H3

A DISCOURSE

book i. thriven as' well as the smaller wands. You may accelerate their springingby laying the keys in sand, and some moist fine earth, stratum superstratum; but lay them not too thick; keep them in a covered, thoughairy place for a winter, before you sow them; and the second year theywill come away mainly, so you weed, trim, and cleanse them. Cut nothis head at all, (which being young is pithy,) nor by any means thefibrous part of the roots, only that downright or tap-root (which givesour husbandmen so much trouble in drawing) is to be totally abated:but this work ought to be in the increase of October or November, andnot in the spring. We are, as I told you, willing to spare his headrather than the side branches, (which, whilst young may be cut close.)because, being yet young, it is of a spungy substance, but being oncewell fixed, you may cut him as close to the earth as you please ; it willcause him to shoot prodigiously, so as in a few years to be fit for pike-staves; whereas if you take him wild out of the forest, you mustof necefsity strike off the head, which much impairs him. Hedge-rowAshes may the oftener be decapitated, and will show their heads againsooner than other trees so used. Young Ashes are sometimes in winterfrost-burnt, black as coals, and then to use the knife is seasonable, thoughthey do commmonly recover of themselves slowly. In South Spain,(where, as we said, are the best) after the first drefsing, they let themgrow till they are so big, as being cleft into four parts, each part is suf-ficient to make a pike-staff: I am told there is a Flemish Ash, plantedby the Dutchmen in Lincolnshire, which in six years grows to be worthtwenty shillings the tree ■, but I am not afsured whether it be the Ashor Abele ; either of them were, upon this account, a worthy encourage-ment, if at least the latter can be thought to bear that price, whichI much question: From these low cuttings come our Ground-Ashes,so much sought after for arbours, efpaliers, and other pole-works : theywill spring in abundance, and may be reduced to one for a standard-tree,,or for timber, if you design it; for thus, Hydra-like, a ground-cut Ash

Per damna, per caedes, ab ipso

Ducit opes animumque ferro. ittOR.

By havock, wounds, and blows,

More lively and luxuriant grows.

Ash may be propagated from a bough slipt off with some of the old wooda little before the bud swells, but with difficulty by layers. Such as they