woo 
If perfons who have eftates would be careful to nurfe 
up trees in their hedge rows, it would in time become 
a fortune to their fucceffors, as hereby the timber 
growing in the hedges may be worth more than the 
freehold of the eftate, which has often been the cafe 
with eftates, from which their poffeffors have cut down 
timber for fortunes for their younger children ; the 
frequency of this fhould encourage perfons to be a 
little more attentive to the growth- and prefervation of 
young Woods, fince the expence and trouble is not 
great, and the future profit very certain ; befides, the 
pleafure of feeing trees of a man’s own fowing make 
yearly advances, rauft be very great to thofe who have 
any relifh for country amufements. 
There arefeveral perfons who plant copfes for cutting 
every ten or twelve years, according to their growth. 
Thefe are ufually planted in autumn, either with ftools 
or young plants, which are drawn out of the Woods ; 
the latter fhould always be preferred to the former. 
Thefe copfes are commonly planted with feveral forts 
of trees, as Oak, Beech, Cheftnut, Afh, Birch, Wil- 
low, &c. but the Afh and Cheftnut are the moft pro- 
fitable, where they grow kindly, becaufe the poles of 
Afh are very valuable ; thefe alfo are good for hoops, 
fo that there is no danger of having fale for thefe copfe 
Woods when they are fit for cutting •, but where the 
copfes are intended to remain, there fhould be no 
flandard-trees left for timber; becaufe as the heads of 
the trees fpread, and overtop the under Wood, it will 
caufe that to decay ; and where the ftandards are left 
upon the flumps of the copfe Wood, they will never 
grow to a large fize, nor will the timber be fo valu- 
able as that produced immediately from a young root ; 
therefore whoever will make the experiment, will be 
convinced, that it is more for the advantage of both, 
to keep them in diftinbt Woods. 
WOO 
But where perfons plant copfes upon land free from 
trees, it will be the better method to fow the feeds, 
efpecially if Cheftnut, Oak or Beech, are the trees 
intended ; for although it is a prevailing opinion with 
the generality of perfons, that by planting they fave 
time, yet 1 am fure of the contrary ; for if the feed- 
ling plants are kept clear from weeds, they will in 
eight or ten years out-grow thofe which are planted, 
and thefe unmoved copfes will continue much longer 
in vigour than the other •, fo that for either timber or 
copfe Wood, the beft method is to prepare the ground 
well, and fecure the fences, and fow the feeds, which 
is fo far from lofing, that in twenty years it will be 
found to gain time, which is whkt every planter wiihes 
to do. 
The ufual time of felling timber is from November to 
February, at which time the lap in the trees is hard- 
ened ; for when the fap is flowing in the trees, if they 
are cut down, the worm will take the timber, and 
caufe it to decay very foon ; therefore if the durable- 
nefs of the timber is confidered, the trees fhould al- 
ways be cut in the winter months ; but as the bark of 
the Oak is fo valuable for tanning leather, there has 
been a law palled, to oblige perfons to cut thefe trees 
during the fpring feafon, when the bark will readily 
peel off; by which the timber is rendered unfit for 
building either fhips or houfes, as it will be very fub- 
jebt to call, rift, or twine, and the worm will foon take 
it ; therefore it would be more for the public bene- 
fit, if a law were enabled, to oblige every perfon to 
(trip off the bark of fuch trees as are defigned to be 
cut down in the fpring, leaving the trees with their 
branches (landing till the following winter, which will 
be found to anfwer both purpofes well. 
X A N 
ANTHIUM. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 438. tab. 
252. Lin. Gen. Plant. 937. Leffer Burdock. 
The Characters are. 
It hath male and female flowers on the fame plant. 
The male flowers have a common fcaly empalement ; they are 
lompofed of feveral tubulous funnel-Jhaped florets , which 
are equal, and difpofed in a kemifphere ; they are cut into 
five figments at the top , and have each five very fmall 
flamina , terminated by erett parallel fummits. The female 
flowers are fituated under the male by pairs ; they have 
no petals or flamina , but they are fucceeded by oblong , 
aval, prickly fruit , having two cells , each including one 
oblong feed , convex on one fide, and plain on the other. 
This genus is ranged in Dr. Linnaeus’s firft febtion 
of his twenty-firft clafs, which contains the plants 
which have feparate male and female flowers, and 
the male flowers have five flamina. 
The Species are, 
1. Xanthium ( Strumarium ) caule inermi, foliis corda- 
tis trinervatis. Hort. Cliff. Xanthium with an unarmed 
folk , and heart-fhaped leaves having three veins. Xan- 
thium five Lappa minor. J. B. 3. 572. Leffer Burdock. 
2. Xanthium ( Canadenfe ) caule inermi, foliis cuneifor- 
mi-ovatis fubtrilobis. Lin. Sp, 14,00. Canada Xan- j 
I 
XAN 
thium with an unarmed ftalk , and oval wedge-Jhaped 
leaves , having almofl three lobes. Xanthium majus Ca- 
nadenfe. H. L. 635. Greateft Canada Burdock.. 
3. Xanthium ( Spinofum ) fpinis ternatis. Hort. Upfal. 
283. Portugal Xanthium with triple thorns. Xanthium 
Lufitanicum fpinofum. Pluk. Aim. 206. Portugal 
Prickly Burdock. 
4. Xanthium (Chinenfi) caule inermi ramofa, aculeis 
frubtibus ereblis longiffimis. China Xanthium with an 
unarmed branching ftalk , and the [pines of the fruit 
very long and upright. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Europe, and alfo in 
India, from whence I have received the feeds ; it has 
been found growing wild in a few places in England, 
but of late years it has not been feen in thofe places. 
I did once fee it growing in the road near Dulwich 
College. The ftalk of this plant is round, and has 
many black fpots ; it rifes in good ground two feet 
high, fending out a few fide branches. The leaves 
fland upon (lender foot-ftalks, which are near four 
inches long. From the wings of the ftalk arife the 
foot-ftalks of the flowers. The leaves are almofl 
heart-fhaped, but fome of the larger are cut on their 
j fides into three acute lobes ; they are irregularly in- 
indented 
