The historie of the vvorld: commonly called, The naturall historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Translated into English by Philemon Holland Doctor of Physicke. The first [-second] tome

CHAP. XX. [unspec I]

¶ Of Willow and Osier plots: of places where reeds and Canes are nourished: also of other trees that be vsually cut for poles, props, and stakes.

IT remaineth now to speake of those trees which are planted and nourished for others, and for Vines especially: to which purpose, their wood is vsually lopped to serue the turne. Among which, Willowes and Oisiers are the chiefe, and to be placed in the formost rank: and ordina∣rily they loue to grow in moist and watery grounds. Now, for the better ordering of the Oisier, the place would be well digged before, and laid soft two foot and a halfe deep, and then planted with little twigs or cuttings of a foot and a halfe in length, and those prickt in: or else stored with good big sets, which, the fuller and rounder they be in hand, so much better they are for to grow, and sooner will they proue to be trees. Betweene the one and the other, there ought to be [unspec K] a space of six foot. When they are come to three yeares growth, the manner is to keepe them downe with cutting, that they stand not aboue ground more than two foot, to the end that they might spread the better in bredth, & when time serues be lopped & shred more easily, without the help of ladder: for the Withie or Osier is of this nature, that the nearer it groweth to the ground, the better head it beareth. These trees also, as wel as others, require (as men say) to haue the ground digged & laid light about them euery yere, in the month of April. And thus much for the planting and ordering of Oisier willowes, which must be emploied in binding and win∣ding. As for the other willow, which affoordeth big boughs, for poles, perches, and props, those may be set likewise of twigs and cuttings, and trenched in the ground after the same manner. [unspec L] These lightly euery fourth yere will yeeld good poles or staues, & for that purpose would they then be ordinarily cut and lopped. If these trees become old, their boughs by propagation may still maintain and replenish the place; to wit, by couching them within the ground; & after they haue lien soone yeare, and taken root, by cutting them clean from the stocke-father. An Oisier plat of one acre stored thus, will yeeld twigs sufficient for windings and bindings, to serue a vineyard of fiue and twenty acres.

To the same purpose men are wont to plant the white poplar or Aspe, in manner following. First, a piece of ground, or a quarter, must be digged and made hollow two foot deep: and ther∣in ought to be laid cuttings of a foot and a half in length, after they haue had two daies drying: but so, as they stand one from another, a foot and a handbreadth, & be couered ouer with mould two cubits thick. [unspec M]

As touching canes and reeds, they loue to grow in places more wet and waterish than either the Willows and Oisiers aboue said, o•…•… the Poplars. Men vse to plant their bulbous roots, which

some call their oilets or eies, in a trench of a span depth: and those two foot and an halfe asun∣der. [unspec A] These reeds do multiplie and increase of themselues (if a plot be once planted with them) after the old plants be extirped & destroied. And surely, this is found now adaies to be the bet∣ter and the more profitable way, euen to commit all to Nature, rather than to gueld and weed them out where they seem to grow ouer thick, as the practise was in old time: for the maner of their roots is, to creepe one within another, and to be so interlaced continually, as if they were twisted together. The fit and proper time to plant and set these canes or reeds is a little before the calends of March, to wit, before the oilets or eies aboue said begin to swell. They grow vn∣till mid-winter, at which time they wax hard, which is a signe that they haue done growing: and this is the only season also for to cut them. Likewise, the ground would be digged about them, as often as vines. The order of planting them is two manner of waies, for either the roots be laid [unspec B] ouertwhart or acrosse, and but shallow within the ground (and look how many eies there be in the root, so many plants wil spring aboue the earth:) or els they be pitched down right, within a graue or trench of a foot depth, so as there be two eies or buds vnder the ground, & the third aboue, but close and meet with it: but this caueat is to be giuen, that the head thereof may bend forward toward the earth, for feare that it drinke in any dew, which might stand and settle vpon it. This also is obserued, that they be cut euer in the wane of the Moone: as also, before that they are imploied about Vineyards for to beare vp vines, they would haue a whole yeares dry∣ing, for such are more profitable than the greene.

The best staies to beare vp Vines, are made of the Chestnut tree: for why? the wood is gentle and tractable; tough withall, and induring long: besides, it hath this property, that cut it when you list, it will spring againe more plentifully than any willowes. It loueth to grow in a gentle [unspec C] and sandy ground, but principally, if the same stand vpon a moist grauell or a hot earth full of little pebbles, and namely, where there is good store of such soft stones, as will soone crumble into grit: neither makes it any matter how much the place be shadowed, nor how cold and expo∣sed to the Northern winds, for such it liketh well enough, yea, although it be the side or hang∣ing of an hill, as bleake and cold as may be. But contrariwise, it may not abide the red French earth, the chalkie or marle ground, nor in one word, any that is battle or fruitfull. Set it is of a Nut, as we haue before said: but it commeth not vp, vnlesse there be fiue in a heape piled toge∣ther, and those of the fairest & biggest sort. Moreouer, the plot wherin you mean to haue Chest∣nuts grow, must be ouvertly broken vp aloft, from between Nouember and Februarie: in which [unspec D] time the Nuts vse to be loose, and to fall of themselues from the tree, and spring vnderneath, finding the ground light and hollow vnder them. Betwixt each heape set in manner aforesaid, there ought to be a foot space euery way, and the trench wherein they be set; of a span depth: out of this plot, as out of a seminary and nource-garden, these yong plants are to be translated into another, and then they must be set two foot asunder. Howbeit, they ought to be aboue two yeres old first, before they be remoued and replanted. Moreouer, a man may increase Chestnut-trees by propagation; to wit, by couching and trenching the branches therof, as they grow to the mo∣ther: and there is not another tree againe that sooner taketh that way, than it doth; for the root thereof being laid bare, the whole branch must bee interred along in the trench made for the purpose, leauing out the end only aboue ground. Thus shall you haue one tree spring from it, and another from the root. Howbeit, planted in this wise, it loueth not to be transplanted; it can∣not [unspec E] lodge elsewhere, but dreadeth and hateth all change of soile: and therefore such plots of ground as do affoord coppises of Chest-nut trees, are stored with plants comming of marrons or nut-kernels, rather than quicke-sets or plants set with the root. For the ordering and dressing of them, there is no other labour required, than the others before rehearsed; namely, for the two first yeares inseing to dig the ground loose about their roots, and to proine or cut away the su∣perfluous twigs: for euer after they will shift well enough, & manure themselues, by reason that their owne shade will kill those superfluous water-shoots that spring out either from the root or the sides of the tree. A coppise of these trees is cut ordinarily within euery seuenth yere: and one acre of them will yeeld props enough for to serue a vineyard of twenty acres: for besides that one pole of them will abide to be clouen and make two props apeece, they will last very [unspec F] well vntill the next fall of the wood or coppis be past.

Moreouer, the Mast-tree called Esculus, is planted and commeth vp in like sort: howbeit, pas∣sing vntoward and vnwilling they are to grow, and therefore they stand ten yeres at least before

they be cut and lopped. Set Acorns of this tree Esculus whersoeuer you please, they wil surely [unspec G] take and come vp: but the trench must be a span deep, and the Acornes two foot asunder. And foure times a yeare are they to be lightly * raked and clensed from weeds. A forke or prop made of this wood, lasteth very well and rotteth not: and in very truth, the more that the tree it selfe is cut and mangled, the better it springeth and putteth forth new shoots.

Ouer and besides these trees abouenamed, there be others that vse to be cut and lopped for Vine props and staies; to wit, the Ash, the Bay tree, the Peach and Hazell tree, yea, and the Ap∣ple tree: but these are all of them lateward and slow of growth: neither will they indure so well without rotting, if they stand any time in the ground, and much lesse will they abide any we•…•…. But on the othe side, the Elder tree of all others is most firme for to make poles and stakes of. It wil grow of sions and imps euen as the Poplar. As for the Cypresse tree, we haue of it spoken [unspec H] sufficiently already.

Notes

• Sarr•…•…ie.