OF FOREST-TREES.

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manner as you were directed for your young Oaks; only they shall chap.not need above one cutting, where they grow lefs regular and hope-ful. But because this is an experiment of some curiosity, obnoxiousto many casualties, and that the producing them from the mother-roots of greater trees is very facile and expeditious, besides thenumbers which are to be found in the hedge-rows and woods, of

should be well wrought, aud cleared from all other roots, otherwise the plants, beingtaken from a better soil, will not make much progrefs in these places. Michaelmasis a good time for this work; but when planted, they should be staked to prevent theirbeing displaced by the winds, and part of their heads should be taken oft' before theyare planted, which will be of use in preventing their being easily overturned by winds ;but by no means should their leading shoot be stopped, nor the branches too closely cutoff; for if there are not some shoots left on to draw and attract the sap, they willbe in danger of miscarrying.

These trees are also proper to plant at a distance from a garden or building, to breakthe violence of the winds, for which purpose there is not any tree more useful; for theymay be trained up in form of a hedge, keeping them cut every year, which will causethem to grow very close and handsome to the height of forty or fifty feet, and be a greatprotection against the fury of winds; but they should not be planted too near a garden,where fruit-trees or other plants are placed, because the roots of the Elms run superficiallyupon the ground to a great distance, and will intermix with the roots of other trees, anddeprive them of nourishment; nor should they be planted near gravel or grafs walks,which are designed to be well kept, because the roots will run into them, and send forthsuckers in great plenty, which will deface the walks, and render them unsightly. It musthowever be considered, that by grafting the English Elm upon the Wych stock, theinconveniences from the spreading of the roots will be removed.

The Elm may be removed when grown to a considerable size; so that a person whois willing to have his plantations for shade in a short time, may procure trees of near onefoot circumference in their trunk, which will be in little danger of miscarrying, providedthey are removed with care: And these will take root, and grow'very well, though notso well as young plants, which is what few other sorts of trees will do; but then theyshould be such trees as have been regularly trained in a nursery, and have good roots,and not such as are taken out of hedge-rows, (as is by some practised,), which seldom risewith any tolerable roots, and consequently often miscarry; and this has been the occasionof so many plantations of these trees failing ; for although some of them may live a fewyears, yet few of them are of a long duration, and they rarely increase much in theirstems ; but frequently grow hollow, their heart decaying first, so that they are supportedonly by their bark or shell, for a few years, and the first severe winter, or very drysummer, generally destroys them.

Although I have said that Elms, which are trained up in a nursery, may be removedwith safety, at a larger size than most other tress, yet I would not have it understood,that by this I would recommend the planting of them when large; for if people would

Volume I, Z