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Propagation and Culture. The heft method to cultivate 
the birch-tree, is to furnifh yourfelf with young plants from 
the woods where they naturally grow, and are generally 
found there in great plenty ; but, in places where there 
are no young plants to be procured near, they may be 
railed front feeds, which (hould be gathered in the au¬ 
tumn, as loon as the fcales under which they are lodged 
begip to open, otherwife they will foon fall-out and be loft : 
the feeds, being ('mall, (hould not be buried deep in the 
ground; a quarter of an inch is fufhcient. Mr. Miller 
recommends autumn as the beft feafon for (owing them ; 
but Mr. Boutcher directs, that, having fpread the feeds 
thin on a loft floor till dry, they (hould be mixed with 
loofe (and, and kept in an airy place till the beginning of 
March ; when they (hould be (own on frefli light land, 
trenched or dug the preceding autumn, made very loofe, 
raked fine, and divided into beds three feet and a half 
wide. No earth (lioulcl be thrown over them, but they 
(hould be clapped in with the back of a (pade. If the 
weather be dry and frofly, a little peafe-haulm may be 
thrown over the beds for three or four.weeks, till the feeds 
begin to vegetate. Then, the ground being kept clean, 
three or four gentle waterings may be given at noon in 
April, which may be repeated to the middle of June in 
mild evenings. The following March they may be re¬ 
moved into the nurfery, in rows two feet and a half dif- 
tant, and ten or twelve inches afunder, to (land there two 
years, or three, if they have made little progrefs. In 
which cafe, after the fecond year’s grow th, cut Inch as 
are lead thriving or crooked clofe to the ground in March. 
The ground where they are to be planted will require no 
preparation; all that is neceflary to be done, is to loofen it 
with a fpade or mattock, in the places where the plants 
are to (land, making holes to receive their roots-, covering 
them-again when the plants-are placed, and doling the 
earth hard to the roots. If the plants are young, and have 
not much top, they will require no pruning ; but, where 
they have bulhy heads, they (hould be (liortened, to pre¬ 
vent their being (baleen and difplaced by the wind. When 
the plants have taken root, they will require no other care, 
but to cut down the great weeds which would over-hang 
the plants, which may be done with a fickle, being care¬ 
ful not to cut or injure the young trees. This need not 
be repeated oftener than two or three times in a fummer 
the two firft years, after which time the plants will be (Irong 
enough to keep down the weeds, or at leal! be out of dan¬ 
ger from them. If the plants take kindly to the ground, 
they will b ! e fit to cut in about ten years; and afterwards 
they may be cut every feventh or eighth year, if they are 
defigned for the broom-makers only ; but, where they are 
intended for hoops, they (hould.not be cut oftener than 
every twelfth year. The expence of making thefe plan¬ 
tations, in places where the young plants can be ealily 
procured, will not exceed forty (hillings per acre, arid the 
after-expence of cleaning about twenty (hillings a-year 
more; lo (hat the whole will not be more than three 
pounds, and, if the land fo planted be of little value, the 
proprietor cannot make better life of his money ; for, 
when the wood is cut, it will repay the expence with inte- 
reft, and a perpetual (lock upon the ground. The broom- 
makers are conllant cuftomers for birch, in all places with- 
U L A. 
in twenty miles of London, or where it is near water-car¬ 
riage; in other parts the hoop-benders are the purchafers^ 
but the larger trees are often bought by the turners, and 
the wood is ufed for making ox-yokes, and oilier imple¬ 
ments of hufbandry. The American forts may be propa¬ 
gated by feeds in tiie fame manner as the firft,- and are 
equally hardy. As thefe grow more vigorpully than the 
common fort, and thrive on the mod barren ground, they 
may be cultivated to great advantage in England. The 
varieties of the different fpecies may be continued by lay¬ 
ers. Cuttings alfo, fet in a moift iliady border rhe begin¬ 
ning of Odlober, will frequently grow ; but this-not being 
a hire method, and the other an eafy one, it fcareely de- 
ferves to be put in practice. 
The alder, delighting in a very moift foil, where few 
other trees will thrive, is a great improvement to fuch 
lands. It is propagated by layers, cuttings, or truncheons, 
about three "feet in length. The beft time for planting 
truncheons is in February or the beginning of March ; they 
(hould be fharpened at one end, and the ground ntuft be 
loofened with an iron crow before they are thruft into it, 
that the bark may not be torn off. They ntuft be planted 
at lead two feet deep, to prevent their being blown out 
of the ground by ftrong winds, after they have made their 
(hoots. The plantations (hould be cleared at fit It of tall 
weeds; but, when the trees have made good heads, they 
will require no farther care. If you raife them by layers, 
this operation muft be performed in October, and by rhe 
October following they will have taken root (ufticiently to 
be tranfplanted. They (hould be let at lead a foot and 
half deep in the ground ; and their tops muft be cut off to 
about nine inches above the furfate, which will occalioa 
them to (hoot out many branches. In oilier countries the 
abler is railed from feeds, but we do not know that it is 
praCfifed in England. The diftance thefe trees (hould be 
placed, if defigned for a coppice, is lix feet fquare ; or 
they may be planted at firft a yard fquare, and at (even 
years end, when they are felled for poles, every other (loci 
may be taken away; and, if the (mall lateral (hoots be ta¬ 
ken off in the fpring, it will very much (Lengthen the up¬ 
right poles, provided a few (mall fhoots be left at certain 
diftances upon the body to detain the lap, for the increafe 
of its bulk. Thefe trees will alfo thrive exceedingly on 
the (ides of brooks; and may be cut for poles every fifth 
or lixth year. They may alio be planted t’er hedges, in 
moiil ground, where they thrive very fall, and maybe 
trained into very thick clofe hedges, to the height of twen¬ 
ty feet and upwards. They may alfo be-ufed for fecuring 
the banks of rivers, by planting truncheons very clofe, or 
crofi'w'ife. 'l lie leaves being large, and of a deep green, 
have a good efteCl, and the trees make a much better fi¬ 
gure than molt other aquatic trees; (o that, where the 
beauty of fuclrplantations is conlidered, thefe (hould be 
preferred to other trees ufually planted in fwampy 
grounds. 
The hoary alder, growing naturally in dry Tandy- foils, 
may perhaps be cultivated with the birch, where land is 
of little value, as an underwood, and may be propagated 
either by layers or cuttings, as well as by feeds,, where 
they can be obtained. 
Betula Americana. See Bursera. 
general 
