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fhelter each other ; and when they have grown a few 
years, part of the plants may be cut down to give 
room for the others to grow; but this muft be .gra- 
dually performed, left by too much opening the plan- 
tation at once, the. air Should be let in among the re- 
maining trees with too great violence, which will ftop 
their growth. 
Although thefe Evergreen-trees, are by many perfons 
defpifed on account of their dark green in Summer, 
yet a proper mixture of thefe in large clumps make 
a fine appearance about a feat in winter, and in furn- 
mer, by their contrail with other trees, have no bad 
effebl in diverfifying the fcene. 
Wherever large plantations are defigned to be made, 
the belt method will be to raife the plants either upon 
a part of the fame land, or as near to the place as 
poffible, and alfo upon the fame fort of foil : a final! 
piece of ground will be fufficient to raife plants 
enough for many acres, but, as the plants require 
fome care in their firft raifing, if the neighbouring 
cottagers, who have many of them fmall inclofures ad- 
joining to their cottages, or where this is wanting, a 
fmall inclofure fhould be made them for the purpofe 
of raifing the plants, and they are furnifhed with the 
feeds and directions for fowing them, and managing 
the young plants till they are fit for tranf|lanting, the 
women and children may be ufefully employed in this 
work; and the proprietors of land agreeing with them 
to take their plants when raifed at a certain price, it 
would be a great benefit to the poor ; and hereby they 
would be engaged to have a regard for the planta- 
tions when made, and prevent their being deftroyed. 
The Scotch Pine, as was before obferved, being the 
hardieft of all the kinds, and the wood of it the raoft 
ufeful, is the fort which beft deferves care. This will 
thrive upon the moft barren fands, where fcarce any 
thing elfe except Heath and Furze will grow; fothat 
there are many thoufand acres of fuch land lying con- 
venient for water carriage, which at prefent is of lit- 
tle benefit to any body, that might, by plantations of 
thefe trees, become good eftates to their proprietors, 
and alfo a national benefit ; and as the legiflature 
have taken this into their confideration, and already 
paffed fome laws for the encouraging thefe plantations, 
as alfo for their prefervation and fecurity, fo it may 
be hoped that this will be undertaken by the gentle- 
men who are pofleffed of fuch lands in all the dif- 
ferent parts of the kingdom with proper fpirit ; for 
although they may not expedt to receive much profit 
from thefe plantations in their own time, yet their 
iucceffors may with large intereft ; and the pleafure 
which thofe growing trees will afford them, by beau- 
tifying the prefent dreary parts of the country, will in 
fome meafure recompense them for their trouble and 
expence ; and by creating employment for the poor, 
leffen thofe rates which are now fo high in many parts 
of England as fcarce to be borne. 
The essence of making thefe plantations is what moft 
people are afraid of, fo would not engage in it ; but the 
greateft of the expence is that of fencing them from 
the cattle, &c. for the other is trifling, as there will be 
no neceftity for preparing the ground to receive the 
plants ; and the charge of planting an acre of land with 
thefe plants will not be more than twenty or thirty 
{hillings where labour is dear, exclufive of the plants, 
which may be valued at forty fhillings more. I have 
planted many acres of land with thefe trees, v/hich 
was covered with Heath and Furze, and have only 
dug holes between to put in the plants, and afterward 
laid the Heath or Furze which was cut, upon the 
furface of the ground about their roots, to prevent 
the ground drying, and few of the plants have failed. 
Thefe plants were moft of them four years old from 
feed, nor was there any care taken to clean the ground 
afterward, but the whole left to fhift, and in five or 
fix years the Pines have grown fo well as to overpower 
the Heath and Furze, and deftroy it. 
The diftance which I have generally planted thefe 
lants in all large open fituations was about four feet, 
ut always irregular, avoiding planning in rows as 
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much as poffible ; and in the planting, the great care 
is not to take up the plants fatter than they can .be 
planted, fo that fome men have been employed in 
digging up the plants while others were' .planting. 
Thofe who take up the plants mule be looked- after, 
to fee they dp not tear off their roots or wound their 
bark ; and as faft as they are taken up, their roots 
fhould be covered to prevent their drying, and put 
into their new quarters as foon as poffible. In planting 
them, care fhould be had to make the holes iarge 
enough for their roots, as alfo to loofen and break the 
clods of earth, and put the finelt immediately about 
their roots, then to fettle the earth gently with the 
foot to the roots of the plant. If thefe things are duly 
obferved, and a proper feaion chofen for performing 
it, there will be very little hazard of their fucceedincE* 
but 1 have feen fome plantations made with plants 
which were brought from a great diftance, and had 
been fo clofely packed up as to caufe a heat, whereby 
moft of the plants within had their leaves changed yel- 
low, and few of them have grown, which has difeou- 
raged others from planting, not knowing the true 
catife of their failure. 
After the plantations are made, the only care they 
require for five or fix years will be to fe cure the plants 
from cattle, hares, and rabbits ; for if thefe are ad- 
mitted to them, they will make great ddlruflion in 
a fhort time ; ror if the branches are gnawed by hares 
or rabbits, it will greatly retard the growth of the 
plants, if not deftroy them. 
In about five or fix years after planting, the branches 
of the young trees will have met, and* begin to inter- 
fere with each other ; therefore they will require a 
little pruning, but this muft be done with great cau- 
tion. The lower tier of branches only fhould be cut 
off; this fhould be performed in September, at which 
time there will be no danger of the wounds bleeding 
too much, and the turpentine will harden ever the 
wounds as the feafon grows cold, fo will prevent the 
wet from penetrating the wounds. Thefe branches 
fhould be cut off clofe to the ftem of the plants, and 
care lhould be taken in doing this not to break any 
of the remaining branches of the young trees. This 
work fhould be repeated every other year, at each 
time taking off only the lower tier of branches ; for 
if the plants are much trimmed, it will greatly retard 
their growth, as it does in general that of all trees ; 
but as thefe trees never put out any new fhoots where 
they are pruned, fo they -fuffer mote from amputa- 
tion than thofe which do. 
In thofe parts of France where they have forefts of 
thefe trees, the proprietors always give the faggots to 
thofe, who prune their young trees firft, for their 
labour, fo it coils them no money. At the fecond 
pruning the proprietor has one-third of he faggots, 
and the dreffers have the other two for their work, 
and afterward the faggots are equally divided between 
the workmen and proprietors, but there muft be great 
care taken that they do not cut off more than fhould 
be. 
In about twelve or fourteen years thefe will require 
no more pruning, for their upper branches v/ill kill 
thofe below where they have not air ; but foon after 
this, if the plants have made good progrefs, it may be 
neceffary to thin them ; but this fhould be gradually 
performed, beginning in the middle or the planta- 
tion firft, leaving the outfide clofe to fereen thofe 
within from the cold, fo by degrees paining to them 
at laft, whereby thofe which .were firft thinned will 
have had time to get ftrength, fp will not be in danger 
of buffering from the admiffion of cold air. When 
thefe plantations are thinned, the trees fhould not be 
dug up, but their ftems cut off clofe to the ground, 
for their roots never flioot again, but decay in the 
earth, fo there can no harm arife by leaving them, 
and hereby the roots of the remaining -plants are not 
injured. The trees which are now cut will be fit for 
many purpofes ; thofe which are ftrait wiji make good 
putlocks for the bricklayers, and ferve for fcaffofding 
poles, fo that there may be as much made by the 
fale 
