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Show A Difeourfe of Forelt-Trees. Chap.VE: ftrength been plenty of Oake 5 valt difference there is alfo in the that of Ground , and quarter'd Afo > °Tis likewife remarkable the Ah, like the Cork tree, grows Ww hen the Barkis quite peel'd e the Deer have off, as has been obfervdin fevetal Foreffs,wher Ath is curiou Some bared them as far as they could climb: Timbersthat other from ently differ fo fay, I , ly camleted and vein'd giveit our skilfal Cabinet-makers prize it equal with Ebony, and and for; well payes er Cuflom the which Ebony, the name of green they mony what make may when our Woodmen light upon it, they as ‘tis hard will of it : But to bring it to that curlous luftre, fo Chap. VII. noxious to the Worm, as greatly to prejudice the timber ; therefore to be fure, fenottill the three A4d-winter Months, beginning about November. 1am aftonifh’d at the univerfal Confidence of all our Botanifis, that a Serpent will rather creepinto the Fire, than over a twigof 4/3 this is an old Impofture of Plinys, who either took it up upon truft, or we miftake the Tree. CHAP. VIL ly to be diftinguifhed from the moft curioufly diaper'd Olive, they Varnifp their Work with the China-varnifh (hereafter defcribed ) which infinitely excells Lynfeed-ayl,. that Cardan fo commends, : {peaking of this Root. Of the Chefaut. ; 4. Theule of Afb is (next to that of the Oakit felf) one of the mott univerfal : It ferves the Souldier ———@& Fraxinus wiilis haflis. Ovid, The Carpenter, Wheel-wright,Cart-wright, for Ploughs, Axel trees, Wheelrings, Harrows,Bulls, Oares, the beft blocks for Pullys and Sheffs, as Seamen name them 5 Alfofor-the Cooper, Tar ner, and Thatcher: Nothing like it for our Garden Palifad-hedges, Hop-yards, Poles, and Spars, Handles, Stocks for Tools, Spade-treesy @c. MALU In fum, the Husbanduzan cannot be without the 4/b for his Carts, Ladders, and other tackling: From the Pike, tothe Plow Spear,and Bow, for of Afh were they formerly made, and therefore reckon'’d amongft thofe mods, which after long tenfion has a natural Spring , and recoversits pofition; {oas in Peace and War it isa Woodin higheft requeft : There is extracted an Gy! from the Afb , bythe procefé on other Woods, whichisexcellent to recover the Hearing ; fome drops of it being diftill’d warm into the Ears, and for the Caries or rot of the Bones,Tooth-ach, pains inthe Kidneys,and Spleez, the anointing therewith is moft foveraign. Laftly, the white, and rotten dottard part compofes a groundfor our Gallants Sweet-powder, and the Truncheons make thethird fort of the moft durable Coal, and is ( of all other ) the fweeteft of our Fore/t-fuelling, and the fitteft for LadiesChambers ; Toconclude, the very dead leaves afford ( like thofe of the El) relief toour Cattel in Winter ; and there is a dwarfe fort in France (it in truth itbenot , asl fufpe&, our Witchen-tree ) whofe Berries feed the poor People, in fearce years, but it bears no Keys, like to ours which being pickled tender, afford a delicate Salading. But the Shade of the 4/his not to be endurd,becaufe it produces a noxious Infe@ ; and for difplaying themfelves{o very /ate, andfalling very early, not to be planted for Umbrage, or Ornament, efpecially neerthe Garden, fince (befides their predatitious Roots ) the deciduous leaves defcending with fo long a Stalk, are drawn byclu{ters into the Worm holes, which foul the Allies with their falling Keys , and fuddenlyinfect the ground. Note, thatthe Seafox for feling of this Tree muft be when the Sap is fully atreft; forif you cut it down too early, or over late inthe year, it will be fo obnoxicus A Difcourfe of Foref-Trees. I. He next is the Chefaut , [ Caftanea’| of which Pliny re- chefz-wus; ckons manykinds, efpecially abotit Tarextum and Napless but we commend thofe of Portugalor Bayone, choofing the largeft brown and moft ponderousfor fruit, fuch as Pliny calls Cof#ive,but the lefler ones to raife for Téwber. They are produc’d beft by Sowing ; previous to which,let the Nuts be firft fpread to fweat,then cover them in fand,a Monthbeing paft,plunge them in Water,reject the fwimmers ; being dry’d for thirty dayes more, fand them again, and to the water-ordeal asbefore. Being thustreated till the beginning of Spring, or in November, fet themas you would do Beans 5 and asfome practife it, drench’d for a wight or more, in new 44ilk,: They fhould be putinto the o/es with the poynt up- moftas you plant Tulips; Pliny willtell you they come not up,un« lefs four,or five be pil’d together in a hole; but that is falfe,if they be good, as you may prefume all thofe to be which pafle this examination; nor will any of them fail : But being come up they thrive beft #xremoved , making greatftand forat leaft two years, upon every tranfplanting 5 yet if needs you rauft alter their/Pation, Jet it be done about November, and thatinto light ftiable ground, or moift. Gravel, however, they will grow evenin Clay, Sand,and all mixed Soils , upon expofed, and bleak places, and the pendent declivities of H72s to the North, in dry airy places, and fometimes neer Aarfhes and Waters 5 but they affe& no other compoft, fave what their own /eaves afford them, and are more patient of cold than deat, 2. If you defire to fet themin Winter, or Autumn , 1 counlel youto inter them within their Husks,which being every way arm'd are a good protection againft the Azou/e,and a providential integument, Plhmyl.15. c.23, from this natural Guard,concludes them to be excellent food, and doubtlefle Cefar thought fo, when he tranfported them from Sardys firft into Italy , whence they were propagated into France, and thence among us; another encouragement to make fuch Experiments out of forain Countreys. re 2 ow |