But to my purpose, when you haue planted these Willowes, you shall after euery floud, sée if the water haue driuen any of them away, or displease them, and immediately mend them, and set them vp straight againe. If any Cattell shall pyll or barke them, you shall pull vp such Settes, and place new in their roome. Your Willow set would by no meanes be too long at the first setting, for then will neuer beare a good head, and too short is likewise as vnprofitable, therefore it is held to be fiue foote aboue the earth, is a length sufficient: you may head your Willowes once in thrée yéeres, or fiue at the furthest, and when you sée the bodies waxe hollow, you may cut them downe for the fire, and fixe new Sets in their places.
Ordering of Ozier.
The Ozier to come to his true profit and season asketh much pruning and trimming, as namely you must kéepe the stocke lowe, and neuer aboue halfe a foote aboue the earth, you must picke them cleane from Mosse, and from the slime and filth, which the ouer-flow of the water will leaue vpon them: you shall prune the small spiers, and make them grow single one by another, and if any shoote out a double stalke, you shall cut it away, you may head them euery second yéere at the fall onely, and though some head them once a yéere, yet it is not so good husbandry, nor will the Ozier be so tough or long lasting. The best seasons for the setting of the Willow, Sallow, or Ozier is, either any part of the Spring or Fall, and the best time to loppe the Willow or Sallow, is in the Spring for fence, and in the Fall for timber or fewell; but the Ozier would be cut at the fall of the leafe onely. And thus much for the bréeding of Wood in the rich champaine Countries.
Chap. VI.
Of Plashing of Hedges, and Lopping of Timber.
What plashing is.
Hauing alreadie sufficiently in the former Chapter spoken of the planting of all sorts of quick-sets, it is méete now that I shew you how to order the hedges being growne and come to perfection. Know then that if after your hedge is come to sixe or seauen yéeres of age, you shall let it grow on without cutting or pruning, that then although it grow thicke at the top, yet it will decay and grow so thinne at the bottome, that not onely beasts but men may runne through it, and in the end it will dye and come to nothing, which to preuent, it shall be good once in seauen or eight yéeres to plash and lay all your Quick-set hedges, in which there is much fine Art and cunning to be vsed. For this plashing is a halfe cutting or deuiding of the quicke growth, almost to the outward barke, and then laying it orderly in a sloape manner, as you sée a cunning hedger lay a dead hedge, and then with the smaller and more plyant branches, to wreathe and binde in the tops, making a fence as strong as a wall, for the roote which is more then halfe cut in sunder, putting forth new branches, which runne and entangle themselues amongst the olde stockes, doe so thicken and fortifie the hedge, that it is against the force of beasts impregnable.
How to plash.
Now to giue you some light how you shall plash a hedge, though diuers Countries differ diuersly in these workes, yet as néere as I can I will shew you that which of the best Husbandmen is the best estéemed. The time of yeare. First, for the time of yéere either February or October, is passing good, and the encrease of the Moone would likewise be obserued.