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of this ifland will, a century hence, be out of the reach of water carriage?) fhip timber will, in all human probability, always find a market; and, in fituations remote from fuch cheap conveyance, foreign timber will always bear a price proportionably high; confequently, the timber raised, in such a country, will, in all probability, find a market in the neighbourhood of its growth,

BEFORE We begin to speak of the feveral fpecies of Plantations or Woodlands, and the methods of raifing them, it will be proper to ENUMERATE, here, the different SPECIES OF TREES, which we conceive to be moft eligible to be planted, for the purposes of timber and underwood, in this country.

it

UNDER the article CHOICE OF TIMBER TREES, appears that

THE OAK,

THE ASH,

THE ELM, and

THE BEECH,

are the four principal domeftic timbers, now in use, in this kingdom: To which must be added

THE PINE TRIBE, particularly

THE LARCH; and

THE AQUATICS;

as

as fubstitutes for foreign timber, at present imported, in vast quantities, into this island: And to thofe muft be added, as coppice woods;

THE ASH,

THE CHESNUT,

THE HAZEL,

THE SALLOW,

THE WILD SORB, and

THE OZIER

THERE are four diftinct SPECIES of WOODLANDS:

WOODS,

TIMBER GROVES,
COPPICES,

WOODY WASTES.

By a Wood is meant a mixture of timber trees and underwood; by Timber Grove, a collection of timber trees only, placed in close order; by Coppice, stubwood alone, without an intermixture of timber trees; and by Woody Wafte, grafs land over-run with rough woodiness; or a mixture of Woodland and graffy patches; which being thought an object of pafturage, the wood is kept under, by being browsed upon by stock, while the grass, in

* The mode of PROPAGATION, and the soil fuitable to the feveral fpecies, appear under their respective names, in the ALPHABET OF PLANTS.

its turn, is ftinted by the trees, and rendered of an inferior quality, by the want of a free admission of fun and air.

In practice, thefe Woody Waftes ought first to be taken under confideration; for while a Gentleman has an acre of fuch land upon his estate, he ought not (generally speaking) to think of fetting about raising original plantations: for, if graffinefs prevail, and the foil be unkind for Wood, let this be cleared away, and the whole be converted to pafture or arable. But if, on the contrary, woodiness prevails, fence out the ftock, and fill up the vacancies, in the manner bereafter defcribed; for, in a fyftematic Treatife upon Planting, we think it moft confiftent with method, to treat of Woodlands in the order already set down.

SECTION THE FIRST,

WOOD S.

OPEN WOODS are adapted, more particularly, to the purpose of raifing TIMBER for SHIPBUILDING, and, perhaps, for fome few other purposes, where

crookedness

crookedness is required. Where a straightness and length of stem, and cleannefs of grain, are wanted, CLOSE WOODS or GROVES are more eligible; and, where Stubwood is the principal object, COPPICES, unencumbered with timber trees, are moft adviseable.

It follows, that no timber tree whatever, but the Oak, can be raised, with propriety, in open Woods, and this, only, when a fupply of ship timber is intended; confequently, open Woods are peculiarly adapted to places lying conveniently for water carriage, or which may, in all probability, lie convenient for water carriage, a century or two hence.

VARIOUS opinions prevail, with respect to the moft eligible METHOD OF RAISING A WOOD: fome are warm advocates for Jowing, others for planting; fome again are partial to rows, while others prefer the irregular culture.

THE difpute about fowing and planting may, in fome measure, be reconciled in the following manner: Where the ftrength of the land lies in the fubftratum, while the furface foil is of an ungenial nature, fow, in order that the roots may strike deep, and thereby reap the full advantage of the treasures below: but, on the contrary, when the

top

top foil is good, and the bottom of an opposite quality, plant, and thereby give the roots the full enjoyment of the productive part of the foil; or, under these last circumftances, fow, and tap the young plants as they stand (with a tapping instrument), and thereby check their downward tendency, as well as ftrengthen their horizontal roots.

By this method of treating feedling plants, the peculiar advantage of planting is obtained. The difpute, therefore, feems to reft entirely upon this question: Which of the two methods is leaft expenfive? To come at this, there are two things to be confidered-the actual expence of labour and other contingent matters, and the loss of time in the land occupied. With refpect to the former, fowing is beyond comparison the cheapest method; but, in regard to the latter, planting may seem to gain a preference; for the feed bed is small, compared with the ground to be planted, and while that is rearing the feedling plants, this continues to be applied to the purposes of husbandry. However, if we confider the check which plants in general receive in tranfplantation*, and if (as we shall

hereafter

• We have known an inftance of transplanted Oaks remaining upon the ground fo long as eight years before they began to move. And let us hear what MILLER fays upon this fubject; we have no reason to doubt his speaking from his own expe

rience,

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