200 
THE GARDENER’S VE 
would be moll fuccefsful to perform it while they are 
young, of three or four, to five or fix feet high at 
moll, in which they will more effeftually root firmly 
in the ground, and grow more profperous than fuch 
as are tranfplanted larger. 
The proper feafon for planting Oaks is either 
in the autumn or fpring, or may be done any time in 
winter, in open weather, from November, to Febru¬ 
ary, Ivlarch, or wholly compleated by the beginning 
of April. 
When defigned to form Oak woods for timber-trees, 
it may be effected either by young plants previoufly 
raifed from the acorns fowed in a nurfery, and when 
two or three, to four or five feet high, tranfplanted in 
the places intended, in rows, four or five, to ten or 
twenty feet diftance, or the acorns fowed at once 
in drills where the plantation is intended, and as they 
remain where raifed, will generally grow more expe¬ 
ditious and profperous than thofe which are tranf¬ 
planted, having the ground previoufly prepared for 
their reception, by ploughing and harrowing; and, in 
both of which methods, may either be difpofed in 
wide rows, ten, to fifteen feet afunder, or in clofe 
rows, only four or five feet diflance, in order that, 
-when of advanced growth, they may admit of thin¬ 
ning out fome of the underling trees gradually, either 
fome fmall, for tranfplanting, or larger, for other pur- 
pofes, and of cutting down fome for under-wood, 
every eight, ten, or twelve years, and will (hoot up 
again for the fame occafion, leaving a fufficiency of 
the fineft ftems from the beginning, to run up for 
large llandards, at from ten to twenty feet apart at 
firft; and when thefe are confiderably encreafed in 
fize, fome may be cut down in a thinning order, for 
ffnaller timber, &c. retaining the reft at twenty or 
thirty feet diftance, to acquire full growth ; the re¬ 
tained ftancli'rds, both in their young and advanced 
"iNtC, ib.~aldbep'. r uned up below, by degrees, each in 
a "clean, Angle ftem, -preferving the tops intire to run 
up in height. 
Or, where intended to raife a nurfery of Oaks, for 
tranfplanting, it is effected in the following manner. 
The propagation or method of railing all the forts 
of Oaks, being by fowing the acorns, both of the 
Common Oak, which ripen abundantly every where in 
autumn, and of the other forts that can be obtained; 
all either fowed foon after they are ripe, in autumn, 
or preferved clofe and dry till the fpring, about Fe¬ 
bruary or beginning of March, or as foon as the in¬ 
tended forts can be procured; or fome are occafionally 
raifed by grafting or budding on Common Oak ftocks, 
efpecially any of the foreign forts, of which the acorns 
are not attainable ; or alfo any particular varieties to 
continue the fame, as the Oaks feldom fucceed well 
GETABLE SYSTEM 
by layers or cuttings; and the grafting, &c. is only 
practiced occafionally in the above inftances, and by 
which they will take upon ftocks of any of the Oak 
kind; though, for the general propagation, it is al¬ 
ways efte&ed by fowing the acorns. 
Therefore, to raife the principal fupply from the 
acorns, and having procured a requifite quantity of 
thofe of the Common Oak, for the general plantation, 
and of fuch others as may be intended for variety, 
prepare beds of any common, light earth, in the au¬ 
tumn or fpring, aforefaid: fow the acorns either in 
drills two inches deep, and the drills fix or eight to 
twelve inches afunder; or by broad-caft, firft raking 
two inches depth of earth off the furface of the beds, 
then fcatter the acorns evenly on the bed moderately 
thick, prefs them into the earth with the back of a. 
fpade, and cover them in with the earth that was 
raked off evenly about two inches deep : they will 
come up in the fpring; keep them clean from weeds 
all fummer, and when the plants are of one or two 
year’s growth, they fhould be tranfplanted, either in 
the autumn, in Odtober or beginning of November, 
or in the following fpring, in nurfery-rows, two or 
three feet afunder, by fifteen or eighteen inches dif¬ 
tance in each row. 
In the nurfery-rows, let them have three or four 
years growth, training each with a clean, fingle ftem, 
by pruning off the ftrong fide-fhoots, preferving the 
top-lhoot intire; and when advanced three, four, or 
five, to fix or eight feet high, they are of proper fize 
for final tranfplanting. 
When defigned to propagate any particular forts by 
grafting or budding, it may be performed upon any 
feedling-ftocks of the Common or other kind of Oak; 
the grafting performed in the fpring, and the budding 
in July and Auguft; and, in both of which, train the 
young trees as above. 
The young Oaks raifed as above, to a proper 
growth for final tranfplanting, three, four, or five, 
to fix or eight feet, as before obferved, they fhould be 
planted out accordingly where they are to remain, in 
the proper feafon; have them dug up with as full roots 
as poftible, and of which, only cut away broken parts, 
or prune any long, naked, tap-root, of down-right 
growth, and fhorten any very long ftraggler; cut off 
ftrong, lateral (hoots from the ftem, or may prune any 
rambling or very irregular branches at the head, pre¬ 
ferving the main top leaders intire, and plant them at 
the diftances formerly mentioned, five or ten, to fifteen 
or twenty feet, agreeable to the foregoing intima¬ 
tions, particularly thofe defigned .to form Oak woods 
or any other plantations of the Oak kind, or at ten, 
fifteen, to twenty or thirty feet, to form clumps, &c. 
in parks and fields, or in alferablage with other large 
trees. 
