Sylva; Or, A Discourse of Forest Trees. Vol. 1 (of 2)Evelyn, John
History
Sylva; Or, A Discourse of Forest Trees. Vol. 1 (of 2)
Evelyn, John
Forests and forestry -- Early works to 1800; Gardening -- Early works to 1800; Trees -- Early works to 1800
18. But these sort of oziers would be cut in the new shoot: For if they
stand longer, they become more inflexible; cut them close to the head (a
foot, or so above earth) about the beginning of October; unless you will
attend till the cold be past, which is better; and yet we about London,
cut them in the most piercing seasons, and plant them also till
Candlemas, which those who do not observe, we judge ill husbands, as I
learn from a very experienc’d basket-maker; and in the decrease, for the
benefit of the workman, though not altogether for that of the stock, and
succeeding shoot: When they are cut, make them up into bundles, and give
them shelter; but such as are for white-work (as they call it) being
thus faggotted, and made up in bolts, as the term is, severing each sort
by themselves, should be set in water, the ends dipped; and indeed all
peel’d wares of the viminious kind, are not otherwise preserved from the
worm; but for black and unpeel’d, shelter’d under covert only, or in
some vault or cellar, to keep them fresh, sprinkling them now and then
in excessive hot weather: The peelings of the former, are for the use of
the gard’ner and cooper, or rather the splicings.
19. We have in England these three vulgar sorts; one of little worth,
being brittle, and very much resembling the fore-mentioned sallow, with
reddish twigs, and more greenish and rounder leaves: Another kind there
is, call’d perch, of limber and green twigs having a very slender leaf;
the third sort is totally like the second, only the twigs are not
altogether so green, but yellowish, and near the popinjay: This is the
very best for use, tough and hardy. But the most usual names by which
basket-makers call them about London, and which are all of different
species (therefore to be planted separately) are, the hard-gelster, the
horse-gelster, whyning or shrivell’d-gelster, the black-gelster, in
which Suffolk abounds. Then follow the golstones, the hard and the soft
golstone, (brittle, and worst of all the golstones) the sharp and
slender top’d yellow-golstone; the fine-golstone: Then is there the
yellow ozier, the green ozier, the snake, or speckled ozier,
swallow-tayl, and the Spaniard: To these we may add (amongst the number
of oziers, for they are both govern’d and us’d alike) the
Flanders-willow, which will arrive to be a large tree, as big as one’s
middle, the oftner cut, the better: With these our coopers, tie their
hoops to keep them bent. Lastly, the white-sallow; which being of a year
or two growth, is us’d for green-work; and if of the toughest sort, to
make quarter-can-hoops, of which our seamen provide great quantities,
&c.
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