The Oak. 



out into plantations, they ought to be cut down to the 

 ground, as will be seen by-and-by. 



429. * The next operation is to remove the trees to the 

 spot where they are destined finally to stand ; and here we 

 have to speak of the soil proper for Oaks. There are some 

 of the American Oaks that seem to prefer a soil with a 

 dry, gravelly, sandy, or stony bottom; buf . our English 

 Oaks delight in the sourest of clay, yellow clay, blue clay, 

 or any clay that is constantly wet and sour. The young 

 plants, however, want anothor sort of soil to strike into at 

 first; and their roots stand in need of that fine earth, which 

 is not to be obtained amongst clays. Even when they are 

 put out into plantations, there should be some fine broken 

 mould for them to strike off into. The ground, though 

 a clay, should be trenched, after the manner described in 

 paragraphs 18, 19, 20, and 21 ; particularly as described in 

 paragraph 21, which gives directions for the deep moving of 

 the ground, but still for the keeping of the top soil at top. 



430. The ground being ready for planting, the trees 

 should be taken up oiit of the nursery with the greatest 

 care, the roots pruned, after the manner described in para- 

 graphs 72 and 73, and the plants put in, in the manner de- 

 scribed in paragraph 7^. Before they be planted they may 

 be cut ofi*, not so closely as is represented in figure 2, oppo- 

 site paragraph 74; but the head ought to be shortened, 

 and the side-shoots shortened also, in order to prevent the 

 young trees from being loosened in the ground by the wind, 

 before they have taken root. 



431. In this state, the ground being kept clear from 

 w^eeds, the Oak should stand two years before it be cut 

 down; because, as was observed before, it is longer in 



