Thickness of them would fill: So the next Year every Branch will have fix Buds, and an Addition of twice as many Fibres or Sap-Veffels which correfpond with the Trunk, which may be eafily calculated.

In order to prove the firft Calculation, I would advise those Gentlemen, who are fortunate enough to have Plantations of Oaks, or any other kind of Timber, to pick out a certain Number of Trees of every fort, and at that Season, when they do not give us the Appearance of Growth, to measure them as exactly as poffible; and again, after three Years are past, to measure the fame Trees, in order to judge rightly of their Encrease of Bulk, by comparing one Measure with the other.

The ingenious Mr. Holt once told me, that he had occafionally taken the Measure of fome Oaks in a Grove near Epping-Foreft, twice within the Term of eight Years, and that he found a very confiderable Encrease of Bulk in that Time had been gain'd by the few Trees he had measured; but I cannot truft enough to my Memory to relate how much it was: However, I am perfuaded if any of my Readers are defirous to be inform'd of it, if they direct to Mr. Holt at Layton Stone in Effex, he will be generous enough to fatisfy their Curiofity.

The Abele Tree, which I fuppofe is one of the quickest Growers of any useful Tree in England, is faid to grow to good Perfection in twenty Years. I have feen fome Trees of that Growth according to the Information I had from the Person who planted them, that were almoft eighteen Inches Diameter in the Stem

Stem one Foot above the Root; their Branches were very spreading: Therefore this fort of Tree fhould not be neglected, as it brings speedy Profit to the Proprietor; and the Oak and other Trees for great Use should be planted at the fame Time, that there may be a Succeffion of Timber after the first twenty Years.

The Abeles which I mention were valued, when I saw them, at one Pound Sterling per Tree; and Mr. Hartlib's Account of the Growth of Abeles, is not very different from what I have mention'd; where he tells us, that the leaft Set of an Abele will grow in two, or at most in three Years above the reach of the tallest Man. And in another Place, mentions an Abele fet, which in twelve or thirteen Years at moft, was as big as his middle; and alfo, that in the Year 1647, two Rows of Abele Sets three Inches about, were planted at twenty four Foot afunder, and by the End of the Year 1650, their Boughs met crofs the Walk. He likewife obferves, that an Abele Tree at Sion, was lopp'd in February, 1651, which by the End of October 1652, had put out Branches as big as a Man's Wrift, fome feven, and others ten Foot long.

From the foregoing Obfervations of Mr. Hartlib's, and my own, we may discover, that the Abele is very fpeedy in its Vegetation; and, I prefume, that the larger the Tree is when we lop it, fo much the larger will the new Shoots be that come from it; which, however the Conjecture may be reasonable, yet few have obferv'd it. We might weigh and meafure the Loppings of a Tree

at

at certain Periods of Growth, and from thence judge of the Weight of the Body of a Tree. But I have faid enough at present upon this Head, to explain what I aim'd at in this Chapter, and fhall therefore conclude.

12 lines to an inch.

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an Airon grows & first you Thick. Diam. Periphong. Hight 3.1416.

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2

6.2831 2-0

3.

3247

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.6078

5.0

2649

7.0

CHAP. VI.

Confiderations upon Captain Cumberland's Invention for foftening and making Timber plyable, as it is practis'd in His Majefty's Tards for Ship-building, whereby the most rude and crooked Timbers may be made freight, or Planks of any Thickness may be brought to the

Bow.

W

HAT I have already mention'd in this Piece, relating to the Planting and Improvement of Timber, feems to command the following Obfervations concerning the Use of it.

Having lately, in a particular Manner, taken a Tour about feveral of the Royal Docks for building of Ships, as well as fome more private ones, I had the Curiofity to obferve the ingenious Contrivance of Captain Cumberland, for bending of Plank and Timber by Sand-heats, which he has now brought to fo great a Perfection, that even Pieces of ten Inches length, by two Foot broad, can be brought to any Bow in fuch a Manner as to preferve all its primitive Strength; and also crooked and furly Sticks of Timber, of far

greater

greater bignefs, made ftreight by the fame Means.

I believe it is pretty well known, that the Methods which have been used to bring Planks for Shipping, &c. to the Bow, has been done by burning, before the Captain's Invention took Place; and not only was that bending of Plank, by burning, brought about by expenfive Firing, but by expenfive Attendance; and then, when all was done, the Strength of fuch Planks was greatly impoverish'd, for by fuch Burning many of the binding Veffels of the Wood were broken, and became of no Service. Again, I observ'd, that large Scantlings of Timber could not be brought to bend by burning, fo that the Workmen in fuch Cafes were forced to have recourfe to compass Timber, or to cutting out a Bow, or an Arch, out of a folid Piece of Timber, at more than double the Expence it would have been, if they could have bent a folid Piece to their Bow, of which the following Example is a Proof.

One Piece of Compass Timber, containing one hundred Foot, makes but one Harpin of ten Inches thick for a first Rate Man of War; but by Captain Cumberland's Method, a Piece of ftreight Timber, containing only ninety five Foot, made two Harpins of the like Substance, and one Piece of five Inches thick for the faid Ship; which Difference is very confiderable, if we confider that the hundred Foot Compass Timber, i. e. two Load, worth three Pounds ten Shillings per Load, is feven Pounds for one Harpin; and that by the Captain's Method we have two Harpins of the E e like