sus ferro versanda bicorni
Consita vere novo tellus, cultuque frequenti
Exercenda, herbae circum ne forte nocentes
Proveniant, germenque ipsum radicibus urant.
Nec cultu campum cunctantem urgere frequenti,
Et saturare fimo pudeat, si forte resistat
Culturae: nam tristis humus superanda colendo est.

_Rapinus, l. 2._

{20:1}

Quid quaeque ferat regio, & quid quaeque recuset.

{21:1} Pomona.

{25:1} For the transplanting and removing of full-grown forest-trees,
and others. See Cap. III. Sect. 10.

CHAPTER III.

_Of the Oak._

1. _Robur_, the oak; I have sometimes consider'd it very seriously, what
should move _Pliny_ to make a whole chapter of one only line, which is
less than the argument alone of most of the rest in his huge volume: but
the weightiness of the matter does worthily excuse him, who is not wont
to spare his words, or his reader. _Glandiferi maxime generis omnes,
quibus honos apud Romanos perpetuus._ "Mast-bearing-trees were
principally those which the Romans held in chiefest repute," lib. 16.
cap. 3. And in the following where he treats of chaplets, and the
dignity of the civic coronet; it might be compos'd of the leaves or
branches of any oak, provided it were a bearing tree, and had acorns
upon it, and was (as{31:1} _Macrobius_ tells us). Recorded among the
_felices arbores_; but this +phyllinon stephanon+ was interwoven, and
twisted with thorns and briars; and the garland carried to usher the
bride to her husband's house, intimating that happy state was not exempt
from its pungencies and cares. It is then for the esteem which these
wise and glorious people had of this tree above all others, that I will
first begin with the oak; and indeed it carries it from all other timber
whatsoever, for building of ships in general, and in particular being
tough, bending well, strong and not too heavy, nor easily admitting
water.

2. 'Tis pity that the several kinds of oak are so rarely known amongst
us, that whereever they meet with _quercus_, they take it promiscuously
for our common oak; as likewise they do +Drys+, which comprehends all
mast-bearing trees whatsoever, (which I think they have no latin word
for): And in the _Silva Glandifera_ were reckon'd the chessnut, ilix,
_esculus_, _cerris_, _suber_, &c. various species rather than different
trees, white, red, black, &c. among our American plantations,
(especially the long-stalked oak not as yet much taken no