A DISCOURSE

In trod. but utterly to extirpate , demolijh , and raze , as it were, all thosemany goodly Woods and Forests , which our more prudent Ancestorsleft standing, for the Ornament and Service of their Country. Andthis Devastation is now become so epidemical , that unless some fa-vourable Expedient offer it self, and a Way be seriously and speedilyresolv’d upon, for a future Store, one of the most glorious and consi-derable Bulwarks of this Nation, will, within a short Time, be total-ly wanting to it.

z. To attend now a spontaneous Supply of these decay M Materials(which is the vulgar and natural Way) would cost (besides the Inclo-* Patricias sure ) some entire Ages repose of the * Flow, though Bread indeedz.vtt. De Re- re q U } re 0 ur first Care : Therefore, the most expeditious and obviousH ' Method would doubtless be one of these two Ways, Sowing orFlanting. But, first, it will be requisite to agree upon the Species ;as what Trees are likely to be of greatest Vse, and the fittest to becultivated ; and then, to consider of the Manner how it may be besteffected. Truly, the Waste and Destruction of our Woods has beenso universal, that I conceive nothing less than an universal Flantationos all the sorts of Trees will supply, and well encounter the Defect ;and therefore I shall here adventure to speak something in general ofthem all; though I chiefly insist upon the Propagation of such only asseem to be the most wanting and serviceable to the End proposed.

3. And first, by Trees here, I consider principally for the Genus ge-generalijsmum , such lignous and woody Flants , as are hard of Sub-stance, procere of Stature \ that use thick and solid, and stilly adhere tothe Ground on which they stand : These we shall divide into the great-er and more ceduous, sruticant and Jhrubby ; seras and wild ; ormore civiliz’d and domestick ; and 'such as are sative and horten -sial subalternate to the other; but of which I give only a Touch, di-stributing the rest into these two Classes, the dry , and the aquatic •both of them applicable to the same civil Uses of Building, Dtenstls,Ornament , and Fuel ; for to dip into their medicinal Virtues is noneof my Frovince , though I sometimes glance at them with due Sub-mission, and in few Instances.

4. Among the Dry, I esteem the more principal and solid, to be theOak, Elm, Beech, Ash, Chess-nut, Wall-nut, &c. The less prin-cipal, th ^'Service, Maple, Lime-tree, Horn-beam, spuick-beam, BirchHasel , &c. together with all their sub-alternate and several Kinds.

a Which os how many Sorts they are,

We can't stand here at present to declare.

5- Of the Aquatic al, I reckon the Fop lars, AJp, Alder, WillowSallow, Osier , SCc. Then I shall add a Word or two/ for the Encou-ragement of the planting of Fruit-trees , together with some less vul-gar, but no less useful Trees, which, as yet, are not endenizon'd a-rnongst us, or (at least) not much taken Notice of: And in Pursuance• °bserve this Order : First, to shew how they are to be

raised, and then cultivated. By raistng, I understand the Seed andthe 001T, by Culture, the Flanting, Fencing, Watering, Drejsmv,Pruning and Cutting ; of aU wh[i( f h briefly , A ^

a Sed neque cjuam multæEst numerus, -->

species, nec noniina qus sint,

Vug, Gear. ii.

6. And

4