OF FOREST-TREES. 



313 



with the shovelings of some ditches, ponds, or other stuff, as an assured CHAP.VII. 

 good way to improve such grounds to considerable advantage. ^^---v"*^ 



For the planting of Walnuts, Chestnuts, Cider-apples, or any other 

 forest or fruit-trees, in open fields, Mr. Cooke directs how the triangular 

 form exceeds all the rest for beauty and advantage. I refer you to his 

 33rd chapter. 



An old and judicious planter of woods prescribes us these directions 

 for improving of sheep-walks, downs, heaths, kc. Suppose on every such 

 walk, on which five hundred sheep might be kept, there were ploughed 

 up twenty acres, (ploughed pretty deep, that the roots might take hold, 

 and be able to resist the winds,) this should be sowed with mast of 

 Oak, Beech, chats of Ash, Maple-keys, Sloes, Service-berries, Nuts, 

 BuUaces, Haws, and bruised Crabs, mingled and scattered about the sides 

 and ends of the ground, near a yard in breadth. On the rest sow no 

 Haws, but some few Crab-kernels ; then begin at a side, and sow five 

 yards broad, ploughing under the mast, &c. very shallow ; and then 

 leave six yards in breadth, and sow and plough five yards more ; and 

 so from side to side, remembering to leave a yard and a half at the last 

 side ; let the rest of the headlands lie till the remainder of the close be 

 sown in March Avith oats, &ic. to pi'eserve it from hurt of cattle, and 

 poaching the ground : when the spring is of two years' growth, draw 

 part of it for quicksets ; and when the rest of the trees are of six years' 

 shoot, exhaust it of more, and leave not above forty of either side, each 

 row five yards distant, and here and there a crabstock to grafi" on, and in 

 the environing hedge (to be left thick) let the trees stand four yards 

 asunder ; which if forty-four were spared, will amount to above four 

 thousand trees. At twenty years' end, stock up two thousand of them ; 

 lop a thousand more every ten years, and reserve the remaining thou- 

 sand for timber. Judge what this may be worth in a short time, besides 

 the grass, which will grow the first six or seven years, and the benefit 

 of shelter for sheep in ill weather, when they cannot be folded ; and 

 the pasture which will be had under the trees, now at eleven yards in- 

 terval, by reason of the stocking up those two thousand we mentioned, 

 excepting the hedges ; and if in any of these places any considerable 

 waters fortune to lie in their bottoms, fowl would abundantly both 

 breed and harbour there. These are admirable directions for park-lands,, 

 where shelter and food is scarce. 



