 800/. besides four 

 or five hundred young thriving trees, which have, since the survey in 

 1653, grown naturally up, not reckoned in this account. With such, 

 and the like instances, coming to me from persons and gentlemen of un- 

 questionable credit, (dispersed through several other counties of this na- 

 tion,) I might furnish a just volume ; and I have produced these examples 

 because they are conspicuous, full of encouragement, worthy our imita- 

 tion ; and that from these, and sundry others which I might enumerate, 

 we have made this observation, that almost any soil is proper for some 

 profitable timber-trees or other, which is good for very little else^ 



Besides common pasture which has long been fed, and is the very best, 

 meadow, that is up-land and rich, and such as we find to be naturally 

 wood-seere, (as they term it,) the bottoms of downs, and like places, 

 well ploughed and sown, will bear lusty timber, being broken up, and 

 let lie till midsummer, and then stirred again before sowing about 

 November. 



RrS 



