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it cannot be so conveniently done at once, and the pains would certainly chap. vir,be as fully recompensed in the growth of their timber as in that of theirgrafs: Where poor hungry woods grow, rich corn, and good cattle wouldbe more plentifully bred; and it were beneficial to convert some wood-land (where the proper virtue is exhausted) to pasture and tillage, pro-vided that fresh land were improved also to wood in recompenfe, and tobalance the other.
Where we find such uliginous and starved places, (which sometimesobey,no art or industry to drain, and of which our pale and fading cornjs a sure indication) we are as it were courted to obey nature* and im-prove them by the propagation of Sallows, Willows, Alders, Abele,Black-Cherry , Sycamore, Aspen, Birch, and the like hasty and profitablegrowers, by ranging them, casting of ditches, trenches, &c. as before hasbeen taught.
In the mean while, it is a thing to be deplored that some persons bestowso much in grubbing and drefsing a few acres, which have been excellentwood, to convert them into wretched pasture, not worth a quarter ofwhat the trees would have yielded, well ordered, and left standing; sinceit is certain, that barren land planted with wood will treble the expencein a short time. Of this, the Right Honourable the Lord Viscount Scu-damore may give fair proof, who having felled (as I am credibly in-formed) a decayed wood, intended to set it to tenants; but upon secondthoughts (and for that his Lordship saw it apt to cast wood) inclosed andpreserved it. Before thirty years were expired it yielded him near 10001.upon wood-falls, whereas the utmost rent of the whole piece of landyearly was not above 8l. 10s. The like I am able to confirm by in-stancing a Noble Person, who, a little before our unhappy wars, havingsown three or four acres with acorns, the fourth year transplanted thosewhich grew too thick, all about his Lordship. These trees are now * of * 1664that stature, and so likely to prove excellent timber, that they are alreadyjudged to be almost as much worth as the whole demesne; and yet theytake off nothing from other profits, having been discreetly disposed of atthe first designmcnt. And supposing the longevity of trees should not ex-tend to the periods we have, upon so good account, produced; yet, neitheris their arrival to a very competent perfection so very discouraging; since1 am credibly informed, that feveral persons have built of timber, andthat of Oak, which were acorns within these forty years; and I find it ere-