w o o 
And as there are fmall hopes of this being remedied 
by thole intruded with the care of the public Woods, 
fince their private intereft is fo much better advanced 
by th f deftroying the timber, which they were appointed 
to preferve : therefore, unlefs private perfons can be 
prevailed on to improve their eftates, by encouraging 
the growth of timber, it is greatly to be feared, that 
in an age there will be a want of it for the fupply of 
the navy ; which, whenever it happens, mult put a 
period to the trade of this country. 
It has been often urged, by perfons whofe judgment 
in other affairs might be depended on, that the great 
plantations, which, for feveral years pall, have been 
carried on in feveral parts of this kingdom, will be of 
public benefit, by the propagation of timber ; but in 
this they are greatly miftaken •, for in moff of the 
plantations which have been made for years paff, there 
has been little regard had to the propagation of tim- 
ber ; prefent lhade and fnelter have been principally 
confidered ; and in order to obtain thefe foon, great 
numbers of trees have been taken out of Woods, 
hedge rows, &c. which, if they had remained in their 
fil'd fituation, might in. time have afforded good timber; 
but by being tranfplanted large, are abfolutely rendered 
unfit for any ufe but fuel ; lo that the great quantity 
of plantations which have been made, I fear, will ra- 
ther prejudice than be of ufe, to the improvement of 
timber ; nor is there any other method of increafing the 
ufeful timber of this country, than by fowing the feeds 
in the places where they are to remain ; or in fuch fl- 
otations, where there are plenty of Oaks in the neigh- 
bourhood, if the ground is properly fenced, to keep 
out cattle and vermin, the Acorns which drop from 
thofe trees will foon produce plenty of young trees ; 
which, if properly taken care of, will foon grow to 
Woods. 
1 he two mod fubdantial timbers of this country are 
the Oak and Chednut, though the latter has been of 
late years almod entirely dedroyed in England, fo that 
there are fcarce any remains of trees of fize in the 
Woods at preient ; but there can be no doubt of this 
tree having been one of the mod common trees of this 
country, as may be proved by the old buildings in 
mod parts of England, in which the greated part of 
the timber is Chednut. But as I have already treated 
largely of the method of propagating both thefe trees 
for profit, under their refpeclive titles, I fiiall not re- 
peat it here. Next to thefe, the Elm is edeemed as a 
profitable timber ; but of thefe there are few culti- 
vated in Woods, efpecially in the foiith part of Eng- 
land, where they chiefly grow in hedgerows, or plan- 
tations near houfes ; but in the north-weft part of Eng- 
land, there are numbers of very large trees of the 
Witch-Elm growing in parks, and fome in Woods, 
as it that tree was a native of this country, which has 
been much doubted ; though as this tree propagates 
itfeir by feeds, it may be deemed an indigenous plant 
in England. 
The Beech is another tree common in the Woods, ef- 
pecially upon the chalky hills of Buckinghamfhire, 
Kent, Suffex, and Hampshire, where there are fome 
very large W oods, entirely of this fort ; fome of which 
have been of long ftanding, as appears by the age of 
the trees ; but whether this tree is a native of this 
country, has been a point often difputed. 
The Afli is a very profitable tree, and of quick 
growth ; io that in Ids than an age, the trees will ar- 
rive to a large lize from the feeds ; therefore a perfon 
may hope to reap the profits of his labour, who lows 
tne feeds ; but this is not a beautiful tree to ftand near 
a habitation, being late in the fpring in putting out its 
leaves, and the find that fheds thenvin autumn'; nor is 
a friendly tree to whatever grows near it, the roots 
drawing away all the nourilhment of the ground, 
w here oy tne trees or plants which grow near are de- 
puted Oi it ; fo that where the Afh-tree grows in 
hedge rows, the hedge rows in a few years are entirely 
deftroyed ; and if they are in paffure grounds, and 
the cows browze on them, the butter made with their 
milk will be bad ; for which reafon the Afh fhould be * 
fown feparate in lands which are inclofed, where cat- 
tle are not permitted to come, and at a diftance from 
the habitation. 
Upon fandy or rocky foils, the Scotch Pine will thrive 
exceedingly, and turn- to great advantage to the 
planter?, provided the plants are planted young, and 
treated in the manner directed in the article Pinus, to 
which the reader is defired to turn, to avoid repetition. 
There arealfo feveral aquatic trees, which are very pro- 
fitable to thofe who have low marfiiy lands, where the 
harder kinds of timber will not thrive ; theft are the 
Poplars of feveral forts, the Willow, Alder, &c. but 
as thefe, and all the other kinds of trees, have been 
fully treated of, both as to their propagation and ufts, 
and alio an account of the different foils in which each 
will thrive beft, under their refpeclive titles, the reader 
is referred to them for farther information ; arid 1 fiiall 
next treat of the general management of Woods, of 
whatever kinds of trees they are compofed. 
Where there are young Woods, great care muft be 
taken of the fences ; for if cattle fliould get in among 
the trees, efpecially while they are young, they will 
in a fhort time do infinite damage to them, by browz- 
ing on the branches, or barking the trees ; fo that 
during the firft twenty years of their growth, they 
fhould be fecured from hares and rabbets, other- 
wife in fevere froft, or when the ground is covered 
with fnow, whereby they aredeprived of other food, they 
get into theWoods, and eat off’ the barkfrom the young 
trees, and gnaw all the branches within their reach^ 
fo that in a few days, where there are plenty of thefe 
animals, there may be fuch deftruction made among 
the young trees, as cannot be retrieved, but by cut- 
ting them down to the ground, which will be a lofs 
of feveral years ; therefore thofe perfons who have the 
care of young Woods, fhould be very diligent in 
frofty weather, in looking over the trees,* and flopping 
the holes in the fences, to keep out all vermin. 
Another care to be taken of young Woods, is the 
thinning the trees from time to time, as they increafe 
in their growth ; but in doing of this, there muft be 
great caution ufed ; for it fhould be gradually per- 
formed, fo as not to open the trees too much, to let 
the cold air among them, which will greatly retard 
their growth ; nor fhould the trees be left fo clofe, 
’ as to draw each other up like May-poles, but rather 
obferve a medium in this work, cutting down a few 
- each year, according as there may be neceffity for it, 
being careful not to permit thofe to ftand, which may 
fpoil the growth of the neighbouring trees, always ob- 
ferving to leave thofe trees which are the rnoft pro- 
mifing. 
The young trees in thefe Woods fhould not be lop- 
ped or pruned, for the more they are cut, the lefs they 
will increafe in bulk ; every branch which is cut off’ 
will rob the tree of its nourifhment, in proportion to 
the fize of the branch; therefore the hatchet fhould 
not be iuffered to come into young Woods, unlefs in 
the hands of fkilful perfons. 
Where perfons have more regard to the future welfare 
of the timber than their immediate profit, the under 
W ood fliould be grubbed up as the trees advance, 
that the roots may have the whole benefit of the foil’ 
and their ftems enjoy the free air ; without which’ 
their ftems are generally covered with Mofs, and their 
growth greatly ftinted ; as may be obferved in all fuch 
Woods, where there is any quantity of under Wood 
remaining ; in which places it is rarely found, that 
the trees do ever grow to a large fize ; therefore where 
large timber is defired, the trees muft have room to 
extend their roots and branches, without which it can- 
not be expedted ; but from a covetous temper, many 
people let their under Wood remain as long as it will 
live ; for as the timber increafes, the under Wood 
will be gradually decaying, by the fnade and drip of 
the large trees ; fo that by this method the timber 
fuffers more in a few years, than the value of the un- 
der Wood ; therefore, by endeavouring to have both, 
neither of them can be fo good, as whcfE they are 
feparately preferved. 
*5 
