Treatise on Forests, and their Original and Beginning, published in 1598 ; and of
Rathbornc’s Surveyor, iu 1616. I t is singular that so many books on this subject should
have been published so near together at so early a period. Tho reason seems to be, as .
Professor Martyn has observed, that a matciial attack was made on the forests in the
27th yeai* of tlic reign of H enry V I I I , when that monai'ch seized on the church lands ;
and from this time the consumption of oak timber was continually increasing, not only
in consequence of the extension of commerce, and of great additions to the royal navy,
but because it was made more use of in building houses. This alarmed hoth government
and individuals. Holingshed, who lived in the reign of Elizabeth, says, “ that m
times past men were contented to live in houses built of sallow, willow, &c .; so that
the use of oak was, in a manner, dedicated wholly unto churches, religious houses,
princes’ palaces, navigation, & c .; but now nothing but oak is any wlierc regarded.”
684. In the reign o f James I., it appears that there was great store of timber, more
than proportioned to the demand. For, on a survey of the royal forests, &c. in 1608,
wc find that a great part of what was then intended to be sold, remained a considerable
time undisposed of. . „ , .
685. During ihe civil war, in the time of Charles I., and all the time of the inten-eg-
num the royal forests, as well as the woods of the nobility and gentry, suffered so much
from neglect, that many extensive forests had, in a few years, hardly any memorial left
of thcir existence hut their names. Tliis loss would not have operated so severely, had
the principal nobility and geutiy been as solicitous to plant with judgment, as to cut
down thcir woods. . . „ , ,. ,
686. The publication o f Evelyn’s Sylva, in 1664, raised a great spirit of planting, and
created a new era in this as in other branches of gardening. _ In his dedication to
the edition of 1678, he observes, that he need not acquaint the king how many millions
of timber trees have been planted in his dominions, at the instigation, and by the sole
direction, of that work. The government at that time, alarmed by the devastation which
liad been committed during the civil war, gave great attention to the increase and preservation
of timber in the royal forests.
687 Tree-nurserics were firs t established during the seventeenth century. Young trees,
the eaily authors inform us, were procured from the natural forests and copses, where
they were self-sown; but about the beginning of the seventeenth century, public nursery-
gardcns were formed, originally for fruit trees ; but towards the end, nurserymen, as wo
learn from Switzer and Cook, began to raise forest trees and hedgc-plants from seeds.
Tlie first nursery wc hear of was that of Corbett, at Twickenham, mentioned by Ben
Jo n so n ; and the next of consequence that of London and Wise, at Brompton Park,
already mentioned, and still continued as a nursery. Corbett, under the name of
Pointer, is mentioned by Sir Hugh Platt, and also by Gerard. He was the father
of Richard Corbett the poet, and Bishop of Norwich, who also inhabited a house at
Twickenham. , .
688. During the eighteenth century, especially in the la tter part, planting proceeded
rapidly. The Society of Arts, &c., established in 1753, has greatly contributed, by its
lionorary and pecuniary rewards, to restore the spirit for planting. The republication
of Evelyn’s Sylva, in a splendid manner, by Dr. Hunter, and subsequently oi different
works hy Kennedy, Young, Watson Bishop of Llandaff; Marshall, Pontey, and others,
has doubtless contributed to tliat desirable end ; and the result is, that many thousand
acres of waste lauds have been planted with timber trees, independently of deniesne-
plantations, and such as have been made for shelter or effect. ^
689. The nineteenth century has commenced with a much more scientific mode or
planting and managing trees tlian formerly existed. Excellent modes of pruning have
been pointed out and practised by Pontey, Monteath, Billiiigton, Blaikie, and _ others,
which will render future plantations mucli more valuable than where tlus operation and
thinning have been so generally neglected as hitherto. A t the same time, it deserves
to be remarked, that the practice of close pruning large trees, introduced by soine ot
these writers, thougfr it has added to the bulk and exterior beauty of the timber ot tho
trunk, has been found, on cutting down the tree, to have materially injured the timber.
The wound formed by the amputation of large branches heals ovcr, but the wood below,
probably from its not being intimately united with that which gi’ows over it, is often
found to decay. ^ t . - m i n
690. A t what time hedges were introduced into England is uncertain, ih e y woula
probably be first exhibited in the gardens of tho Roman governors, and afterwards
re-appear in thoso of the monks. From these examples, from the Roman authors on
husbandry, or more probably fi-om tbe suggestion of trnvellei-s who had seen them
abroad, they would he introduced in rural economy. Marshall conjectures, that clearing
out patches in the woods for aration, and lea-ring strips of bushes hetwecn them, may
have given the first idea of a h ed g e ; and this supposition is rendered more plausible,
from the circumstance of some of the oldest hedges being in very regular lines, occupying
much space, and consisting of a variety of plants. However originated thev did
ruh-od“” ? ’ - «ft“ mti oduced 111 Noilolk, about the end of the seventeenth c‘efnt«tu Iry'l.o m(Kiesnht’Ls HS inndts; ?&™c )
ttn rrvy they had entiioly changedf “th,“o fa‘c’e“f to f the ‘cfotfutn ftit- y‘.f t« I«n" ftt h«ef ‘tfitm« e« %oft eGnciohri rco LI
o r s w "Î ’'" f t ftftft" ®ftft ft°"®*®‘ ftft‘ ” «‘
ft"«ft® «f s««»?>T' — «*' ‘ft« proprietors, and thcir parks and
guldens, and the adjoining villago, containing their farmers and labom-ers ; 2 Tlie
common field or mtcrcommonablc hands in aration ; 3. Tho common pasture, or waste
1 ? f f plough ; and, 4. The scattered or circumscribing forest, contaming !
mass of timber or copse. But at prc.sent these fundamental features arc mixed ¿ d
™d°e? L ? ? v L ’ “ - f ?ft,ft f ‘’’ft ft°''“ ‘’’y '"■ft®«“*® «"ft eontinual scene of
tho iTOld ™«‘’‘"ft®’ *"‘«"®P«>-rod with buildings and cidtivated fields, unequalled in
« ‘ e^lofures in England are in Kent and Essex, and seem to have been
foi-med of hawthorn, sloe, crab, hazel, dogwood, &c. taken from the copses and planted
h? ri ' " ft” ‘“"ftft ftftft^ft® “ 'ft ‘'°™«ft «ft ® '"L or double
tS ib en ’ «’' " '“ ’‘«"ft “ 'ftft® lft«"‘«ft «‘ rogular distances to shoot up for
StrnSECT. 2. Gardening in Scothnd, in respect to the phnting o f Timber Trees and
Hedges.
in Gc? “ " '« f with extensive tracts of wood. (^Graham,
and ta m™ 'V ™™"® °P“ “ 'ons carried on hy the hand of nature
lestoie it by plantt-ifntg 1ti mb1®e r, fho wever,™ a pfpt e®ar''f ttfot‘ h"e« «o«f® r"ercoe ndte sotrriogyined. . DTrh We aaltkteemr psetse mtos
SLcOl Tmlanld° ; ’'a‘Tndi ,th?aftt t?he‘' “pl,fatn’”ef to''r^ ®syftc“am’' ”ofrte'' ®w'a'’sS ‘tfht>e' ^nfte®x t.‘ ftft T&h®e ‘w fot«o™d o«f ttrheee foprtma et ar lwTans
f ir e n t ; ? Y ft''’'“"'®' “ ftft'" «ft«®‘™ ‘® and beeches,” he adds, “ were
S t a b b ™ gardens not long before the middle of the seventeenth century, some of
W ? iT f t'f tf t”, ‘ft ft"'' ‘“ ft®-” Notwithstanding this high authority? h oL v e ?
befoie tC l i t a o S , ? “ ‘ft ftft"ft’"ft« ‘ft'"“ ®«™« ‘rocs which stUl exist were planted
for t t a ? ®ftft«™«.“ «" 1 ‘ftay appear to have been introduced by the monks, being found
S L of wltab «««l«®‘as‘;cal establishments. Such are the Spanish chestnuts, the
take of m lb m 'Y '’® ««"ditioii in the island of Inchmahoma, in the
lake of Monteith, in Perthshire, where there was a priory built by David I Some of
t‘?ft® '"««®"ro within a few inches of eighteen feet in cii-cumfcronce, at
SIX feet from the gi-ound. They are probably three huudrcd years old, or upwai-ds
„„ft “ „.Pft™*“«* o ÿ “ at Buchanan, which arc apparently o fth e same age.
ta TT?bru t b ? “ Scotland, according to Dr. Walker, was Thomas Earl
? i u c to 17o " ’ f t " ' ”g A f tS™ P * « " ‘ Bmning Wood, which is now of great extent and
value, m 170o. But it is stated on an authority almost approaching to certainty, that
‘'jft ft"« ‘™ft«’' ™ ‘ft« ft«"'" CaUendor House, in Stirlingshire, was planted by the Em-1
of Linlithgow and Callender, who liad accompanied Charies II. in his cxilefupon his
retiii n from the Continent after the Restoration. This timber is i-omarkable, not only
fol Its size, but for Its quantity. Planting for timber became veiy general in Scotland
A r e r i r t b “ i r r ” ? ? ? ? / «'‘«“ ¡«n« «nd examples of Archibald Duke of
Al gyle the Duke of Atholl, the Earls of Bute, Loudon. Hyiidfoi-d, and Panmure Sfr
James Nasmyth Sir Archibald Grant, Fletcher of Saltoun, and others. I t is well as’cor-
tamed that Sir Archibald Grant began to plant in 17 19.
694. A great stimulus to planting in Scothnd was given by the Essays of D r An-
deison, puftftshed m 1734 m which the value of tho Im-ch tree, and the progi-ess it had
E ' S . Î Z i ï ï i ’ â r ï ï
= S S . X i “ * i i
695. The firs t two tree-nursenes in Scotland wore established at Edinburgh about the
begnmmg of tbe eighteenth century, by Malcolm, at the Water Gate, and Gordon at
ta s l f o ? ’/ T i r ^ o ®?' ? f t ‘ ft®! «"fftftft«*! « considerable ono by Anderson and
Leslie, about 1770. Leslie contnbutod to render the Im-ch popular, and was tho first
nmsci-yman who ventured to erect a greenhouse. Since this period, trce-nm-serics ai-e
nearly as common in Scotland as in England.
I b ? ? - 'l “ ft" Scotiand, by some officers in Cromwell’s ai-my, about
i F ? T f t ? seventeenth centuiy. Tho first ivcrc plautcd at Inch Buckliifg Brae
111 East Lothian, and at tho head of Loch Tay, in Pcrthsim-c. The former hedge was
ill existence in 1804, and then consisted of a single row of old hawthonis. Hedges are