OF FOREST-TREES. a

Thus honest 'Taster, above an hundred Years since, and the wholeC hA ge has justified it ; since ’tis evident, that by Inclosure, and this di-^ligent Culture, the very worst Land of England would yield ten-foldmore Profit, than that which is here celebratad for the best and richestSpot of it.

19. Such as arc ready to tell ye their Lands are so wet, that theirWoods do not thrive in them, let them be converted to ‘Pasture ; orbestow the fame Industry on them which good Husbands do in Mea-dows by draining ; which instead of those narrow Rills (and Guttersrather) might be reduced to a proportionable Canal, cut even and strait;the Earth taken out, spread upon the weeping and uliginous Places :Nor would the Charge be so much, as that of the yearly and perpetualrenewing and cleansing of those numerous and irregular Sluices ; be-side the Profit of storing the Canal with Fist).

It is a Slothfulness to do otherwise, since it might be effected in fewYears, by continually, and by Degrees making the middle Cut large,where it cannot be so conveniently done at once, and the Pains wouldcertainly be as fully recompenced in the Growth of their Timber , as inthat of their Grafs : Where poor hungry Woods grow, rich Corn , andgood Cattle would be more plentifully bred ; and it were beneficial toconvert some Wood-land (where the proper Virtue is exhausted) to Pa-sture and Tillage ; provided that fresh Land were improved also toWood in recompence, and to balance the other.

10. Where we find such uliginous and starved Places (which some-times obey no Art or Industry to drain, and of which our pale andfading Corn is a sure Indication) we are as it were courted to obey Na-ture, and improve them from the Propagation of Sallows, Willows ,Alders, Abele, Black-Cherry , Sycamore, Aspene, Birch, and thelike hasty and profitable Growers, by ranging them, casting of ‘Ditches ,Trenches, Vc. as before has been taught.

xi. In the mean while, 'tis a Thing to be deplored, that some Per-sons bestow more in grubbing, and dressing a few Acres , which havebeen excellent Wmd, to convert them into wretched ‘Pasture, not wortha Quarter of what the Trees would have yielded, well ordered, andleft standing ; since it is certain, that barren Land planted with iVood,will trebble the Expence in a short Time. Of this, the Right Honou-rable the Lord Viscount Scudamore may give fair Proof, who havingfell’d (as I am credibly informed) a decayed Wood, intended to be setto Tenants ; but upon second Thoughts (and for that his Lordshipsaw it apt to cast Wood) inclosed and preserved ; it yielded him, be-fore thirty Years were expired, near 1000 I. upon Wood-falls ; where-as the utmost Rent of the whole Price of Laud yearly, was not above8 I. ro s. The like I am able to confirm by instancing a noble Per-son, who (a little before our unhappy Wars ) having sown three or fourAcres with Acorns, the fourth Year transplanted them, which grewtoo thick all about his Lordjhip : These Trees are now of that Stature ,and so likely to prove excellent Timber, that they are already judgedto be almost as much worth as the whole Demesnes ; and yet theytake off nothing from other Profits, having been discreetly disposed ofat the first Dcstgnmcnt. And supposing the Longevity of Treesshould not extend to the Periods we have (upon so good Account) pro-duced ; yet, neither is their arrival to a very competent Perfection, soVery discouraging ; since I am credibly informed, that several Persons

have