feveral purpofes for which they are intended, aii which' 
is explained under their feveral heads ; but fruit- 
trees, planted either againft walls, or for efpaliers, 
fhould be allowed the following diftances : for moft 
forts of vigorous-fhooting Pear-trees, from thirty- fix 
to forty feet ; for Apricots, fixteen or eighteen feet ; 
Apples, twenty-five or thirty feet •, Peaches and Nec- 
tarines, twelve feet ; Cherries and Plums, twenty- 
five feet, according to the goodnefs of the foil or 
the height of the wall. But as thefe things are men- 
tioned in the feveral articles of fruit-trees, it will be 
needlefs to repeat any more in this place. 
What hath been mentioned on this article chiefly re- 
lates to fruit-trees and evergreens, for the adorning 
of gardens ; but I fhall now proceed to the planting 
of forefi and other trees, which are in all large plan- 
tations of parks and extenfive gardens the moil: nu- 
merous. The modern pradice of tranfplanting thefe 
forts of trees from hedge-rows and woods of large 
fizes, and at a great expence, has too generally pre- 
vailed in this kingdom, the generality of planters be- 
ing in too great hafte, and by a miftaken notion of 
faving time, begin by tranfplanting fuch large trees as 
they find on their own eftates, or that they can procure 
in their neighbourhood, and pleafe themfelves with 
the hopes of having fine plantations foon ; but if, in- 
ftead of removing thefe trees, they would begin by 
making a nurfery, and raifina: of their trees from 
feeds, they would fet out in a right method, and fave 
a great expence and much time, and they would 
have the conftant pleafure of feeing their trees annual- 
ly advance in their growth, infteand of their growing 
worfe, as will always be the cafe where old trees are 
removed, though many perfons flatter themfelves 
with the hopes of fuccefs, when they find their trees 
fhoot out the following feafon •, and as thefe will often 
continue to grow forfome years after, fo they continue 
their expedations, till after waiting many years, in 
which time they might have had feedling trees grown 
up to a fine fize, if they had been fown at the time 
the large trees were planted, they then find their 
trees annually decaying, when they moft expected 
their increafe ; for of all the plantations which I have 
yet feen of thefe large trees of any fort, there is fcarce 
one which has ever fucceeded. And if thofe perlons 
who are difpofed to plant, would be fo kind to them- 
felves as to furvey with attention, as many of the 
modern plantations of this kind as they conveniently 
carl, they will be convinced of the truth of this fad ; 
but there are very few who give themfelves time to 
deliberate before they begin, lb that until they meet 
with difappointments, they fcarce reflect on what 
they are doing. And it too often happens, that the 
perfons employed in the executing, either through 
ignorance, or fome other motive, encourage this 
pradtice of Planting. 
In fome of thefe plantations, all the Elms which 
could be procured from the neighbouring hedge- 
rows have been removed, moft of which have been 
fuckers produced from the old ftumps, fo have fcarce 
any roots : thefe have, at a great expence, been 
planted and watered, and perhaps many of them have 
made confiderable fhoots, the whole length of the 
ftem at every knot, and many of them have con- 
tinued ten or twelve years alive, but have not in- 
creafed in the girt of their Items half an inch, and 
all that time have been decaying at their heart, and 
growing hollow j fo that when a fevere froft in winter, 
or a great drought in fummer, has happened, there 
has been an almoft total deftrudion of the trees. 
In other places I have fe£n great numbers of tall Oaks 
tranfplanted, which have appeared to thrive for fome 
years when firft planted •, but in five or fix years 
after have begun to decay at their top, and have 
leifurely died to the ground, than which nothing can 
be a more difagreeable fight to the owner. And the 
method which is commonly pradifed in tranfplanting 
of thefe trees would deftroy them, were there a poffi- 
bility of fuch large trees furviving their removal, 
which is, that of cutting off all their branches j for. 
were the fame pradifed on a tree of the fame age un-* 
removed, it would flint the growth fo much as not 
to .be recovered in feveral years, nor would it ever 
arrive to the fize of fuch as have all their branches 
left on them. But the reafon given for this practice 
is, that if the branches were left upon the trees, they 
could not be fupported, the winds would throw them 
out of the ground ; and another (which is bkd philo- 
fophy) is, that as the roots have been greatly reduced 
by tranfplanting, lb the heads of the trees fhould be 
reduced in the fame proportion. As to the firft, it 
muft be allowed, that trees which are remoyed with 
great heads, are with great difficulty preferved in 
their upright fituation •, for the winds will have fuch 
power againft the branches as to overfet the trees, if 
they are not very ftrongly lupported with ropes. 
Therefore this may be brought as an objection to the 
tranfplanting of large trees, rather than in fupport of 
a practice which is fo prejudicial to them ; and as to 
the other reafon, it has no foundation 5 for if large 
amputations are made at the root, there fhould not 
be the fame pradifed on the head; becaufe the wound- 
ed part of the head will imbibe the air at every ori- 
fice, to the great' prejudice of the tree. Befides this, 
if we pay any regard to the dodrine of the circulating 
of the juices in plants, we muft allow, that the heads 
of the trees are equally ufeful to nourish the roots, as 
the roots are to the heads ; fo that if there is a wafte 
of lap both at the top and bottom of the trees, it 
muft weaken them in proportion. For whoever will 
be at the trouble to try the experiment on two trees 
of equal age and health, and to cut the branches off 
from one, and leave them upon the other at the time 
of tranfplanting, if the latter is well fecured from 
blowing down, it will be found to fucceed much bet- 
ter than the other ; or if the fame thing is pradtifed 
upon two trees left Handing, the tree whofe branches 
are cut off, will not make half the progrefs as the 
other, nor will the ftem increafe in its bulk half fo fail. 
Therefore where trees are tranfplanted young, there 
will be no neceffity for ufing this unnatural amputati- 
on, and the fuccefs of thefe plantations will always give 
pleafure to the owner. I have feen fome plantations 
of Oak-trees, which were made fifty years ago, and 
had thriven beyond expectation moft part of the 
time, but are now annually decaying, and feem as if 
they would not continue many years longer, when 
the trees on the fame foil and in the fame fituation, 
which were left Handing, are in perfect health and 
vigour ; and fome of thefe tranfplanted trees which 
have been cut down, were found to be of little value, 
their timber being fhaken and bad. 
It is common to hear perfons remarking, that from 
the prefent fpirit of Planting, great advantages will 
accrue to the public by the increafe of timber ; but 
whoever is the ieaft fkilled in the growth of timber 
muft know, that little is to be expedled from moft 
of the plantations which have lately been made ; for 
there are few perfons who have had this in their view 
when they commenced planters, and of thofe few 
fcarce any of them have fet out right ; for there never 
was any valuable timber produced from trees which 
were tranfplanted of any confiderable fize, nor is any 
of the timber of the trees which are tranfplanted 
young, equal in goodnefs to that which has grown 
from the feeds unremoved. Befide, if we confider 
the forts of trees which are ufually planted, it will 
be found, that they are not defigned for timber; fo 
that upon the whole, it is much to be doubted, whe- 
ther the late method of planting has not rather 
been prejudicial to the growth and increafe of timber, 
than otherwife. 
Before I quit this fubjed of Planting, I muft beg 
leave to obferve, that moft people are fo much in a 
hurry about Planting, as not to take .time to prepare 
their ground for the reception of trees, but frequent- 
ly make holes and ftick in the trees, amongft all 
forts of rubbifli which is growing upon the land : 
and I have frequently obferved, that there has not 
been any care afterward taken to dig the ground, or 
s root 
