CHAP. XII.
Of the way to make wild trees grow of seede, to be remoued afterward into some other place.
CErtaine it is (as hath beene said before) that euery tree groweth either of a plant, or of some great fruit, or of a writhen branch: and for that there are many places where one cannot come by plants easily, it is to be at∣tempted to make the said plant to grow of seed, as is practised in the nurceries of tame a••d garden trees, by dressing and dunging some halfe acre of good ground, and then to sow it with such good seed as that the trees beare, whereof you would haue plants.
That is to say, with acornes, if you would store your selfe with oakes: or with chesnuts, if you desue chesnut trees: or with the graine and seed which groweth in elme trees, if you would haue elme plants. The said grains and seeds must be sowne in a fat, fertile, well dunged, and somewhat moist ground, and that reasonably thick, therein couering the said seeds two fingers thicke, and causing them to be well wate∣red afterwards, and couered with bright straw, to the end that this fruit of young trees sprouting out of the seed, bee not eaten and broken by birds: but when they begin to grow, the straw must be taken away, and the weeds growing amongst them weeded out with the hand.
For which cause the quarters wherein the said seeds are to be sowne, must be made long and narrow, that so the weeds may easily be puld vp out of euery place, with∣out treading vpon the quarters, and that the said weeds may be gathered gently, to auoid the doing of hurt vnto the roots of the young trees: and oftentimes they must be watered at night after Sunne set, and in the morning before Sunne rise.
And after they be growne three foot high, you must remoue them into some other ground before they take any stronger root, and set them good two foot distant one from another, till they haue got a competent thicknesse, such as is before described, and dresse and clense them from all weeds, and water them in the time of drought. Thus you shall reare plants of all sorts, and of all manner of wild trees, to remoue af∣terward into such places as you will, and such trees will grow very well being trans∣planted, as are of like age and sort: for so the one of them cannot hurt or iniurie another.
This is to be practised in places where no plants of trees can be found in sufficient store: for otherwise in countries furnished with vnderwoods, and woods, there ar•• inough to be found without taking this plant, and tedious protract of time: where∣fore this article will be of vse, where there is neither vnderwood, wood, nor plant to become by in hedges or bushes, and not in this countrie, where there are many to be gotten, and those very good.