to provide and how you may be furnished to serve your occasions The ground being in good season and the time of the year answering thereunto you may proceed thus The chief Instruments which are useful for this work of planting is the Plow and Spade the Plow will dispatch the greater quantity of ground in a day but the other will make the best work we shall compute the charges of both in his due place There is no certain rule to be observed in plowing ground in all places alike for according to the nature and climats of Countries where much heat or cold moisture or drought as is the Earth or Air so must the arborist alter his season strong or stiff grounds will require great strength of Cattel also the season must be early in the year in other Countries where the earth is warmer richer and lighter the Plow need not be of that strength which the former ground did require neither will the labour of man or beast be so much And in such Countreys the season may be latter yet nevertheless for all these Observations he that hath much work to do must begin betimes especially if he hath not a sufficient strength of Men and Cattel Now the Plowman ought to be very careful in the plowing of his ground how he shall lay his furrows either high round and close together or low and flat also what depth he shall plow them to raise and gain the greatest store of mould for that is very considerable in planting Trees I shall not give particular directâ—ons or instructions in the Rules of Husbandry as concerning the manner of Plowing Sowing and Harrowing all kind of Earths and Seed and the several wayes of laying the Furrowes as deep or shallow near together or more open and the Reasons of each several way as also the means of improving barren grounds by divers Manures or helpes by fresh Earths as sand on clay and clay on sand with many other mixtures of Earths also Mareling Limeing Stable-Dung Mud out of Ponds and Ditches old Rags and many more sorts as also by grubbing hacking burning of Bate or Devonshireing and the like improving of Meadows and Pasture by draining and watering propagating Plants for Orchards and gardens with the several wayes of grâ—fting and setting slips and succors c. Also sowing setting or planting seeds of all sorts and increasing their production by several wayes of steeping or soking in Brine or other Liquors also Reaping Mowing Hedging Delving Housing and Stacking Corn and Hay The seasons for gathering and preserving or keeping all sorts of grains fruits and seeds with many more particulars for it is not my intent to speak any father of Husbandry then will serve for this our present occasion of Planting The best time to begin Plowing for the planting Timber-trees will be about the latter end of February or the begining of March if the Land require twice Plowing which all Hey or Pasture-grounds do for the swarth must be first broke and torn to pieces with the Harrowes or else cut with Instruments for that purpose called Hacks made of Iron therefore there must be a second plowing which will by raising up new earth increase and make good store of mould again and by this twice plowing the Weeds and grass will be withered and destroyed which are great enemies to young plants as we have formerly declared Now for the manner of Plowing supposing the Land to be very good earth for the purpose intended and free from all Waters lying on the ground other incumbrances with a strong Plow the share being of a good sufficient length and the Culter somewhat bending Throw down your Furrows but if the ground be subject to waters either by springs or floods in much Rain then you shall lay the furrowes more high near and close together and that every one of these Lands lie highest in the midst observing to turn the swarth inwards or downwards unto the Earth that the Roots of the grass and weeds may be scorched and dryed by the Sun and Wind and so withered and destroyed But if you will be at the charges which is the best Husbandry then with the Hackers formerly mentioned you shall hew and cut to pieces all the earth that was plowed up also all Balkes that the Plow had escaped for by this work the weeds and grass will sooner wither and decay and make the mould finer after the hacking you shall take a pair or two of strong Iron Harrowes and with them going over the ground break the Clods smaller In the Month of August you shall begin to Plow over that ground again which formerly you had plowed still observing what quantity of Land you have to plow and your own strength of men and cattel and accordingly you may begin sooner or later At this second plowing let the Furrowes be made deeper and greater then at the first Now if the ground were a stiff Clay or such like then it would require to be hacked again which will thoroughly break the Clods and increase the mould and by making the furrows great and deep raise up more Earth which had been untouched before This work being finâ—shed you may then sow and plant your seed but before you begin it must be considered what part of the Land is most moist and dry also in what part is the best and deepest mould and where it is most shallow and meanest for you must order and dispose of your seed according to their several qualities the Elme will require the best and deepest Mould but beareth no Seedâ— therefore must be planted by Plants or Setts The Oake will require a moist deep Earth but will not thrive if the water lie long on the ground The Ashe will require a more dry kind of Earth and will grow in a shallower Mould The Beech will grow and thrive in a dryer shallow and meaner earth then the Ash And so having considered of these particulars and finding your ground to have these several sorts of Earths you must plant sow or set your seed and plants in that part of the ground where they will best like or thrive But if thâ—re be no difference in the mold or earth then you may mix your Seed and Sowe it together but if you set the seed then there may be a Row of Oake and a row of Ashe and another of Beech or mix all of them in one Row as best pleaseth you and thus may all other seed or sets be sowed or Planted The fittest time or season of the year for sowing or planting this seed for Trees is when it is full ripe and falleth from the Trees which is about the latter end of October But it may be sowed or set in other Moneths if well preserved In sowing of your seed be careful you do not sow too thick for the thinner they are sowed the better they will thrive one foot distance is the nearest they should be sowed or set if the plants
belongs to his Sacred Majesty I might here enter upon the praise of the great use of Shipping and the farr greater advantage that comes to a Nation thereby of what importance it is to any People both for encrease of their Riches and Wealth Maintainance of their Peace and to make them formidable to those that are round about them But I shall forbear only thus much it cannot but be infinitely more to us of this Island then to any other Nation in Europe Nature haveing given us the Sea for our bounds which we can neither Pass nor Defend but by the Convenience of Shipping Adding to this the great love his Majesty hath to Navigation and his promoting all kind of Industry that may conduce to the securing of this Nation from all assaults that way there is none of his Loyall Subjects but think themselves bound as much as their Talent and Capacity will amount to some one way some another to advance so Noble a Design For my own part till an opportunitie offers of serving his Majesty upon that Element abroad I shall indeavour what lies in my power for preparing something in order to it upon the Land at home and shall hence take the occasion to Discourse of that great foundation of all Shipping Tymber chiefly the Oak None therefore can be ignorant of the great Wasts committed in this Nation of all sorts of Timber and especially of this which in the space of 100 years but much more within these 30 years so that his Majesty's Forrests that have most abounded with the best Materials in the World for Shipping are very much impoverished and Decayed Partly therefore upon the Reasons before mentioned as a good Subject and partly out of my duty having had Imployment as a sworn Officer in one of his Majesties Forrests and at present dwelling on the Borders thereof and thereby better able to see and judge the Wasts that have been Committed In Order to the preserving and increasing of this so necessary a Materiall I Humbly Propose First That there be speciall care taken for the Preservation of all such Timber as shall yet be found standing and Growing 2. That there be provision made for the Planting of young Timber Trees in such wast places of the Kingdom as are capable to produce them 3. That no Person whether of the Nobility or private Gentlemen be permitted to Cut down Grub or stock up any Timber Trees or Woods of Timber under full growth or at the growth of 9 foot in the girt or Compass which is 3 foot Diameter For in the Parish where I dwell there hath been 5 several falls of Timber Trees the most of them Oaks sould by private Gentlemen within this 7 years whereof the greatest grown Oak was not above 12 Inches at the Lower or Butt End if hewed by square but the most part of them not above 8. 4. That all Owners of Woods be injoyned at the time and season of their Cutting or felling the Under Woods to leave standing and growing 20 of the best thriving young Trees in each or every acre of Wood so cut or felled if there be not so many already standing and Growing at the time of Cutting and those to be preserved until they be of growth as aforesaid for all Woods have Univesally Received a Mortal Blow within the space of 30 years notwithstanding there is a statute for the Preservation and Maintainance of the same Made the 35 Henry 8 and the 1. Elizabeth That at every fall of Timber there should be 12 storers or standils left and growing upon an acre or every acre of Land so felled Now if the King and Kingdom were so sensible of the want of Timber in those daies being 116 years since much more may we now therefore it is a thing to be regarded and of great Concernment for the abuses of Woods are Infinite and intollerable notwithstanding the words of the Statute Indeed I have seen in many places at the falls where they have lest the number of Standils and more But instead of them have cut down those that were Reserved before and at the next fall even they escaped not only a new race of young standils were left againe in their steads to answer the bare word of the Statute and not the true meaning of it which by this shift is very much abused therefore if Provision be not made to prevent that and to put the true intention of the Statute in more force there can be no encrease of Timber trees expected 5. Sith Timber and timber Trees by due observation are found to decay very fast it behoveth every good husband not only to Maintain and preserve such trees as remain and so by the Statute to be set out but voluntarily to Plant more and because there is such a universal inclination to hurle down it were expedient that since Wit and Providence will not Authority should Constrain some men as well Lords as Tenants to Plant set or sowe with Acorns Ashen-keyes Beechmast c. For every hundred Acres of Land one acre Or to Plant the said Acre with sets or Plants and to preserve and keep the same until they come to full growth as aforesaid Now although in former Ages when England was overgrowne with Woods The Felling Grubbing of Stocing up of Trees did prove a great benefit to the Nation by making room for Men Corn and Cattle Yet moderation is now more necessary for the too much overthrowing of Timber-trees and stocking up Woods hath brought a great scarcity of that Necessary Commodity and if for the over-greedy use and advantage though but small at the present there be no regard of future occasions there will follow Extream want for there are many necessaries which without Fireing are of little use and Corn will require Mils to grinde if all were Meddow and Pasture the Life of Cattle then Arable Land the Life of Men were dead when for one commodities sake another is abandon'd by some private men less expedient for the Publick Weale it must of Necessity be destructive and much it is to be lamented that the Devastation of Woods threatens a grievous weakening to this Kingdome such a pestilent heat issueth out of the many forges and furnaces for the making of Iron as hath Devoured many Famous Woods and by credible report there hath been lately in Sussex above 130. Hammers and Furnaces for Iron the hammers and furnaces spending each of them in every 24. hours three or 4 loade of Charcole more or less which in a yeare amounteth unto an infinite quantitie but because for lack of Water in the summer to blow their Bellowes all of them cannot worke the whole year we cannot give an account so Exactly yet a probable Estimate we may make how many load of Coale all the said Hammers and Furnaces may expend in one yeare and to that end We shall suppose that one time with another they may all worke two third parts of the year which is
Nâ—ture The scituation of our Country is such that for the convenience of all kind of Marts the World hath not the like and being seated between the North and South so that it is fixed as it weâ—e by Art and Nature the fittest Staple for both Northern and Southern Commodities Secondly our Ports and Harbours are fairer and safer having good Anchoring and more in number throughout the three Kingdoms than any Country in Christendom can boast of And then thirdly which exceedeth we have valuable Commodities as to the quantity and quality of them such as are the inriching of all those that trade with them So that if we are not our own Enemies and will be but a little industrious one quarter of that will serve and be enough in England which is but necessary and scarce sufficient in Holland adding thereto providence for the imploying our own Shipping and not any Forreigners we shall within few years have the greatest power at Sea and make our selves Master of all Trades and the Hollanders a Servant to that Wealth and Power of which at present he is the sole Mâ—ster But for the quicker advancement of so great and noble a Work there is necessary to be a Protection and Favour of his Majesty to all manner of Trades so that they be not carried on by Strangers and acted by them as at present it is in and about the City of London there being thousands of them up and down the Suburbs French and Dutch and others who live as it were upon the ruines of the poor free-born Citizens vending any unmerchandable Ware and at lower Rates than any other honest Tradesman can And this I humbly conceive is the reason why Trading hath been so bad and dead in this great City for these late years But the prudence of his Majesty is such and under his prosperous Reign all things so readily begin to run in their old Channel that we doubt not but in a little time Trading and Merchandize will do so too and not be any longer the burden of the Land for the lack of it but of the Sea in bringing it hither After men comes money and without this sure Foundation we shall never be able to make any Superstructure to stand There must be a Stock of Shipping Money and Commodities for Commodies in Traffick will bring in more Mony and Mony commands all Commodities and to attempt this without both or at leâ—st one of these two is like a Soldier going to Battel without his Offensive and Defensive Weapons with the one we offend all our Enemies the Engrossers of our Trade and with the other we defend our selves against their most powerful assaults In antient times Merchants and Tradesmen were very carefull to provide and lay up a Stock of Money for the building of Ships and buying of Commodities to Trade with But in these latter years as within 40 or 50 years they have disbursed much mony in purchasing Land and building stately Houses minding pleasure more than profit and have neglected Trade to the undoing of many of them and that great cause of the decaying of Trade Therefore to preserve and uphold Trade I humbly offer unto his Majesties consideration and His Honorable Council that all Merchants and Tradesmen within the Three Kingdoms may be restrained from purchasing Land above the yearly value in rent of pounds This being effected and the Fishing-Trade carried on will within few years make the greatest Bank of Mony and the greatest Trade in the Three Kingdoms to be equal if not greater than any Trade or Bank of Mony in the World For hereby great and vast Sums of Mony which are now consumed in continual Purchases will be expended only in and about Trade and Traffick in general and the best security for this Mony will be a settled Bank which all will of necessity use Having not read any of those Books which are in Print concerning the Fishing-â—rade but referring to several Books that I heard of and not knowing the number of Busses allotted or appointed to be bought or built neither how they shall be dissposed of as to their Ports or Harbours therefore I make bold to offer my judgement That a certain number of Busses be bought or built as also Dogger-boats the number of Busses to consist of 1000 or 1500 or thereabouts for that some years 15000 may as soon catch their Lading as 500 and therefore more considerable as to the charges of the three Kingdoms for a small number of Busses will not do the work The Dogger-boats which Fish only for Ling and Cod would consist of 400 or thereabouts These Busses and Dogger-boats being fitted for Sea to proceed in their Fishing that then they be sent or appointed to several Ports or Harbours of the Three Kingdoms that lie most convenient for the Fishing And that the Counties or Shires that these Ports do belong to be enjoyned to keep the same number of Busses and Boats perpetually well rigged and furnished to Sea for the Fishing as was delivered to them And if by reason that those Counties which have the most and best Harbours and that lie most convenient for the Fishing-Trade will bear the greatest burden by reason the greatest number of Busses will be sent to these Ports Then thirdly I humbly offer that the Undertakers of the said Counties have allowance out of the main Stock or Bank of Mony proportionable to their Charges And I do further humbly offer unto consideration that there be a Corporation made of all the Adventurers for the Fishing-Trade and that Merchants and Tradesmen be admitted into this Corporation And that this Corporation be armed with large Priviledges and ample Immunities for the Transportation of the said Fish I might also have told you of the Pilchard-Fishing and for Ling and Cod on the West and North-West of England and that great Pilchard-Fishing and Fishing for Cod on the West Coast of Ireland frequented by those of Biscay Galicia and Portugal but they are so well known that I forbear to mention them The Islands that belong to Scotland and lye on the North North-West and West of Scotland which are useful for the Fishing-Trade are in number 94. And whereas it is credibly reported that above 220 Fisher-Towns are decayed and reduced to extreme poverty for want of Favour Succour and Protection On the contrary by diligent endeavouring to make use of so great a blessing as is offered unto us by the Seas we might in a short time repair those decayed Towns and add both Honour Strength and Riches to our King and Country The Premises being taken into serious consideration it maketh much to the ignominy and shame of our Nation that God and Nature offering us so great a Treasure even at our own doors we do notwithstanding neglect the benefit thereof By the foregoing discourse of Planting and Fishing my great design will easily appear to all to have been chiefly the advancing of Trade for the improvement of which