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Show A Difcourfe of Foreft-Trees. Chap.XX, allthe whole Summer long, asin any Afonth of the Year; which for that it may be of great #/é on fome publike emergencies , I F ae ; thought fit to communicate. 27. Thenfor the temper, and time of day : The Windlow,neiperther Eaf? nor Weft (but Weft of the two) the Eaf? being moft nicious, and expofing it to the worms 5 and for which the beft cure wet, oF demy is, the plentiful fobbing it in water5 neither in fiofly, weather ; and therefore never in a Fore-noon. Laftly, touching ic will the fpeciessF ell Fzr w hen it begins to {pringsnot only becaule thenbeft quit its coat and {trips but forthat theyhold it will never decay in water; which howloever Theophraftus deducefrom the old Bridge made of this material over a certain River in Arcadia, cut inthis feafoz y ishardly fufficient to fatiste our inquiry. 48. Previous to this work of Felimgisthe advice ot our Countryman Atarkbam , and it isnot to be rejected : Survey ( faithhe) your Woods as theyftand,immediatelyafter Chrifimas, and then di- videthe fpeciesin your mind 5 (add rather in fome Note-Book , ot Tablets) and confider for what purpofes every feveral kend is molt ufeful, which you may find in the feveral Chapters of this Difcourfe under every Head. Afterthis, reckon the bad and good together, {o as one mayput off the other, without being fore'd to glean your Woods of all your belt Timber, This done (or before) you thall acquaint yourfelf with the marketableprices of the Countrey w here vour Fell is made, and that of the feveral forts; as what jo many iuches or foot square and lowg is worth for the feveral imploy= ments: What Planks 5 what otherfcantlings,tor fo manyspoaksy Naves, Rings, Pales, Spars,éc.as fuppofe it were 4/h , to fet apart the largeft tor the Wheel-wright, the fralleft for the Cooper, and that of ordinary {cantling for the Ploxghs, and the bru/h to be kiddeds andfold by the hundred , or thoufand , and fo all other torts of Timber, viz. large, middling fluff, and Poles, &c. allowing the wafte for the charges of ofFelling,e*c. all which you fhall compute wath greater certainty, if you have leifure, and will take the pains to examine fome ofthe #trees either by your own Fathom; or ( more accurately ) bygarting it about with afirivg, and foredu- cingit to the /grare,é-c.by which means you may give a neer guefs: nay mark fuch as youintend toFel! ; and then begin your ut Candlemas till the Spring; before which you muft not cording as our Cuftom is) lay the Axtothe Root ; though fome r particularimployments, asfor Zimber tomake Plows, Carts, » Naves, Harrows, and the like Husbandry-tools, dofretly cut ih OF ber. ynowentering with your erkemen, one of the firft, and pal things, is, the skilful disbranching of the Boalofall wbs as may endanger it in the Fa//,wherein much force 1 skill is requir’d of the Wood-man; fo manyexcellent trees being utterly {poiled for want of this onely contideration : And therefore in arms of Tiezber, which are very great, chop a vick underit clofe to the Boal, fo meeting it with the downright : § {trokes,it will be fever'd without /plicing. 29. Some Chap.XXX. A Difcourfé of Forelt-Trees. 29, Some there are whocut a 4erf round the body, almoft to the verypitch, or heart, and fo let it remain a while bythis means to drain awaythe moifture, whichwill diftill out of the wounded Veins, and is chiefly proper for the moiffer fort of Trees: And in this work the very 4xwill well tell youthe difference of the Sex; the Male being fo much harder, and browner than the Female : But here ( and wherever we fpeak thus of Plants) youare to un- derftand the analogical, not proper diftintion, 30. But thatnone may wonder whyin many Authours of good note, we find the Fruit-bearers of fome Trees call’d Afales, and not rather Females, as particularly the Cyprefe, &c. This prepoftrous denomination had readit fourfe from very antient Cufiom, and was firft begun in 4gypt ( Diodorus fayes inGreece) where we are told, that the Father onely was efteem’d the fole .duthour of Gewes ration 5 the Afother contributing only Receptacle and Nutrition to the Off-/pring, which legitimated their w#xtures as well with their Slaves as Free-women : And upon this account it was, that ever Trees bearing Fruit, were among{t them reputed Afales, and the frerile and barren ones, for Females; and weare not ignorant, how learnedly this dofrize has been lately reviv'd by fome of our moft celebrated Phyficians : But (ince the fame Arguments donot altogether quadrate in Trees, where the Costion is not {0 fenfible ( whatever they pretend of the Palws,@c. and other amorous intertwin- ing of Roots) in my opinion we might with more reafon call that the Female whichbears any eminent Fru#t or Seed , and them Males who produce none : But fometimes too the rudene/fe,or lefle afperity of the leaves, bark, and grain, naytheir Medical operations, may deferve the di/tin®ion , to which Ariftotle adds Branchineffe , lefle moifiure, quick: maturity,xe, 1,1.de Pl, c. 3. All which feems to be moft confpicuous in Plum-trees, Hollys, Afhes, Quince, Pears, and manyother forts 5 not to infift on fuch as may be compell'd even to change, asit were, their Sex by Graffing and artificial lm- provements: But Ionely hint it, and return to 31. Feling,which fhouldbe as clofé to the groundas poflible may be,if you defign a revafcency from the Hoots 5 unlefle you will grub for a total deftru@tion, or the ufe of that part we have already mention’d, fo far fuperiour in goodnefle to what is more remote from the Hoot, and befides the longer you cut andconvert the Tizber, the better for many #/es. Some are of opinion, that the /eedling Oak fhould never be cut to improvehis baal; becaufe,fay they5 it produces a reddifh wood not fo acceptable to the Workman; and that the Tree which grows onthe head of his Afother does feldom prove good Timber : Itis obferv’d, indeed, that one foot of Timber near the Root ( though divers {know who otherwife opine ) and (whichis the proper Aerfe, or cutting place _) 1s worththree far her off : And haply,the /xccefor is more apt to be tender, then what was cut off to give it place; but let this be enquird into at Jeifire. ; 32. Whenyour Tree isthus proftrate, ftrip off the barks “re 7 ct |