64 TREATISE on 



TfJEREFORE, to have a plantation of them for timber, pro- 

 cure a parcel of their nuts, of the feventh and eighth forts, from 

 Virginia, which may eafily be had at a trifling expence ; and 

 having prepared your ground, by a good deep plowing, digging, 

 or, befl of all, trenching, the autumn before, in February plant 

 your nuts in drills drawn out with the hoe, and cover them 

 between two and three inches deep ; let the drills be five feet a- 

 funder, and the nuts planted about eighteen inches diftant in the 

 drill ; and as many of them are to remain, to fill the land pro- 

 perly with tiinber-trees, let the ground be kept clean, by hoeing 

 in fummer, and mellowed by digging before winter, for two 

 years ; after which, you mufc carefully raife every fecond plant 

 in the lines, without in the leaft difturbing what remains, which 

 will leave them at a fuitable diflance for {landing four or five 

 years longer. After the firft two years, the ground between the 

 trees may be employed in crops of Turnip, Carrot, Beans, Cab- 

 bages, and various other kitchen herbs ; which, if properly kept 

 in order, will, from the culture the land receives, improve the 

 growth, rather than injure the trees. From time to time, as 

 they advance in ftature, the leaft promifing of them muft be 

 taken av/ay, by cutting them below ground, to prevent hurting 

 the roots of what remains ; and this muft be repeate^i, tho' not 

 till their branches are near touching one another, as the ftanding 

 moderately thick will promote their upright growth, till they 

 are left at the diil:ance of about thirty feet. 



If you incline to fave the plants that were raifed at two years 

 old, take them up with the greateft care, without wounding the 

 fmalleft part of their roots, or bruifing their fibres, and imme- 

 diately plant them out at full length, the fame diftances you did 



