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Show A Difcourfe of Foveft-Trees. Chap.I. whereanciently Woods have grown, but are now unkind to them, Of the Soile, and of Seed. i Ere, for Afethods fake, fomething it were expedient to pres EB mife concerning the Soile, and indeed I do acknowledge tohave obferv’d fo vaft a difference in the Improvement of Woods, by that of the Grouad, that it is at no hand to be negletted : But this being more than Tranfitorily touch’d in each Chapter of the enfuing Difcourfe, I fhall not need to affignit any apart , when I have affirm’d in General, that moft Timber-Trees grow and profper wellin any tollerable Land which will produce €or or Rye, and whichis not in excefle Stony ; in which nevertheleffe there are fome Trees delight or altogether C/ay, which few, or none do naturally affe&t; And yet the Oak is feen to profper in it, for its toughneffle preferr'd before any other by many Workmen, though ofall Soyls the Cow-pafture do certainly exceed, be CCAIR EL A Difcourfe of Fore%t-Trees. {trong Plow, a Wixter mellowing, and fummer heats, incorpo rated with the pregnant Turfe, or a flight afliftance of Lime performe even in the moft unnatural and obitinate Soile > And in fach places Read bids it for what purpofe foever of planting Weed. Chap.1. Rather therefore wefhould take notice how many great Witts and ingenious Perfons, whohave leafure and faculty are in pain for Improvements of their Heaths and barren Hills, cold and ftarving places, which caufes them to be neglected and defpair’d of; whileft they flatter their hopes and vain expectations with fructifying liquors, Chymsical Menfirnes and fuch vaft conceptions; in the mean time that one may fhew them as Heathy and Hope-lefi grounds, and barren Hills as any in Exgland, that do now bear, or lately have born Woods, Groves and Copfes which yield the Owmers more wealth, than the richeft and moft opulent Wheat-Lands: Andifit be objected that ‘tis fo long a daybefore thefe Plantations can afford that gain ; The Brabant Nurferies, and divers home-plantations of Indufirions Perfons arefufficient to convince the gain-fayer. And when by this Husbandry a few .4corns {hall have peopl’d the Neighboring Regions with young Stocks and Trees; the refidue will become Groves and Cop/és of infinite delight and {atisfaction to the Planters. Befides, we daily fee what Courfe Lands will bear thefe Stocks (fuppofe them Oaks, Wall-nutts, Chefi-nutts, Pines, Firr, Afb, Wilds Pears, Crabbs, Gc.) and fome of them, as for inftance the Peare and the Firr or Pine, ftrike their Roots through the rougheft and moft impenetrable Rocks and clefts of Stone it felf; and others require not anyrich or pingued, but very moderate Soile; efpeci- ally, if committed to it in. Seeds , whichallyes them totheir 2/o- ther and Nurfé without renitencyor regrett : And then confidering what affiftances a little Care in eafing and ftirring of the ground about themfor a few years does afford them: What cannot a {trong the fault is to be reformed by this Care; and chiefly, by a Sedulous extirpation of the old remainders of Roots, and latent Stumps, which bytheir szuffinefs, and other pernicious qualities,fowre the ground,and poyfon the Comception; And herewithlet me put in this note, that even the Soile it felf does frequently difeover and point beft to the particular Species, though fonte are forall placesal ike: but I thallfay no more of thefe particulars at this times becaufe , the reft is {prinkl’d over this whole Work in their. due places; Wherefore we haften to the following Title, namely, the choyce and ordering of the Seeds. 2. Chufe your Seed of that whichis perfectly mature, pouderons Seed. and found commonly that whichis eafily fhaken from the boughs, or gathered about November, immediately uponits {pontaneous fall,or taken from the tops and fummities ofthe faireft and foundeft Trees, isbeft, and does (for the moft part) dire¢t to the proper feafon of interring,c. According to Inftitution, For, Nature her felf whoall created firft, Nam [pecimen [ationis,& inftionis origa Invented fowing, and the wild Plants nurs’t : Iplafuit rerum primum watara creatrix: When Maft andBerries from the Trees did drop, Arboribus quoxiam bacce, glande/que caduca Succeeded under by a numerous Crop. Tempestiva dabdut pullorum examina fubter, Oc. Yet this is to be confider’d, that if the place you fow in be too cold Lucret./.g5 for an 4utummal {emination, your Acorns, Maft, and other Seeds maybe prepared for the Verxal by being barrel’d, or potted up in moift Saxdor EarthfiratumS, 8, during the Winter; at the expiration whereof you will find them Jprouted 3 and being committed to the Earth, witha tender hand, as apt to take as if they had been fown with the moft early, nay with great advantage: by this means, too, they have efcaped the Vermine (which are prodigi ous devourers of Winter fowing) and will not be much concern’d with the increafing heat of the Seafon, as fuch as being crude, and unfermented are newly fown in the beginning of the Spring ; efpecially in hot and loofe Grounds; being alreadyin fofair a progre{s bythis artificial preparation; and which (if the provifion to be made be very great) may be thus manag’d. Chufe a fit piece of Ground, and with boards (if it have not that pofition ofit felf) defignit threefoot highs lay the firft foot in fine Earth, another of Seeds, Acorns, Maft,Keys,Nuts,Haws Holly: beries, &c. Promifcuoufly, or feparate, with (now, and then) little Afould fprinkled amongft them: The third foot wholly Earth : Of thefe preparatory AZaga+ xives make ag many, and as much Jarger-ones as will ferve your turn, continuing it from time to time as your ffore is brought in. The fame for ruder handlings, may you alfo do by butying your Seeds in dry Sand, or pulveriz’d Earth, Barreljing them (asI faid ) In Tubs, or laid in heaps in fome deep Cellar where the rigour of the Winter may lea{t prejudice them; and I havefill’d old HanzD 2 pers, |