FOREST-TREES. 



Of all the devices yet fallen on for planting hedges, none arc 

 fo natural, and effedual for the inward divifions of dry ground, 

 as that of doing it on the furface of a well-dug, or trenched bor- 

 der, thickened where the foil is thin, or mellowed by labour and 

 warm loofe earth, where cold and ftiff. Next to that, both in 

 point of beauty and utility, is on the top of a funk fence built 

 with ftone ; but even there, though for feveral years they will 

 grow much about as fall as on a level bottom, yet, when the 

 roots approach the wall, thev are of confequence retarded in 

 their progrefs on that fide, and will not afterwards grow with 

 the fame luxuriance as on the furface unconfined on both 

 Udes. 



In wet lands, not only ditches, but double ones, and deeper 

 than thofe dire(5led, are indifpenfibly neceffary, as the firft capi- 

 tal improvement that can be made, which ought to be fo difpo- 

 fed as to receive fmall covered drains from all the wet quarters 

 of the adjacent fields, at the neareft diftances may be, to con- 

 vey the whole water away ;. and which^ in many fituations, may 

 fave a great expence, by fliortening the unnecelTary diflances of 

 thefe drains. 



Many hard-laboured Treatifes have been written, and plans- 

 drawn, directing the manner of draining grounds, but, for ge- 

 neral practice, they are all inefFe(5lual, and of little other ufe than 

 to amufe the ignorant. The different kinds of drains for diffe- 

 rent foils, accommodated to the materials thofe foils produce, or 

 that are conveniently to be had, may be diredtcd ; but no lan- 

 guage can convey fuch rules as wili inftru{5l tiie unexperienced 

 in the knov/ledge of an univerfal fyftera, as the fame plan will 



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