The Culture of Forests; With an Appendix in Which the State of the Royal Forests in Considered, and a System Proposed for Their Improvement (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1789 edition. Excerpt: ... Chap. n. Of gathering and preserving the Oak Seed; of the fittest Soil, Season and Methods of preparing and sowing Land, Of gathering the Oak Seed, THE mpnth of October is the proper time for gathering Oak seed. The acorns gathered ought to be those of the best trees, which after having been fully ripened by the sun, have dropt of themselves to the ground. Those which are free of any worm bite, and appear perfectly sound, must be picked out from the rest. The gathering of them is an office which may give give some relief to the poor by employing them in it. Of preserving the Seed. When the Oak seed is gathered, the safest practice is to sow it immediately; if no land, however, should be ready prepared for it, the acorns must be laid up in a dry loft or chamber, and spread upon a wooden floor, but not above two inches deep over each other; and as they begin to sweat, they ought to be frequently turned with a rake, until they are completely dry, and afterwards covered with saw-dust, that they may be entirely preserved from being da maged by any frosts, until they are wanted for seed in the ipring. B3 Of y Of the Soil. The fittest soil for sowing acorns, or planting young Oak trees, is that of a clay raixt with a little sand or gravel; a chalky soil is also not unfit, nor any heavy land, provided it is not too poor or too wet; as the oak is a tree that requires full nourishment, if a proper growth is expected..' ... Of the Preparation of Nursery Land. For the establishment of a nursery of Oaks, from which young trees are to be taken, out and transplanted, a spot of land must be chosen, where the soil is proper, namely, a sort of clay, if it can be had, but in particular, it must not be stony land, and of about two, three, four, or more acres, ...