THEORDERING OF THEORCHARD.

THEORDERING OF THEORCHARD.The third part, orOrchard.Chap. I.The situation of an Orchard for fruit-bearing trees, and how to amend the defects of many grounds.AAsI haue done in the two former parts of this Treatise, so I meane to proceede in this; first to set downe the situation of an Orchard, and then other things in order: And first, I hold that an Orchard which is, or should bee of some reasonable large extent, should be so placed, that the house should haue the Garden of flowers iust before it open vpon the South, and the Kitchen Garden on the one side thereof, should also haue the Orchard on the other side of the Garden of Pleasure, for many good reasons: First, for that the fruit trees being grown great and tall, will be a great shelter from the North and East windes, which may offend your chiefest Garden, and although that your Orchard stand a little bleake vpon the windes, yet trees rather endure these strong bitter blasts, then other smaller and more tender shrubs and herbes can doe. Secondly, if your Orchard should stand behinde your Garden of flowers more Southward, it would shadow too much of the Garden, and besides, would so binde in the North and East, and North and West windes vpon the Garden, that it would spoile many tender things therein, and so much abate the edge of your pleasure thereof, that you would willingly wish to haue no Orchard, rather then that it should so much annoy you by the so ill standing thereof. Thirdly, the falling leaues being still blowne with the winde so aboundantly into the garden, would either spoile many things, or haue one daily and continuall attending thereon, to cleanse and sweepe them away. Or else to auoide these great inconueniences, appoint out an Orchard the farther off, and set a greater distance of ground betweene. For the ground or soile of the Orchard, what I haue spoken concerning the former Garden for the bettering of the seuerall grounds, may very well serue and be applyed to this purpose. But obserue this, that, whereas your Gardens before spoken of may be turned vp, manured, and bettered with soile if they growe out of heart, your Orchard is not so easily done, but must abide many yeares without altering; and therefore if the ground be barren, or not good, it had the more neede to bee amended, or wholly made good, before you make an Orchard of it; yet some there bethat doe appoint, that where euery tree should bee set, you onely digge that place to make it good: but you must know, that the rootes of trees runne further after a little times standing, then the first compasse they are set in; and therefore a little compasse of ground can maintaine them but a little while, and that when the rootes are runne beyond that small compasse wherein they were first set, and that they are come to the barren or bad ground, they can thriue no better then if they had beene set in that ground at the first, and if you should afterwards digge beyond that compasse, intending to make the ground better further off, you should much hurt the spreading rootes, and put your trees in danger: the situation of hils in many places is grauelly or chalky, which is not good for trees, because they are both too stonie, and lacke mellow earth, wherein a tree doth most ioy and prosper, and want moisture also (which is the life of all trees) because of the quicke descent of raine to the lower grounds: and besides all these inconueniences there is one more; your trees planted either on hils or hill sides, are more subiect to the fury and force of windes to be ouerturned, then those that growe in the lower grounds; for the strongest and most forcible windes come not vsually out of the North East parts, where you prouide best defence, but from the South and West, whence you looke for the best comfort of the Sunne. To helpe therefore manie of the inconueniences of the hils sides, it were fit to cause manie leauels to bee made thereon, by raising the lower grounds with good earth, and sustaining them with bricke or stone wals, which although chargeable, will counteruaile your cost, beside the pleasure of the walkes, and prospect of so worthy a worke. The plaine or leuell grounds as they are the most frequent, so they are the most commendable for an Orchard, because the moulds or earths are more rich, or may better and sooner be made so; and therefore the profits are the more may be raised from them. A stiffe clay doth nourish trees well, by reason it containeth moisture; but in regard of the coldnesse thereof, it killeth for the most part all tender and early things therein: sea-cole ashes therefore, bucke ashes, streete soyle, chaulke after it hath lyen abroad and been broken with many yeares frosts and raine, and sheepes dung, are the most proper and fittest manure to helpe this kinde of soyle. The dry sandy soile, and grauelly ground are on the contrary side as bad, by reason of too much heate and lacke of moisture: the dung of kine or cattell in good quantity bestowed thereon, will much helpe them. The amending or bettering of other sorts of grounds is set down toward the end of thefirst Chapter of the first partof this worke, wherevnto I will referre you, not willing to repeate againe the same things there set downe. The best way to auoide and amend the inconueniences of high, boisterous, and cold windes, is to plant Walnut trees, Elmes, Oakes or Ashes, a good distance without the compasse of your Orchard, which after they are growne great, will bee a great safeguard thereunto, by breaking the violence of the windes from it. And if the soyle of your Orchard want moisture, the conueying of the sinke of the house, as also any other draine of water thereinto, if it may be, will much helpe it.Chap. II.The forme of an Orchard, both ordinary, and of more grace and rarity.The forme of an Orchard.According to the situation of mens grounds, so must the plantation of them of necessitie be also; and if the ground be in forme, you shall haue a formall Orchard: if otherwise, it can haue little grace or forme. And indeed in the elder ages there was small care or heede taken for the formality; for euery tree for the most part was planted without order, euen where the master or keeper found a vacant place to plant them in, so that oftentimes the ill placing of trees without sufficient space betweene them, and negligence in not looking to vphold them, procured more waste and spoile of fruit, then any accident of winde or weather could doe. Orchards in most places haue not bricke or stone wals to secure them, because the extent thereof beinglarger then of a Garden, would require more cost, which euery one cannot vndergoe; and therefore mud wals, or at the best a quicke set hedge, is the ordinary and most vsuall defence it findeth almost in all places: but with those that are of ability to compasse it with bricke or stone wals, the gaining of ground, and profit of the fruit trees planted there against, will in short time recompense that charge. If you make a doubt how to be sure that your Orchard wall shall haue sufficient comfort of the Sunne to ripen the fruits, in regard the trees in the Orchard being so nigh thereunto, and so high withall, will so much shadow the wall, that nothing will ripen well, because it will want the comfort of the Sunne: you may follow this rule and aduice, to remedy those inconueniences. Hauing an Orchard containing one acre of ground, two, three, or more, or lesse, walled about, you may so order it, by leauing a broad and large walke betweene the wall and it, containing twenty or twenty foure foote (or yards if you will) that the wall shall not be hindered of the Sun, but haue sufficient comfort for your trees, notwithstanding the height of them, the distance betweene them and the wall being a sufficient space for their shadow to fall into: and by compassing your Orchard on the inside with a hedge (wherein may bee planted all sorts of low shrubs or bushes, as Roses, Cornellian, Cherry trees plashed lowe, Gooseberries, Curran trees, or the like) you may enclose your walke, and keepe both it and your Orchard in better forme and manner, then if it lay open. For the placing of your trees in this Orchard, first for the wals: Those sides that lye open to the South & Southwest Sunne, are fittest to bee planted with your tenderest and earliest fruits, as Apricockes, Peaches, Nectarius, and May or early Cherries: the East, North and West, for Plums and Quinces, as you shall like best to place them. And for the Orchard it selfe, the ordinary manner is to place them without regard of measure or difference, as Peares among Apples, and Plums among Cherries promiscuously; but some keepe both a distance and a diuision for euery sort, without intermingling: yet the most gracefull Orchard containeth them all, with some others, so as they be placed that one doe not hinder or spoile another; and therefore to describe you the modell of an Orchard, both rare for comelinesse in the proportion, and pleasing for the profitablenesse in the vse, and also durable for continuance, regard this figure is here placed for your direction, where you must obserue, that your trees are here set in such an equall distance one from another euery way, & as is fittest for them, that when they are grown great, the greater branches shall not gall or rubbe one against another; for which purpose twenty or sixteene foot is the least to be allowed for the distance euery way of your trees, & being set in rowes euery one in the middle distance, will be the most gracefull for the plantation, and besides, giue you way sufficient to passe through them, to pruine, loppe, or dresse them, as need shall require, and may also bee brought (if you please) to that gracefull delight, that euery alley or distance may be formed like an arch, the branches of either side meeting to be enterlaced together. Now for the seuerall sorts of fruit trees that you shall place in this modell, your best direction is to set Damsons, Bulleis, and your taler growing Plums on the outside, and your lower Plums, Cherries, and Apples on the inside, hauing regard, that you place no Peare tree to the Sunward, or any other tree, lest it ouershadow them: Let your Peare trees therefore be placed behinde, or on the one side of your lower trees, that they may be as it were a shelter or defence on the North & East side. Thus may you also plant Apples among Plums and Cherries, so as you suffer not one to ouer-growe or ouer-toppe another; for by pruning, lopping, and shredding those that growe too fast for their fellowes, you may still keepe your trees in such a conformity, as may be both most comely for the sight, and most profitable for the yeelding of greater and better store of fruit. Other sorts of fruit trees you may mixe among these, if you please, as Filberds, Cornellian Cherries in standerds, and Medlers: but Seruice trees, Baye trees, and others of that high sort, must be set to guard the rest. Thus haue I giuen you the fairest forme could as yet be deuised; and from this patterne, if you doe not follow it precisely, yet by it you may proportion your Orchard, be it large or little, be it walled or hedged.Chap. III.Of a noursery for trees, both from sowing the kernels, and planting fit stockes to graft vpon.Although I know the greater sort (I meane the Nobility and better part of the Gentrie of this Land) doe not intend to keepe a Nursery, to raise vp those trees that they meane to plant their wals or Orchards withall, but to buy them already grafted to their hands of them that make their liuing of it: yet because many Gentlemen and others are much delighted to bestowe their paines in grafting themselues, and esteeme their owne labours and handie worke farre aboue other mens: for their incouragement and satisfaction, I will here set downe some conuenient directions, to enable them to raise an Orchard of all sorts of fruits quickly, both by sowing the kernels or stones of fruit, and by making choise of the best sorts of stockes to graft on: First therefore to begin with Cherries; If you will make a Nursery, wherein you may bee stored with plenty of stockes in a little space, take what quantitie you thinke good of ordinarie wilde blacke Cherrie stones, cleansed from the berries, and sowe them, or pricke them in one by one on a peece of ground well turned vp, and large enough for the quantitie of stones you will bestowe thereon, from the midst of August vnto the end of September, which when they are two or three yeares old, according to their growth, you may remoue them, and set them anew in some orderly rowes, hauing pruned their tops and their rootes, which at the next yeares growth after the new planting in any good ground, or at the second, will be of sufficient bignesse to graft vpon in the bud what sorts of Cherries you thinke best: and it is fittest to graft them thus young, that pruning your stockes to raise them high, you may graft them at fiue or six foote high, or higher, or lower, as you shall see good, and being thus grafted in the bud, will both more speedily and safely bring forward your grafts, and with lesse danger of losing your stockes, then by grafting them in the stocke: for if the bud take not by inoculating the first yeare, yet your tree is not lost, nor put in any hazzard of losse; but may be grafted anew the yeare following, if you will, in an other place thereof, whereas if you graft in the stocke, and it doe not take, it is a great chance if the stocke dye not wholly, or at least be not so weakened both in strength and height, that it will not bee fit to bee grafted a yeare or two after. In the same manner as you doe with the blacke, you may deale with the ordinary English red Cherrie stones, or kernels, but they are not so apt to growe so straight and high, nor in so short a time as the blacke Cherrie stones are, and besides are subiect in time to bring out suckers from the rootes, to the hinderance of the stockes and grafts, or at the least to the deformitie of your Orchard, and more trouble to the Gardiner, to pull or digge them away. Plumme stones may bee ordered in this manner likewise, but you must make choise of your Plums; for although euery Plumme is not so fit for this purpose, as the white Peare Plumme, because it groweth the goalest and freest, the barke being smooth and aptest to be raised, that they may be grafted vpon; yet diuers other Plummes may be taken, if they be not at hand, or to be had, as the blacke and red Peare Plumme, thewhite and red Wheate Plumme, because they are nearest in goodnesse vnto it. Peach stones will be soone raised vp to graft other sorts of Peaches or Nectorins vpon, but the nature of the Peach roote being spongie, is not to abide long. As for Almonds, they will be raised from their stones to be trees of themselues; but they will hardly abide the remouing, and lesse to bee grafted vpon. Apricocke stones are the worst to deale withall of any sort of stone fruit; for although the Apricocke branches are the fittest stockes to graft Nectorins of the best sorts vpon, yet those that are raised from the kernels or stones will neuer thriue to be brought on for this purpose; but will starue and dye, or hardly grow in a long time to be a straight and fit stocke to be grafted, if it be once remoued. Your Cornellian Cherrie trees are wholly, or for the most part raised from the stones or kernels; yet I know diuers doe increase them, by laying in their lowest branches to take roote: and thus much for stone fruits. Now for Apples and Peares, to be dealt withall in the same manner as aforesaid. They vse to take the pressing of Crabs whereas Veriuyce is made, as also of Cidar and Perry where they are made, and sowing them, doe raise vp great store of stockes; for although the beating of the fruit doth spoile many kernels, yet there will bee enough left that were neuer toucht, and that will spring: the Crabbe stockes some preferre for the fittest, but I am sure, that the better Apple and Peare kernels will growe fairer, straighter, quicklier, and better to be grafted on. You must remember, that after two or three yeares you take vp these stockes, and when you haue pruned both toppe and roote, to set them againe in a thinner and fitter order, to be afterwards grafted in the bud while they are young, as I shall shew you by and by, or in the stocke if you will suffer them to growe greater. Now likewise to know which are the fittest stockes of all sorts to choose, thereon to graft euery of these sorts of fruits, is a point of some skill indeede; and therefore obserue them as I doe here set them downe: for bee you assured, that they are certaine rules, and knowne experiences, whereunto you may trust without being deceiued. Your blacke Cherrie stockes (as I said before) are the fittest and best for all sorts of Cherries long to abide and prosper, and euen May or early Cherry will abide or liue longer, being grafted thereon, either in the budde or in the stocke, then on the ordinary red Cherry stocke; but the red Cherry stocke is in a manner the onely tree that most Nursery men doe take to graft May Cherries on in the stocke (for it is but a late experience of many, to graft May Cherries in the bud) many also doe graft May Cherries on Gascoigne Cherry stockes, which doe not onely thriue well, but endure longer then vpon any ordinary Cherry stocke: For indeede the May Cherries that are grafted vpon ordinary red Cherrie stockes, will hardly hold aboue a dozen yeares bearing well, although they come forwarder at the first, that is, doe beare sooner then those that are grafted on Gascoigne or blacke Cherry stockes; but as they are earlier in bearing, so they are sooner spent, and the Gascoigne and blacked Cherry stockes that are longer in comming forward, will last twice or thrice their time; but many more grafts will misse in grafting of these, then of those red Cherry stockes, and besides, the natures of the Gascoigne and blacke Cherry stockes are to rise higher, and make a goodlier tree then the ordinary red stocke will, which for the most part spreadeth wide, but riseth not very high. The English red Cherry stocke will serue very well to graft any other sort of Cherry vpon, and is vsed in most places of this Land, and I know no other greater inconuenience in it, then that it shooteth out many suckers from the roote, which yet by looking vnto may soone bee remoued from doing any harme, and that it will not last so long as the Gascoigne or blacke Cherry stocke will. May Cherries thus grafted lowe doe most vsually serue to be planted against a wall, to bring on the fruit the earlier; yet some graft them high vpon standards, although not many, and it is, I thinke, rather curiosity (if they that doe it haue any wals) then anie other matter that causeth them thus to doe: for the fruit is naturally small, though early, and the standard Cherries are alwaies later then the wall Cherries, so that if they can spare any roome for them at their wals, they will not plant many in standards. Now concerning Plummes (as I said before) for the sowing or setting of the stones, so I say here for their choise in grafting of them, either in the budde or stocke. The white Peare Plumme stocke, and the other there mentioned, but especially the white Peare Plumme is the goodliest, freest and fittest of all the rest, as well to graft all sort of Plummes vpon, as also to graft Apricockes, which can be handsomely, and to anygood purpose grafted vpon no other Plum stocke, to rise to bee worth the labour and paine. All sorts of Plums may be grafted in the stocke, and so may they also in the bud; for I know none of them that will refuse to be grafted in the bud, if a cunning hand performe it well, that is, to take off your bud cleanely and well, when you haue made choice of a fit cyon: for, as I shal shew you anon, it is no small peece of cunning to chuse your cyon that it may yeeld fit buds to graft withall, for euery plum is not of a like aptnes to yeeld them: But Apricocks cannot be grafted in the stock for any thing that euer I could heare or learne, but only in the bud, and therefore let your Plum stocke bee of a reasonable size for Apricockes especially, and not too small, that the graft ouergrow not the stocke, and that the stocke bee large enough to nourish the graft. As your Plum stockes serue to graft both Apricockes and Plummes, so doe they serue also very well to graft Peaches of all sorts; and although Peach stockes will serue to be grafted with Peaches againe, yet the Peach stocke (as I said before) will not endure so long as the Plumme stocke, and therefore serueth but for necessity if Plum stocks be not ready, or at hand, or for the present time, or that they afterwards may graft that sort of Peach on a Plumme stocke: for many might lose a good fruit, if when they meete with it, and haue not Plumme stockes ready to graft it on, they could not be assured that it would take vpon another Peach stocke or branch, or on the branch of an Apricocke eyther. Plumme stockes will serue likewise very well for some sorts of Nectorins; I say, for some sorts, and not for all: the greene and the yellow Nectorin will best thriue to be grafted immediately on a Plumme stocke; but the other two sorts of red Nectorins must not be immediately grafted on the Plumme stocke, but vpon a branch of an Apricocke that hath beene formerly grafted on a Plumme stocke, the nature of these Nectorins being found by experience to be so contrary to the Plum stocke, that it will sterue it, and both dye within a yeare, two or three at the most: Diuers haue tryed to graft these red Nectorins vpon Peach stockes, and they haue endured well a while; but seeing the Peach stocke will not last long it selfe, being ouerweake, how can it hold so strong a nature as these red Nectorins, which will (as I said before) sterue a Plum stocke that is sufficient durable for any other Plumme?Apricocke stockes from the stones are hardly nursed vp, and worse to be remoued, and if a red Nectorin should be grafted on an Apricock raysed from the stone, and not remoued, I doubt it might happen with it as it doth with many other trees raised from stones or kernels, and not remoued, that they would hardly beare fruit: for the nature of most trees raised from stones or kernels, and not remoued, is to send great downe-right rootes, and not to spread many forwards; so that if they be not cut away that others may spreade abroad, I haue seldome seene or known any of them to beare in any reasonable time; and therefore in remouing, these great downe-right rootes are alwayes shred away, and thereby made fit to shoote others forwards. Hereby you may perceiue, that these red Nectorins will not abide to bee grafted vpon any other stocke well, then vpon an Apricocke branch, although the green and the yellow (as I said before) will well endure and thriue vpon Plums. The suckers or shootes both of Plums and Cherries that rise from their rootes, eyther neare their stockes, or farther off, so that they bee taken with some small rootes to them, will serue to bee stockes, and will come forward quickly; but if the suckers haue no small roots whereby they may comprehend in the ground, it is almost impossible it should hold or abide. There is another way to rayse vp eyther stockes to graft on, or trees without grafting, which is, by circumcising a faire and fit branch in this manner: About Midsomer, when the sappe is thoroughly risen (or before if the yeare be forward) they vse to binde a good quantity of clay round about a faire and straight branch, of a reasonable good size or bignesse, with some conuenient bands, whether it be ropes of hey, or of any other thing, about an handfull aboue the ioynt, where the branch spreadeth from the tree, and cutting the barke thereof round about vnder the place where the clay is bound, the sap is hereby hindered from rising, or descending further then that place so circumcised, whereby it will shoote out small knubs and rootes into the clay, which they suffer so to abide vntill the beginning of winter, whenas with a fine Sawe they cut off that branch where it was circumcised, and afterwardes place it in the ground where they would haue it to grow, and stake it, and binde it fast, which will shoote forth rootes, and will become eyther a faire tree to beare fruite without grafting, or else a fit stocke to graft on according to the kinde: but oftentimes this kinde of propagation misseth, in that it sendeth not forth rootes sufficient to cause it to abide any long time. Let me yet before I leaue this narration of Plummes, giue you one admonition more, that vpon whatsoeuer Plumme stocke you doe graft, yet vpon a Damson stocke that you neuer striue to graft, for it (aboue all other sorts of Plumme stockes) will neuer giue you a tree worth your labour. It remaineth only of stone fruit, that I speake of Cornelles, which as yet I neuer saw grafted vpon any stocke, being as it should seeme vtterly repugnant to the nature thereof, to abide grafting, but is wholly raysed vp (as I said before) eyther from the stones, or from the suckers or layers. For Peares and Apples your vsuall stockes to graft on are (as I said before, speaking of the nursing vp of trees from the kernels) your Crabbe stockes, and they bee accepted in euery Countrey of this Land as they may conueniently be had, yet many doe take the stockes of better fruit, whether they bee suckers, or stockes raysed from the kernels (and the most common and knowne way of grafting, is in the stocke for all sorts of them, although some doe vse whipping, packing on, or incising, as euery one list to call it: but now we doe in many places begin to deale with Peares and Apples as with other stone fruit, that is, graft them all in the bud, which is found the most compendious and safest way both to preserue your stocke from perishing, and to bring them the sooner to couer the stock, as also to make the goodlier and straighter tree, being grafted at what height you please:) for those stockes that are raysed from the kernels of good fruit (which are for the most part easily knowne from others, in that they want those thornes or prickles the wilde kindes are armed withall:) I say for the most part; for I know that the kernels of some good fruite hath giuen stockes with prickles on them (which, as I thinke, was because that good fruite was taken from a wilde stocke that had not beene long enough grafted to alter his wilde nature; for the longer a tree is grafted, the more strength the fruite taketh from the graft, and the lesse still from the stocke) being smoother and fairer then the wilde kinds, must needes make a goodlier tree, and will not alter any whit the taste of your fruit that is grafted thereon, but rather adde some better rellish thereunto; for the Crabbe stockes yeelding harsh fruite, must giue part of their nature to the grafts are set thereon, and therefore the taste or rellish, as well as some other naturall properties of most fruits, are somewhat altered by the stocke. Another thing I would willingly giue you to vnderstand concerning your fruits and stockes, that whereas diuers for curiosity and to try experiments haue grafted Cherries vpon Plumme stockes, or Plums on Cherry stockes, Apples vpon Peare stockes, and Peares vpon Apple stockes, some of these haue held the graft a yeare, two or three peraduenture, but I neuer knew that euer they held long, or to beare fruite, much lesse to abide or doe well: bestow not therefore your paines and time on such contrary natures, vnlesse it be for curiositie, as others haue done: Yet I know that they that graft peares on a white thorne stocke haue had their grafts seeme to thriue well, and continue long, but I haue seldome seene the fruite thereof answerable to the naturall wilde Peare stocke; yet the Medlar is knowne to thriue best on a white thorne. And lastly, whereas diuers doe affirme that they may haue not only good stockes to graft vpon, but also faire trees to bear store of fruit from the kernels of Peares or Apples being prickt into the ground, and suffered to grow without remouing, and then eyther grafted or suffered to grow into great trees vngrafted; and for their bearing of fruite, assigne a dozen or twenty yeares from the first setting of the kernels, and abiding vngrafted, I haue not seene or heard that experience to hold certaine, or if it should be so, yet it is too long time lost, and too much fruit also, to waite twenty yeares for that profit may be gained in a great deale of lesse time, and with more certainty. Vnto these instructions let mee adde also one more, which is not much known and vsed, and that is, to haue fruit within foure or fiue years from the first sowing of your stones or kernels in this manner: After your stockes raysed from stones or kernels are two or three yeares old, take the fairest toppe or branch, and graft it as you would doe any other cyon taken from a bearing tree, and looke what rare fruite, eyther Peare or Apple, the kernell was of that you sowed, or Peach or Plum&c.the stone was set, such fruite shall you haue within two or three yeares at the most after the grafting, if it take, and the stocke be good. And thus may you see fruit in farre lesse time then to stay vntill the tree from a kernell or stone beareth fruit of it selfe.Chap. IIII.The diuers manners of grafting all sorts of fruits vsed in our Land.The most vsuall manner of grafting in the stocke is so common and well known in this Land to euery one that hath any thing to doe with trees or an Orchard, that I think I shall take vpon mee a needlesse worke to set downe that is so well knowne to most; yet how common soeuer it is, some directions may profit euery one, without which it is not easily learned. And I doe not so much spend my time and paines herein for their sakes that haue knowledge, but for such as not knowing would faine be taught priuately, I meane, to reade the rules of the arte set downe in priuate, when they would refuse to learne of a Gardiner, or other by sight: and yet I discommend not that way vnto them to learne by sight; for one may see more in an instant by sight, then he shall learn by his own practice in a great while, especially if he be a little practised before he see a cunning hand to doe it. There are many other kindes of grafting, which shall be spoken of hereafter, and peraduenture euen they that know it well, may learne something they knew not before.1. The grafting in the stocke, is, to set the sprigge of a good fruit into the body or stocke of another tree, bee it wilde or other, bee it young or old, to cause that tree to bring forth such fruit as the tree bore from whence you took the sprigge, and not such as the stocke or tree would haue borne, if it had not beene grafted, and is performed in this manner: Looke what tree or stocke you will chuse to graft on, you must with a small fine sawe and very sharpe, whip off, or cut off the head or toppe thereof at what height you eyther thinke best for your purpose, or conuenient for the tree: for if you graft a great tree, you cannot without endangering the whole, cut it downe so low to the ground, as you may without danger doe a small tree, or one that is of a reasonable size; and yet the lower or neerer the ground you graft a young tree, the safer it is both for your stocke and graft, because the sappe shall not ascend high, but soone giue vigour to the graft to take and shoote quickly: After you haue cut off the toppe of your stocke, cut or smooth the head thereof with a sharpe knife, that it may be as plaine and smooth as you can, and then cleaue it with a hammer or mallet, and with a strong knife, cleauer or chessell, either in the middle of it if it be small, or of a reasonable size, or on the sides an inch or more within the barke, if it be great: into both sides of the cleft put your grafts, or into one if the stocke bee smaller; which grafts must bee made fit for the purpose on this fashion: Hauing made choise of your grafts from the toppe branches especially, or from the sides of that tree whereof you would haue the fruit, and that they be of a reasonable good size, not too small or too great for your stockes, and of one or the same yeares shoote; (and yet many doe cut an inch or more of the olde wood with the sprigge of the last yeares growth, and so graft the old and young together, but both are good, and the old wood no better then the young) cut your graft not too long, but with two, three or foure eyes or buds at the most, which at the lower or bigger end for an inch long or more (for the greater stockes, and an inch or lesse for the lesser sort) must be so cut, that it be very thin on the one side from the shoulders downward, and thicker on the other, and thin also at the end, that it may goe downe close into the cleft, and rest at the shoulders on the head of the stocke: but take heede that in cutting your grafts your knife bee very sharpe that you doe not rayse any of the barke, eyther at the sides or the end, for feare of losing both your paines and graft, and stocke too peraduenture; and let not your grafts bee made long before you set them, or else put the ends of them in water to keepe them fresh and cleane: when you set them you must open the cleft of your stocke with a wedge or chessell as most doe, that the graft may goe easily into it, and that the barke of both graft and stocke may ioyne close the one to the other, which without stirring or displacing must bee so left in the cleft, and the wedge or chessell gently pulled forth; but because in the doing hereof consisteth in a manner the whole losse or gaine of your paines, graft and stocke, to preuent which inconuenience I doe vse an iron Instrument, the forme whereof is showne in the following page, marked with the letter A, crooked at both ends, and broade like vnto a chessell, the one bigger, and the other lesser, to fit all sorts of stockes, and the iron handle somewhat long betweene them both, that being thrust or knocked downe into the cleft, you may with your left hand open it as wide as is fit to let in your graft, without strayning, which being placed, this iron may bee pulled or knocked vp againe without any mouing of your graft: when you haue thus done, you must lay a good handfull or more (according to the bignesse of your stocke) of soft and well moistned clay or loame, well tempered together with short cut hey or horse dung, vpon the head of your stocke, as lowe or somewhat lower then the cleft, to keepe out all winde, raine or ayre from your graft vntill Midsomer at the least, that the graft be shot forth somewhat strongly, which then if you please may be remoued, and the cleft at the head only filled with a little clay to keepe out earewigs, or other things that may hurt your graft.Page 543:Grafting tools and methods.A. The Iron Instrument with chessels at each end, the one bigger and the other lesser, to keepe the cleft of the Tree open vntill the graft bee placed in the stocke, which with a knock vpwards will be easily taken away.B. The small Penne-knife with a broad and thinne ended hafte, to raise the sides both of the bud and the down-right slit in the body or arme of a Tree to be grafted in the bud.C. A pen or quil cut halfe round to take off a bud from the branch.D. An Iuory Instrument made to the same fashion.E. A shielde of brasse made hollow before to be put into the slit, to keepe it open vntill the bud be put into its place.F. The manner of grafting called incising or splicing.G. A Ladder made with a stoole at the toppe, to serue both to graft higher or lower, and also to gather fruit without spoyling or hurting any buddes or branches of Trees.1. The first slit in the body or arme of a Tree to be grafted in the bud with the crosse cut at the head.2. The same slit opened on both sides, ready to receiue the budde should be put therein: these small peeces serue as well as trees to shew the manner and order of the grafting.3. The branch of a Tree with one budde cut ready to be taken off, and another not yet touched.4. The bud cleane taken off from the branch, both the foreside and backside.5. The graft or bud now put into the stocke or tree you intend to be grafted: but the binding thereof is omitted.2. Inarching is another manner of grafting in the stocke, and is more troublesome, and more casuall also then the former, and is rather a curiosity then any way of good speede, certainety or profit, and therefore vsed but of a few. Yet to shew you, themanner thereof, it is thus: Hauing a tree well growne, bee it high or low, yet the lower the better, with young branches well spread, they vse to set stockes round about it, or on the one side as you please; into which stockes they ingraft the young branches of the well growne tree as they are growing (before they cut them from the tree) by bowing downe the branch they intend to graft, and putting it into the stocke, hauing first cut off the head thereof, and cut a notch in the middle of the head a little slope on both sides, wherein the branch must be fitted: let the branch be cut thinne on the vnderside, only of that length as may suffice to fit the notch in the stocke, leauing about halfe a yarde length of the branch, to rise aboue or beyond the stocke, which beeing bound on, and clayed ouer or couered with red or greene soft waxe, they let so abide, that if it take in the stocke they cut off the branch a little below the grafting place in Nouember following, and remouing the stocke, they haue thus gained a grafted and growne tree the first yeare: but it is vsually seene, that where one branch taketh, three doe misse: yet this manner of grafting was much in vse for May Cherries, when they were first known to vs, and the way thought to be a rare manner of grafting to encrease them, vntill a better way was found out, which now is so common and good also, that this is not now scarce thought vpon.3. Another kinde of grafting in the stocke is called of some whipping, of some splicing, of others incising, and of others packing on (and as I heare, is much vsed in the West parts especially, and also in the North parts of this Land) and is performed in this manner: Take and slice the branch of a tree (so as the branch be not too bigge) or else a young tree of two, or three, or foure yeares growth at the most, quite off slope wise, about an inch and a halfe long or more, and cut a deep notch in the middle thereof, then fit into it a graft iust of that size or bignesse, cut on both sides with shoulders, and thin at the end, that it may ioyne close in the notch, and neyther bigger or lesser, but that the barke of the one may bee fitted iust to the barke of the other, the figure wherof is expressed at the letters E.F. which shew the one to be with a shoulder & the other without; binde them gently together with bast, and put clay or waxe ouer the place, vntill it be taken: this is much vsed of late dayes for such young trees as are risen of stones or kernels after the second or third yeares growth, and thriue very well in that it not only saueth much time, but diuers checks by remouing and grafting.4. Inoculating or grafting in the budde is another manner of grafting, which is the taking of a budde from one tree, and putting it into the barke of another tree, to the end, that thereby you may haue of the same kinde of fruit the tree bare from whence the budde was taken; and although it bee sufficiently knowne in many places of this Land, yet as I vnderstand, good Gardiners in the North parts, and likewise in some other places, can scarce tell what it meaneth, or at the least how to doe it well. It is performed after a different fashion from the former, although they all tend vnto one end, which is the propagating of trees. You must for this purpose obserue, that for those trees you would graft, either with, or vpon, you choose a fit time in Summer, when the sappe is well risen, and your graft well shot, that the barke will rise easily and cleanly, both of stocke and graft, which time I cannot appoint, because both the years doe differ in earlinesse, and the seuerall parts or countries of this Land likewise one from another, but most vsually in these Southerne parts, from the beginning of Iune vnto the end of it, or to the middle of Iuly, or either somewhat before or after. First (as I said) hauing taken the fitted time of the yeare, you must take especiall care, that your grafts be well growne, and of the same yeares shoote, and also that the buds or eyes haue but single leaues at them, as neere as you can: for I would vtterly refuse those buds that haue aboue two leaues as vnprofitable, either in Peaches or any other fruit; and therefore see that your grafts or cyons bee taken from the chiefest place of the tree, that is, either from the toppe, or from a sunnie side thereof, and not from the contrarie side if you may otherwise, nor from any vnder-boughes; for seeing your graft is so small a thing, you had neede take the more care that it be the best and fairest. You must to take off this eye or budde from the sprigge, haue a small sharpe pen-knife, the end of the haft being made flat and thinne, like a chessell or wedge, the figure whereof is set forth at the letter B, and a pen or goose quill cut, to be lesse then halfe round, and to be broad at the end, but not sharpe pointed like a penne, or else such a peece of bone or Iuorie made in that fashion as the quill is, to bee thinne, hollow, orhalfe round, the figures of both which are marked with the letters C, D, with your knife cut the barke of the bud (hauing first cut off the leafe, leauing onely the short foote-stalke thereof at the bud) about a strawes breadth aboue the eye thereof halfe round, and then from that round or ouerthwart cut, with your knife cut it downe on both sides of the eye, close to the bud slopewise about an inch long or thereabouts, that it bee broad at the head aboue the eye, and pointing at the end like a sheild or scutcheon; and then cutting away the rest of the barke from about it, with the thinne flat end of the haft of your knife raise vp both sides of your bud a little, and with your quill or bone put vnder the barke, raise your budde, and thrust it quite off, beginning at the toppe or head of your eye; but see that you thrust it off close to the wood of the branch or sprigge, and that you doe not leaue the eye of the budde behinde sticking vpon the branch; for if that eye be left or lost, your bud is worth nothing; you must cast it away, and cut another that may haue that eye abiding within the budde on the inside: you may perceiue if that eye be wanting, if you see an emptie hole in the place where the eye should be, to fill it vp on the inside thereof; thus hauing taken off your bud well and cleanly, which is set forth vnto you at the figures, 3 and 4. presently set it on the tree you would graft (for your small budde can abide no delay, lest by taking the ayre too long it become dry, and nothing worth) in this manner: Cut the barke of your tree you would graft in a smooth place, at what height you please, first aboue or ouerthwart, and then downe right in the middle thereof, more then an inch long, the figure whereof you shall haue at the figure 1. and then raise vp both sides of the barke, first one, and then another, with the flat and thinne haft end of your knife, a prettie way inwards (for if the barke will not rise easily, the stocke is not then fit to graft vpon) put in your budde into the cleft with the point downewards, holding the stalke of the leafe that is with the budde betweene your fingers of the one hand, and opening the cleft with the flat end of your knife with the other hand, that the head of your bud may be put close vnder the ouerthwart cut in the stocke or tree (which must not be raised or stirred as the sides are) & the eye of the bud stand iust in the middle of the slit that is downeright, and then closing the barke of the stocke or tree softly vnto the bud thus put in with your fingers, let it be bound gently with a small long peece of baste, or other such like soft thing, first aboue the eye, & then compassing it belowe as close as you can, but not too hard in any case, vntil you haue bound it all ouer the slit you made, especially the lower end, lest any winde get in to dry and spoile it; and hauing tyed both ends thereof fast, leaue it so for a fortnight or somewhat more, in which space it will take and hold, if it be well done, which you shall perceiue, if the bud abide green, and turne not blacke, when you haue vnloosed the tying; for if it hold fast to the tree, and be fresh and good, tye it vp gently againe, and so leaue it for a fortnight longer, or a moneth if you will, and then you may take away your binding cleane: this budde will (if no other mischance happen vnto it) spring and shoote forth the next yeare, (and sometimes the same yeare, but that is seldome) and therefore in the beginning of the yeare, cut off the head of the grafted tree about an handfull aboue the grafted place, vntill the graft be growne strong, and then cut it off close, that the head may be couered with the graft, and doe not suffer any buds to sprout besides the graft, either aboue or belowe it. If you graft diuers buds vpon one stocke (which is the best way) let that onely remaine and abide that shooteth best forth, and rubbe off, or take away the other: the seuerall parts of this grafting I haue caused to be expressed for your further information.5. Grafting in the scutcheon is accounted another kinde of grafting, and differeth verie little from grafting in the budde: the difference chiefly consisteth in this, that in stead of the downe right slit, and that aboue ouerthwart, they take away iust so much barke of the great tree, as your budde is in bignesse, which vsually is a little larger then the former, and placing it therein, they binde it as formerly is said: some vse for this purpose a paire of compasses, to giue the true measure both of bud and stocke; this manner of grafting is most vsed vpon greater trees, whose young branches are too high to graft vpon in the former maner, and whose tops they cut off (for the most part) at the latter end of the next yeare after the bud is taken: both these waies were inuented to saue the losse of trees, which are more endangered by grafting in the stocke,then any of these waies; and besides, by these waies you may graft at a farre greater height without losse.Chap. V.Of the manner of grafting and propagating all sorts of Roses.Hauing now spoken of the grafting of trees, let mee adioyne the properties of Roses, which although they better fit a Garden then an Orchard, yet I could not in a fitter place expresse them then here, both for the name and affinity of grafting, & because I do not expresse it in the first part. All sorts of Roses may be grafted (although all sorts are not, some seruing rather for stockes for others to be grafted on) as easily as any other tree, & is only performed, by inoculating in the same maner I haue set downe in theformer Chapterof grafting trees in the bud; for both stocke and budde must bee dealt with after the same fashion. And although some haue boasted of grafting Roses by dicing or whipping, as they call it, or in the stocke, after the first manner, set downe in the former Chapter, yet I thinke it rather a bragge, not hauing seene or heard any true effect proceede from that relation. The sweete Briar or Eglantine, the white and the Damaske Roses, are the chiefest stockes to graft vpon. And if you graft lowe or neare the ground, you may by laying downe that graft within the ground, after it hath bin shot out well, and of a years growth, by pinning it fast downe with short stickes, a thwart or acrosse, cause that grafted branch, by taking roote, to become a naturall Rose, such as the graft was, which being separated and transplanted after it hath taken root wel, will prosper as well as any naturall sucker. And in this maner, by laying downe branches at length into the ground, if they be full of spreading small branches, you may increase all sorts of Roses quickly and plentifully; for they will shoote forth rootes at the ioynts of euery branch: But as for the manner of grafting white Roses or Damaske vpon Broome stalkes or Barbary bushes, to cause them to bring forth double yellow Roses, or vpon a Willowe, to beare greene Roses, they are all idle conceits, as impossible to be effected, as other things, whereof I haue spoken in theninth Chapter of my first part, concerning a Garden of flowers, vnto which I referre you to be satisfied with the reasons there alledged. And it is the more needlesse, because we haue a naturall double yellow Rose of it owne growing. The sowing of the seedes of Roses (which are sometimes found vpon most sorts of Roses, although not euery yeare, and in euerie place) hath bin formerly much vsed; but now the laying downe of the young shootes is a way for increase so much vsed, being safe and verie speedie to take, especially for those Roses that are not so apt to giue suckers, that it hath almost taken quite away the vse of sowing of the seedes of Roses, which yet if anie one be disposed to make the triall, they must gather the seede out of the round heads, from amongst the doune, wherein they lye verie like vnto the berries of the Eglantine or sweete Briar bush, and especially of those Roses that bee of the more single kindes, which are more apt to giue berries for seed then the more double, although sometimes the double Roses yeeld the like heads or berries. Their time of sowing is in the end of September (yet some reserue them vntill February) and their manner of noursing is to bee transplanted, after the first or second yeares growth, and tended carefully, that while they are young they be not lost for want of moisture in the dry time of Summer.Chap. VI.Certaine rules and obseruations in and after grafting, not remembred in the former Chapter.The time of some manners of grafting being not mentioned before, must here be spoken of. For the grafting of all sorts of trees in the stocke, the most vsuall time is from the middle of February vntill the middle of March, as the yeare and the countrie is more forward or backward, with vs about London wee neuer passe midde March: but because the May Cherrie is first ripe, and therefore of a very forward nature, it doth require to be grafted somewhat sooner then others. The time of gathering likewise, or cutting your grafts for grafting in the stocke, is to be obserued, that they bee not long gathered before they bee grafted, for feare of being too dry, which I commend, howsoeuer diuers say, if they be long kept they are not the worse; and therefore if you be forced to haue your grafts from farre, or by some other chance to keepe them long, be carefull to keepe them moist, by keeping their ends stucke in moist clay; but if neare hand, neglect no time I say after the cutting of them for their grafting, but either the same, or the next day, or verie speedily after, in the meane time being put into the ground to keepe them fresh. The grafts taken from old trees, because they are stronger, and shoote forth sooner, are to bee sooner grafted then those that are taken from younger trees: of a good branch may bee made two, and sometimes three grafts sufficient for anie reasonable stocke. For whipping, the time is somewhat later then grafting in the stocke, because it is performed on younger trees, which (as I said before) doe not so early bud or shoote forth as the elder. Inarching likewise is performed much about the later end of the grafting time in the stocke; for being both kindes thereof they require the same time of the yeare. The times of the other manners of graftings are before expressed, to bee when they haue shot forth young branches, from whence your buds must be taken; and therefore need not here againe to be repeated. If a graft in the stocke doth happen not to shoote forth when others do (so as it holdeth green) it may perchance shoot out a moneth or two after, & do well, or else after Midsummer, when a second time of shooting, or the after Spring appeareth: but haue an especiall care, that you take not such a graft that shal haue nothing but buds for flowers vpon it, and not an eye or bud for leaues (which you must be carefull to distinguish) for such a graft after it hath shot out the flowers must of necessitie dye, not hauing wherewith to maintaine it selfe. Also if your good graft doe misse, and not take, it doth hazzard your stocke at the first time, yet manie stockes doe recouer to be grafted the second time; but twice to faile is deadly, which is not so in the inoculating of buds in the greene tree: for if you faile there in three, or three times three, yet euerie wound being small, and the tree still growing greene, will quickly recouer it, and not be afterwards seen. Some vse to graft in the stocke the same yeare they remoue the stocke, to saue time, & a second checke by grafting; but I like better both in grafting in the stocke, and in the bud also, that your trees might be planted in the places where you would haue them growe, for a yeare or two at the least before you graft them, that after grafting there should be no remouall, I neede not be tedious, nor yet I hope verie sollicitous to remember many other triuiall, or at the least common knowne things in this matter. First, for the time to remoue trees, young or old, grafted or vngrafted, to be from a fortnight after Michaelmas vntill Candlemas, or if neede be, somewhat after, yet the sooner your remoue is, the better your trees will thriue, except it be in a very moist ground. For the manner or way to set them:viz.in the high and dry grounds set them deeper, both to haue the more moisture, and to be the better defended from windes; and in the lower and moister grounds Shallower, and that the earth be mellow, well turned vp, and that the finer earth bee put among the small rootes, wherein they may spread, and afterwards gently troden downe, that no hollownesse remaine among the rootes: as also that after setting (if the time be not ouermoist) there may be some water powred to the rootes, to moisten and fasten them the better; and in the dry time of Summer, after the setting, let them not want moisture, if you willhaue them thriue and prosper; for the want thereof at that time, hath often killed manie a likely tree. To stake and fence them also if neede bee after they are new set, and so to continue for two or three yeares after, is verie expedient, lest windes or other casualties spoile your paines, and ouerthrow your hopes. And likewise to defend your grafts from birds lighting on them, to breake or displace them, to sticke some prickes or sharpe pointed stickes longer then your graft into your clay, that so they may be a sure defence of it: As also to tye some woollen cloathes about the lower end of your stockes, or thrust in some thornes into the ground about the rootes, to defend them from hauing their barkes eaten by Conies, or hurt by some other noisome vermine.Chap. VII.Obseruations for the dressing and well keeping of Trees and an Orchard in good order.There are two manner of waies to dresse and keepe trees in good order, that they may bee both gracefull and fruitfull; the one is for wall-trees, the other is for standards: for as their formes are different, so is their keeping or ordering. Wall trees, because they are grafted lowe, and that their branches must be plasht or tackt vnto the wall to fasten them, are to be so kept, that all their branches may be suffered to growe, that shoote forth on either side of the bodie, and led either along the wall, or vpright, and one to lappe ouer or vnder another as is conuenient, and still with peeces of lists, parings of felt, peeces of soft leather, or other such like soft thing compassing the armes or branches, fastened with small or great nailes, as neede requireth, to the wals, onely those buds or branches are to be nipped or cut off, that shoot forward, and will not so handsomely be brought into conformity, as is fitting; yet if the branches growe too thicke, to hinder the good of the rest, or too high for the wall, they may, nay they must be cut away or lopped off: and if anie dead branches also happen to be on the trees, they must be cut away, that the rest may haue the more libertie to thriue. Diuers also by carefully nipping away the waste and superfluous buds, doe keepe their trees in conformity, without much cutting. The time to pruine or plash, or tye vp wall trees, is vsually from the fall of the leafe, to the beginning of the yeare, when they begin to blossome, and most especially a little before or after Christmas: but in any case not too late, for feare of rubbing off their buds. Some I know doe plash and tye vp their wall trees after bearing time, while the leaues are greene, and their reason is, the buds are not so easie or apt to bee rubbed from the branches at that time, as at Christmas, when they are more growne: but the leaues must needes be very cumbersome, to hinder much both the orderly placing, and close fastening of them to the wall. This labour you must performe euery yeare in its due time; for if you shall neglect and ouerslip it, you shall haue much more trouble, to bring them into a fit order againe, then at the first. The standard trees in an Orchard must be kept in another order; for whereas the former are suffered to spread at large, these must be pruined both from superfluous branches that ouerload the trees, & make them lesse fruitfull, as well as lesse sightly, and the vnder or water boughes likewise, that drawe much nourishment from the trees and yet themselues little the better for it, I meane to giue fruit. If therefore your Orchard consist of young trees, with a little care and paines it may bee kept in that comely order and proportion it was first defined vnto; but if it consist of old growne trees, they will not without a great deale of care and paines be brought into such conformitie, as is befitting good, and comely trees: for the marke of those boughes or branches that are cut off from young trees, will quickly be healed againe, the barke growing quickly ouer them, whereby they are not worse for the cutting, but an old tree if you cut off a bough, you must cut it close and cleanly, and lay a searcloth of tallow, waxe, and a little pitch melted together vpon the place, to keepe off both the winde, sunne, and raine, untill the barke haue couered it ouer againe: and in this manner you must deale with all such short stumps of branches, as are either broken short off with the winde, or by carelesnesse orwant of skill, or else such armes or branches as are broken off close, or sliued from the body of the tree: for the raine beating and falling into such a place, will in short time rotte your tree, or put it in danger, besides the deformity. Some vse to fill vp such an hole with well tempered clay, and tacke a cloth or a peece of leather ouer it vntill it be recouered, and this is also not amisse. Your young trees, if they stand in anie good ground, will bee plentifull enough in shooting forth branches; bee carefull therefore if they growe too thicke, that you pruine away such as growe too close (and will, if they be suffered, spoile one another) as they may be best spared, that so the sunne, ayre, and raine may haue free accesse to all your branches, which will make them beare the more plentifully, and ripen them the sooner and the more kindly. If anie boughes growe at the toppe too high, cut them also away, that your trees may rather spread then growe too high. And so likewise for the vnder boughes, or anie other that by the weight of fruit fall or hang downe, cut them off at the halfe, and they will afterwards rise and shoote vpwards. You shall obserue, that at all those places where anie branches haue been cut away, the sappe will euer bee readie to put forth: if therefore you would haue no more branches rise from that place, rubbe off or nippe off such buddes as are not to your minde when they are new shot: and thus you may keep your trees in good order with a little paines, after you haue thus pruined and dressed them. One other thing I would aduertise you of, and that is how to preserue a fainting or decaying tree which is readie to perish, if it be not gone too farre or past cure, take a good quantitie of oxe or horse bloud, mixe therewith a reasonable quantitie of sheepe or pigeons dung, which being laid to the roote, will by the often raines and much watering recouer it selfe, if there bee anie possibilitie; but this must bee done in Ianuarie or Februarie at the furthest.Chap. VIII.Diuers other obseruations to be remembred in the well keeping of an Orchard.There be diuers other things to be mentioned, whereof care must be had, either to doe or auoide, which I thinke fit in this Chapter promiscuously to set down, that there may be nothing wanting to furnish you with sufficient knowledge of the care, paines, and casualties that befall an Orchard: for it hath many enemies, and euery one laboureth as much as in them lye, to spoile you of your pleasure, or profit, or both, which must bee both speedily and carefully preuented and helped; and they are these: Mosse, Caterpillars, Ants, Earwigs, Snailes, Moales, and Birds. If Mosse begin to ouergrowe your trees, looke to it betimes, lest it make your trees barren: Some vse to hacke, and crossehacke, or cut the barke of the bodies of their trees, to cause it fall away; but I feare it may endanger your trees. Others do either rubbe it off with a haire cloth, or with a long peece of wood formed like a knife, at the end of a long sticke or pole, which if it bee vsed cauteiously without hurting the buds, I like better. Caterpillars, some smoake them with burning wet strawe or hay, or such like stuffe vnder the trees; but I doe not greatly like of that way: others cut off the boughes whereon they breed, and tread them vnder their feete, but that will spoile too manie branches; and some kill them with their hands, but some doe vse a new deuised way, that is, a pompe made of lattin or tin, spout-fashion, which being set in a tubbe of water vnder or neare your trees, they will cause the water to rise through it with such a force, and through the branches, that it will wash them off quickly. To destroy Ants, that eate your fruit before and when it is ripe, some vse to annoint the bodies of their trees with tarre, that they may not creepe vp on the branches; but if that doe not helpe, or you will not vse it, you must be careful to finde out their hill, and turne it vp, pouring in scalding water, either in Summer, but especially if you can in Winter, and that will surely destroy them. I haue spoken of Earwigs in the first part of this worke, entreating of the annoyances of Gilloflowers, and therefore I referre you thereunto: yet one way more Iwill here relate which some doe vse, and that is with hollow canes of halfe a yard long or more, open at both ends for them to creepe in, and stucke or laid among the branches of your trees, will soone drawe into them many Earwigs, which you may soone kill, by knocking the cane a little vpon the ground, and treading on them with your foote. Snailes must be taken with your hands, and that euerie day, especially in the morning when they will be creeping abroad. Moales by running vnder your trees make them lesse fruitfull, and also put them in danger to be blowne downe, by leauing the ground hollow, that thereby the rootes haue not that strength in the ground, both to shoote and to hold, that otherwise they might haue. Some haue vsed to put Garlicke, and other such like things into their holes, thinking thereby to driue them away, but to no purpose: others haue tryed manie other waies; but no way doth auaile anie thing, but killing them either with a Moale spade, or a trappe made for the purpose as manie doe know: and they must bee watched at their principall hill, and trenched round, and so to be caught. Birds are another enemie both to your trees and fruit; for the Bullfinch will destroy all your stone fruit in the budde, before they flower, if you suffer them, and Crowes,&c.when your Cherries are ripe: for the smaller birds, Lime twigs set either neare your trees, or at the next water where they drinke, will helpe to catch them and destroy them. And for the greater birds, a stone bowe, a birding or fowling peece will helpe to lessen their number, and make the rest more quiet: or a mill with a clacke to scarre them away, vntill your fruit be gathered. Some other annoyances there are, as suckers that rise from the rootes of your trees, which must be taken away euerie yeare, and not suffered to growe anie thing great, for feare of robbing your trees of their liuelihood. Barke bound, is when a tree doth not shoote and increase, by reason the barke is as it were drie, and will not suffer the sappe to passe vnto the branches: take a knife therefore, and slit the barke downe almost all the length of the tree in two or three places, and it will remedy that euill, and the tree will thriue and come forward the better after. Barke pilled is another euill that happeneth to some trees, as well young as old, either by reason of casuall hurts, or by the gnawing of beasts, howsoeuer it bee, if it bee anie great hurt, lay a plaister thereon made of tallow, tarre, and a little pitch, and binde it thereto, letting it so abide vntill the wound bee healed: yet some doe only apply a little clay or loame bound on with ropes of hay. The Canker is a shrewd disease when it happeneth to a tree; for it will eate the barke round, and so kill the very heart in a little space. It must be looked vnto in time before it hath runne too farre; most men doe wholly cut away as much as is fretted with the Canker, and then dresse it, or wet it with vinegar or Cowes pisse, or Cowes dung and vrine,&c.vntill it be destroyed, and after healed againe with your salue before appointed. There are yet some other enemies to an Orchard: for if your fence be not of bricke or stone, but either a mudde wall, or a quicke set or dead hedge, then looke to it the more carefully, and preuent the comming in of either horse, or kine, sheepe, goates, or deere, hare, or conie; for some of them will breake through or ouer to barke your trees, and the least hole almost in the hedge will giue admittance to hares and conies to doe the like. To preuent all which, your care must be continuall to watch them or auoide them, and to stoppe vp their entrance. A dogge is a good seruant for many such purposes, and so is a stone bowe, and a peece to make vse of as occasion shall serue. But if you will take that medicine for a Canker spoken of before, which is Cowes dung and vrine mixed together, and with a brush wash your trees often to a reasonable height, will keepe hares and conies from eating or barking your trees. Great and cold windes doe often make a great spoile in an Orchard, but great trees planted without the compasse thereof, as Wall-nuts, Oakes, Elmes, Ashes, and the like, will stand it in great stead, to defend it both early and late. Thus haue I shewed you most of the euils that may happen to an Orchard, and the meanes to helpe them, and because the number is great and daily growing, the care and paines must be continuall, the more earnest and diligent, lest you lose that in a moment that hath been growing many yeares, or at the least the profit or beauty of some yeares fruit.Chap. IX.The manner and way how to plant, order, and keepe other trees that beare greene leaues continually.The way to order those trees that beare their leaues greene continually, is differing from all others that doe not so: for neyther are they to bee planted or remoued at the time that all other trees are set, nor doe they require that manner of dressing, pruining and keeping, that others doe. And although many ignorant persons and Gardiners doe remoue Bay trees, and are so likewise perswaded that all other trees of that nature, that is, that carry their greene leaues continually, may bee remoued in Autumne or Winter, as well as all other trees may bee, yet it is certaine it is a great chance if they doe thriue and prosper that are set at that time, or rather it is found by experience, that scarce one of ten prospereth well that are so ordered. Now in regard that there be diuers trees and shrubs mentioned here in this booke that beare euer greene leaues, wherein there is very great beauty, and many take pleasure in them; as the ordinary Bay, the Rose Bay, and the Cherry Bay trees, the Indian Figge, the Cypresse, the Pine tree, the Mirtle and dwarfe Boxe, and many others; I will here shew you how to plant and order them, as is fittest for them. For in that they doe not shed their greene leaues in winter as other trees doe, you may in reason be perswaded that they are of another nature; and so they are indeede: for seeing they all grow naturally in warme Countries, and are from thence brought vnto vs, we must both plant them in a warmer place, and transplant them in a warmer time then other trees be, or else it is a great hazzard if they doe not perish and dye, the cold and frosts in the winter being able to pierce them through, if they should bee transplanted in winter, before they haue taken roote. You must obserue and take this therefore for a certaine rule, that you alwaies remoue such trees or shrubbes as are euer greene in the spring of the yeare, and at no time else if you will doe well, that is, from the end of March, or beginning of Aprill, vnto the middle or end of May, especially your more dainty and tender plants, shadowing them also for a while from the heate of the Sun, and giuing them a little water vpon their planting or transplanting; but such water as hath not perfectly been drawn from a Well or Pumpe, for that will go neer to kill any plant, but such water as hath stood in the open ayre for a day at the least, if not two or three. Yet for dwarfe Boxe I confesse it may endure one moneth to be earlier planted then the rest, because it is both a more hardy and lowe plant, and thereby not so much subiect to the extremitie of the colde: but if you should plant it before winter, the frosts would raise it out of the ground, because it cannot so soone at that time of the yeare take roote, and thereby put it in danger to be lost. Moreouer all of them will not abide the extremitie of our winter frosts, and therefore you must of necessity house some of them, as the Rose Bay, Mirtle, and some others, but the other sorts being set where they may bee somewhat defended from the cold windes, frostes, and snow in winter, with some couering or shelter for the time, will reasonably well endure and beare their fruit, or the most of them. If any be desirous to be furnished with store of these kinds of trees that will be noursed vp in our Country, he may by sowing the seed of them in square or long woodden boxes or chests made for that purpose, gaine plenty of them: but hee must be carefull to couer them in winter with some straw or fearne, or beane hame, or such like thing layd vpon crosse sticks to beare it vp from the plants, and after two or three yeares that they are growne somewhat great and strong, they may bee transplanted into such places you meane they shall abide: yet it is not amisse to defend them the first yeare after they are transplanted, for their more securitie: the seedes that are most vsually sowen with vs, are, the Cypresse tree, the Pine tree, the Baye, the Pyracantha or prickly Corall tree, and the Mirtle: the Rose Bay I haue had also risen from the seede that was fresh, and brought me from Spaine. But as for Orenge trees, because they are so hardly preserued in this our cold climate (vnlesse it bee with some that doe bestow the housing of them, besides a great deale more of care and respect vnto them) from the bitternesse of our cold long winter weather (although theirkernels being put into the ground in the Spring or Summer, and if care bee had of them and conuenient keeping, will abide, and by grafting the good fruite on the crab stocke they may bee in time nursed vp) I doe not make any other especiall account of them, nor giue you any further relation of their ordering. Now for the ordering of these trees after they are eyther planted of young sets, or transplanted from the seede, it is thus: First for Bay trees, the most vsuall way is to let them grow vp high to bee trees, and many plant them on the North or East side of their houses that they may not bee scorched with the Sunne; but the bitter winters which we often haue, doe pinch them shrewdly, insomuch that it killeth euen well growne trees sometimes downe to the roote: but some doe make a hedge of them being planted in order, and keep them low by lopping of them continually, which will make them bush and spread. The Cypresse tree is neuer lopped, but suffered to grow with all the branches from a foote aboue the ground, if it may be, straight vpright; for that is his natiue grace and greatest beautie, and therefore the more branches doe dye that they must bee cut away, the more you deforme his propertie. The Pine tree may be vsed in the same manner, but yet it wil better endure to sustaine pruining then the Cypresse, without any such deformitie. The Laurocerasus or Cherry Bay may be diuersly formed, that is, it may be either made to grow into a tall tree by shredding still away the vnder branches, or else by suffering all the branches to grow to be a low or hedge bush, and both by the suckers and by laying downe the lower branches into the earth, you may soone haue much increase; but this way will cause it to bee the longer before it beare anie fruit. The Rose Baye will verie hardlie bee encreased either by suckers or by layers, but must bee suffered to grow without lopping, topping or cutting. The Pyracantha or Prickly Corall tree may bee made to grow into a reasonable tall tree by shredding away the lower branches, or it may be suffered to grow lowe into an hedge bush, by suffering all the branches to grow continually, you may also propagate it by the suckers, or by laying downe the lower branches. The Myrtle of all sorts abideth a low bush spreading his branches full of sweete leaues and flowers, without anie great encrease of it selfe, yet sometimes it giueth suckers or shootes from the rootes: but for the more speedie propagating of them, some doe put the cuttings of them into the earth, and thereby increase them. There are some other trees that are not of any great respect, as the Yew tree, and the Savine bush, both which may be encreased by the cuttings, and therefore I need not make any further relation or amplification of them, and to say thus much of them all, is (I thinke) sufficient for this Worke.Chap. X.The ordering, curing, and propagating Vines of all sorts.Inmost places of this countrie there is small care or paines taken about the ordering of Vines: it sufficeth for the most part with them that haue anie, to make a frame for it to spread vpon aboue a mans height, or to tacke it to a wall or window,&c.and so to let it hang downe with the branches and fruit, vntill the weight thereof, and the force of windes doe teare it downe oftentimes, and spoile the grapes: and this way doth somewhat resemble that course that the Vineyard keepers obserue in the hot countries of Syria, Spaine, and Italy, and in the farthest parts of France as I hear likewise: for in most of these hot countries they vse to plant an Oliue betweene two Vines, and let them runne thereupon. But manie of the other parts of France,&c.doe not suffer anie trees to growe among their Vines; and therefore they plant them thicke, and pruine them much and often, and keepe them lowe in comparison of the other way, fastening them to pearches or poles to hold them vp. And according to that fashion may haue aduentured to make Vineyards in England, not onely in these later daies, but in ancient times, as may wel witnesse the sundrie places in this Land, entituled by the name of Vineyards; and I haue read that manie Monasteries in this Kingdome hauing Vineyards, had as much wine made therefrom, as sufficed their conuents yeare by yeare: but long since they haue been destroyed, and the knowledge how to order a Vineyard is also vtterly perished with them. For although diuers, both Nobles and Gentlemen, haue in these later times endeauoured to plant and make Vineyards, and to that purpose haue caused French men, being skilfull in keeping and dressing of Vines, to be brought ouer to performe it, yet either their skill failed them, or their Vines were not good, or (the most likely) the soile was not fitting, for they could neuer make anie wine that was worth the drinking, being so small and heartlesse, that they soone gaue ouer their practice. And indeede the soile is a maine matter to bee chiefly considered to seate a Vineyard vpon: for euen in France and other hot countries, according to the nature of the soile, so is the rellish, strength, and durabilitie of the wine. Now although I think it a fruitlesse labour for any man to striue in these daies to make a good Vineyard in England, in regard not only of the want of knowledge, to make choise of the fitted ground for such Vines as you would plant thereupon but also of the true maner of ordering them in our country; but most chiefly & aboue all others, that our years in these times do not fal out to be so kindly and hot, to ripen the grapes, to make anie good wine as formerly they haue done; yet I thinke it not amisse, to giue you instructions how to order such Vines as you may nourse vp for the pleasure of the fruit, to eate the grapes being ripe, or to preserue and keepe them to bee eaten almost all the winter following: And this may be done without any great or extraordinarie paines. Some doe make a lowe wall, and plant their Vines against it, and keepe them much about the height thereof, not suffering them to rise much higher: but if the high bricke or stone wals of your Garden or Orchard haue buttresses thereat, or if you cause such to bee made, that they bee somewhat broade forwards, you may the more conueniently plant Vines of diuers sorts at them, and by sticking down a couple of good stakes at euery buttresse, of eight or ten foot high aboue ground, tacking a few lathes acrosse vpon those stakes, you may thereunto tye your Vines, & carry them theron at your pleasure: but you must be carefull to cut them euery year, but not too late, and so keepe them downe, and from farre spreading, that they neuer runne much beyond the frame which you set at the buttresses: as also in your cutting you neuer leaue too many ioynts, nor yet too few, but at the third or fourth ioint at the most cut them off. I doe aduise you to these frames made with stakes and lathes, for the better ripening of your grapes: for in the blooming time, if the branches of your vines bee too neare the wall, the reflection of the Sunne in the day time, and the colde in the night, doe oftentimes spoile a great deale of fruit, by piercing and withering the tender footstalkes of the grapes, before they are formed, whereas when the blossomes are past, and the fruit growing of some bignesse, then all the heate and reflection you can giue them is fit, and therefore cut away some of the branches with the leaues, to admit the more Sunne to ripen the fruit. For the diuers sorts of grapes I haue set them downe in theBooke following, with briefe notes vpon euerie of them, whether white or blacke, small or great, early or late ripe; so that I neede not here make the same relation again. There doth happen some diseases to Vines sometimes, which that you may helpe, I thinke it conuenient to informe you what they are, and how to remedy them when you shall be troubled with any such. The first is a luxurious spreading of branches and but little or no fruit: for remedie whereof, cut the branches somewhat more neere then vsuall, and bare the roote, but take heed of wounding or hurting it, and in the hole put either some good old rotten stable dung of Horses, or else some Oxe blood new taken from the beasts, and that in the middle of Ianuarie or beginning of Februarie, which being well tempered and turned in with the earth, let it so abide, which no doubt, when the comfort of the blood or dung is well soaked to the bottome by the raines that fall thereon, will cause your Vine to fructifie againe. Another fault is, when a Vine doth not bring the fruit to ripenesse, but either it withereth before it be growne of any bignesse, or presently after the blooming: the place or the earth where such a Vine standeth, assuredly is too cold, and therefore if the fault bee not in the place, which cannot bee helped without remouing to a better, digge out a good quantity of that earth, and put into the place thereof some good fresh ground well heartned with dung, and some sand mixed therewith (but not salt or salt water, as some doe aduise, nor yet vrine as others would haue) and this will hearten and strengthen your Vine to beare out the fruit vnto maturitie. When the leaues of a Vine in the end of Summer or in Autumne, vntimely doe turne either yellow or red, it is a great signe the earth istoo hot and drie; you must therefore in stead of dung and sand, as in the former defect is said, put in some fresh loame or short clay, well mixed together with some of the earth, and so let them abide, that the frosts may mellow them. And lastly, a Vine sometimes beareth some store of grapes, but they are too many for it to bring to ripenesse; you shall therefore helpe such a Vine (which no doubt is of some excellent kinde, for they are most vsually subiect to this fault) by nipping away the blossomes from the branches, and leauing but one or two bunches at the most vpon a branch, vntill the Vine be growne older, and thereby stronger, and by this meane inured to beare out all the grapes to ripenesse. These be all the diseases I know doe happen to Vines: for the bleeding of a Vine it seldome happeneth of it selfe, but commeth either by cutting it vntimely, that is, too late in the yeare, (for after Ianuarie, if you will be well aduised, cut not any Vine) or by some casuall or wilfull breaking of an arme or a branch. This bleeding in some is vnto death, in others it stayeth after a certaine space of it selfe: To helpe this inconuenience, some haue seared the place where it bleedeth with an hot iron, which in many haue done but a little good; others haue bound the barke close with packe-thred to stay it; and some haue tied ouer the place, being first dried as well as may bee, a plaister made with waxe rossen and turpentine while it is warme. Now for the propagating of them: You must take the fairest and goalest shot branches of one yeares growth, and cut them off with a peece of the old wood vnto it, and these being put into the ground before the end of Ianuarie at the furthest, will shoote forth, and take roote, and so become Vines of the same kinde from whence you tooke them. This is the most speedy way to haue increase: for the laying downe of branches to take roote, doth not yeelde such store so plentifully, nor doe suckers rise from the rootes so aboundantly; yet both these waies doe yeelde Vines that being taken from the old stockes will become young plants, fit to bee disposed of as any shall thinke meete.Chap. XI.The way to order and preserue grapes, fit to be eaten almost all the Winter long, and sometimes vnto the Spring.Although it bee common and vsuall in the parts beyond the Sea to dry their grapes in the Sunne, thereby to preserue them all the year, as the Raisins of the Sunne are, which cannot bee done in our Countrie for the want of sufficient heate thereof at that time: or otherwise to scald them in hot water (as I heare) and afterwards to dry them, and so keepe them all the yeare, as our Malaga Raisins are prepared that are packed vp into Frayles: yet I doe intend to shew you some other waies to preserue the grapes of our Countrie fresh, that they may be eaten in the winter both before and after Christmas with as much delight and pleasure almost, as when they were new gathered. One way is, when you haue gathered your grapes you intend to keepe, which must be in a dry time, and that all the shrunke, dried, or euill grapes in euery bunch be picked away, and hauing prouided a vessell to hold them, be it of wood or stone which you will, and a sufficient quantitie of faire and cleane drie sand; makestratum super stratumof your grapes and the sand, that is, a lay of sand in the bottome first, and a lay of grapes vpon them, and a lay or strowing againe of sand vpon those grapes, so that the sand may couer euery lay of grapes a fingers breadth in thicknesse, which being done one vpon another vntill the vessell be full, and a lay of sand vppermost, let the vessell be stopped close, and set by vntill you please to spend them, being kept in some drie place and in no sellar: let them bee washed cleane in faire water to take away the sand from so many you will spend at a time. Another way is (which Camerarius setteth downe he was informed the Turkes vse to keepe grapes all the winter vnto the next summer) to take so much meale of Mustard seede, as will serue to strow vpon grapes, vntill they haue filled their vessels, thereon afterwards they poure new wine before it hath boiled, to fill vp their vessels therwith, and being stopped vp close, they keepe them a certaine time, and selling them with their liquour to them that willvse them, they doe wash the seedes or meale from them when they vse them. Another way is, that hauing gathered the fairest ripe grapes, they are to be cast vpon threds or strings that are fastened at both ends to the side walls of a chamber, neere vnto the seeling thereof, that no one bunch touch another, which will bee so kept a great while, yet the chamber must be well defended from the frosts, and cold windes that pierce in at the windowes, lest they perish the sooner: and some will dippe the ends of the branches they hang vp first in molten pitch, thinking by searing vp the ends to keepe the bunches the better; but I doe not see any great likelihood therein. Your chamber or closet you appoint out for this purpose must also bee kept somewhat warme, but especially in the more cold and frostie time of the yeare, lest it spoile all your cost and paines, and frustrate you of all your hopes: but although the frosts should pierce and spoile some of the grapes on a bunch, yet if you be carefull to keepe the place warme, the fewer will be spoiled. And thus haue I shewed you the best directions to order this Orchard rightly, and all the waies I know are vsed in our Countrie to keep grapes good anie long time after the gathering, in regard wee haue not that comfort of a hotter Sun to preserue them by its heate.The fruits themselues shall follow euerie one in their order; the lower shrubbes or bushes first, and the greater afterwards.

THEORDERING OF THEORCHARD.The third part, orOrchard.Chap. I.The situation of an Orchard for fruit-bearing trees, and how to amend the defects of many grounds.AAsI haue done in the two former parts of this Treatise, so I meane to proceede in this; first to set downe the situation of an Orchard, and then other things in order: And first, I hold that an Orchard which is, or should bee of some reasonable large extent, should be so placed, that the house should haue the Garden of flowers iust before it open vpon the South, and the Kitchen Garden on the one side thereof, should also haue the Orchard on the other side of the Garden of Pleasure, for many good reasons: First, for that the fruit trees being grown great and tall, will be a great shelter from the North and East windes, which may offend your chiefest Garden, and although that your Orchard stand a little bleake vpon the windes, yet trees rather endure these strong bitter blasts, then other smaller and more tender shrubs and herbes can doe. Secondly, if your Orchard should stand behinde your Garden of flowers more Southward, it would shadow too much of the Garden, and besides, would so binde in the North and East, and North and West windes vpon the Garden, that it would spoile many tender things therein, and so much abate the edge of your pleasure thereof, that you would willingly wish to haue no Orchard, rather then that it should so much annoy you by the so ill standing thereof. Thirdly, the falling leaues being still blowne with the winde so aboundantly into the garden, would either spoile many things, or haue one daily and continuall attending thereon, to cleanse and sweepe them away. Or else to auoide these great inconueniences, appoint out an Orchard the farther off, and set a greater distance of ground betweene. For the ground or soile of the Orchard, what I haue spoken concerning the former Garden for the bettering of the seuerall grounds, may very well serue and be applyed to this purpose. But obserue this, that, whereas your Gardens before spoken of may be turned vp, manured, and bettered with soile if they growe out of heart, your Orchard is not so easily done, but must abide many yeares without altering; and therefore if the ground be barren, or not good, it had the more neede to bee amended, or wholly made good, before you make an Orchard of it; yet some there bethat doe appoint, that where euery tree should bee set, you onely digge that place to make it good: but you must know, that the rootes of trees runne further after a little times standing, then the first compasse they are set in; and therefore a little compasse of ground can maintaine them but a little while, and that when the rootes are runne beyond that small compasse wherein they were first set, and that they are come to the barren or bad ground, they can thriue no better then if they had beene set in that ground at the first, and if you should afterwards digge beyond that compasse, intending to make the ground better further off, you should much hurt the spreading rootes, and put your trees in danger: the situation of hils in many places is grauelly or chalky, which is not good for trees, because they are both too stonie, and lacke mellow earth, wherein a tree doth most ioy and prosper, and want moisture also (which is the life of all trees) because of the quicke descent of raine to the lower grounds: and besides all these inconueniences there is one more; your trees planted either on hils or hill sides, are more subiect to the fury and force of windes to be ouerturned, then those that growe in the lower grounds; for the strongest and most forcible windes come not vsually out of the North East parts, where you prouide best defence, but from the South and West, whence you looke for the best comfort of the Sunne. To helpe therefore manie of the inconueniences of the hils sides, it were fit to cause manie leauels to bee made thereon, by raising the lower grounds with good earth, and sustaining them with bricke or stone wals, which although chargeable, will counteruaile your cost, beside the pleasure of the walkes, and prospect of so worthy a worke. The plaine or leuell grounds as they are the most frequent, so they are the most commendable for an Orchard, because the moulds or earths are more rich, or may better and sooner be made so; and therefore the profits are the more may be raised from them. A stiffe clay doth nourish trees well, by reason it containeth moisture; but in regard of the coldnesse thereof, it killeth for the most part all tender and early things therein: sea-cole ashes therefore, bucke ashes, streete soyle, chaulke after it hath lyen abroad and been broken with many yeares frosts and raine, and sheepes dung, are the most proper and fittest manure to helpe this kinde of soyle. The dry sandy soile, and grauelly ground are on the contrary side as bad, by reason of too much heate and lacke of moisture: the dung of kine or cattell in good quantity bestowed thereon, will much helpe them. The amending or bettering of other sorts of grounds is set down toward the end of thefirst Chapter of the first partof this worke, wherevnto I will referre you, not willing to repeate againe the same things there set downe. The best way to auoide and amend the inconueniences of high, boisterous, and cold windes, is to plant Walnut trees, Elmes, Oakes or Ashes, a good distance without the compasse of your Orchard, which after they are growne great, will bee a great safeguard thereunto, by breaking the violence of the windes from it. And if the soyle of your Orchard want moisture, the conueying of the sinke of the house, as also any other draine of water thereinto, if it may be, will much helpe it.

The third part, orOrchard.

A

AsI haue done in the two former parts of this Treatise, so I meane to proceede in this; first to set downe the situation of an Orchard, and then other things in order: And first, I hold that an Orchard which is, or should bee of some reasonable large extent, should be so placed, that the house should haue the Garden of flowers iust before it open vpon the South, and the Kitchen Garden on the one side thereof, should also haue the Orchard on the other side of the Garden of Pleasure, for many good reasons: First, for that the fruit trees being grown great and tall, will be a great shelter from the North and East windes, which may offend your chiefest Garden, and although that your Orchard stand a little bleake vpon the windes, yet trees rather endure these strong bitter blasts, then other smaller and more tender shrubs and herbes can doe. Secondly, if your Orchard should stand behinde your Garden of flowers more Southward, it would shadow too much of the Garden, and besides, would so binde in the North and East, and North and West windes vpon the Garden, that it would spoile many tender things therein, and so much abate the edge of your pleasure thereof, that you would willingly wish to haue no Orchard, rather then that it should so much annoy you by the so ill standing thereof. Thirdly, the falling leaues being still blowne with the winde so aboundantly into the garden, would either spoile many things, or haue one daily and continuall attending thereon, to cleanse and sweepe them away. Or else to auoide these great inconueniences, appoint out an Orchard the farther off, and set a greater distance of ground betweene. For the ground or soile of the Orchard, what I haue spoken concerning the former Garden for the bettering of the seuerall grounds, may very well serue and be applyed to this purpose. But obserue this, that, whereas your Gardens before spoken of may be turned vp, manured, and bettered with soile if they growe out of heart, your Orchard is not so easily done, but must abide many yeares without altering; and therefore if the ground be barren, or not good, it had the more neede to bee amended, or wholly made good, before you make an Orchard of it; yet some there bethat doe appoint, that where euery tree should bee set, you onely digge that place to make it good: but you must know, that the rootes of trees runne further after a little times standing, then the first compasse they are set in; and therefore a little compasse of ground can maintaine them but a little while, and that when the rootes are runne beyond that small compasse wherein they were first set, and that they are come to the barren or bad ground, they can thriue no better then if they had beene set in that ground at the first, and if you should afterwards digge beyond that compasse, intending to make the ground better further off, you should much hurt the spreading rootes, and put your trees in danger: the situation of hils in many places is grauelly or chalky, which is not good for trees, because they are both too stonie, and lacke mellow earth, wherein a tree doth most ioy and prosper, and want moisture also (which is the life of all trees) because of the quicke descent of raine to the lower grounds: and besides all these inconueniences there is one more; your trees planted either on hils or hill sides, are more subiect to the fury and force of windes to be ouerturned, then those that growe in the lower grounds; for the strongest and most forcible windes come not vsually out of the North East parts, where you prouide best defence, but from the South and West, whence you looke for the best comfort of the Sunne. To helpe therefore manie of the inconueniences of the hils sides, it were fit to cause manie leauels to bee made thereon, by raising the lower grounds with good earth, and sustaining them with bricke or stone wals, which although chargeable, will counteruaile your cost, beside the pleasure of the walkes, and prospect of so worthy a worke. The plaine or leuell grounds as they are the most frequent, so they are the most commendable for an Orchard, because the moulds or earths are more rich, or may better and sooner be made so; and therefore the profits are the more may be raised from them. A stiffe clay doth nourish trees well, by reason it containeth moisture; but in regard of the coldnesse thereof, it killeth for the most part all tender and early things therein: sea-cole ashes therefore, bucke ashes, streete soyle, chaulke after it hath lyen abroad and been broken with many yeares frosts and raine, and sheepes dung, are the most proper and fittest manure to helpe this kinde of soyle. The dry sandy soile, and grauelly ground are on the contrary side as bad, by reason of too much heate and lacke of moisture: the dung of kine or cattell in good quantity bestowed thereon, will much helpe them. The amending or bettering of other sorts of grounds is set down toward the end of thefirst Chapter of the first partof this worke, wherevnto I will referre you, not willing to repeate againe the same things there set downe. The best way to auoide and amend the inconueniences of high, boisterous, and cold windes, is to plant Walnut trees, Elmes, Oakes or Ashes, a good distance without the compasse of your Orchard, which after they are growne great, will bee a great safeguard thereunto, by breaking the violence of the windes from it. And if the soyle of your Orchard want moisture, the conueying of the sinke of the house, as also any other draine of water thereinto, if it may be, will much helpe it.

Chap. II.The forme of an Orchard, both ordinary, and of more grace and rarity.The forme of an Orchard.According to the situation of mens grounds, so must the plantation of them of necessitie be also; and if the ground be in forme, you shall haue a formall Orchard: if otherwise, it can haue little grace or forme. And indeed in the elder ages there was small care or heede taken for the formality; for euery tree for the most part was planted without order, euen where the master or keeper found a vacant place to plant them in, so that oftentimes the ill placing of trees without sufficient space betweene them, and negligence in not looking to vphold them, procured more waste and spoile of fruit, then any accident of winde or weather could doe. Orchards in most places haue not bricke or stone wals to secure them, because the extent thereof beinglarger then of a Garden, would require more cost, which euery one cannot vndergoe; and therefore mud wals, or at the best a quicke set hedge, is the ordinary and most vsuall defence it findeth almost in all places: but with those that are of ability to compasse it with bricke or stone wals, the gaining of ground, and profit of the fruit trees planted there against, will in short time recompense that charge. If you make a doubt how to be sure that your Orchard wall shall haue sufficient comfort of the Sunne to ripen the fruits, in regard the trees in the Orchard being so nigh thereunto, and so high withall, will so much shadow the wall, that nothing will ripen well, because it will want the comfort of the Sunne: you may follow this rule and aduice, to remedy those inconueniences. Hauing an Orchard containing one acre of ground, two, three, or more, or lesse, walled about, you may so order it, by leauing a broad and large walke betweene the wall and it, containing twenty or twenty foure foote (or yards if you will) that the wall shall not be hindered of the Sun, but haue sufficient comfort for your trees, notwithstanding the height of them, the distance betweene them and the wall being a sufficient space for their shadow to fall into: and by compassing your Orchard on the inside with a hedge (wherein may bee planted all sorts of low shrubs or bushes, as Roses, Cornellian, Cherry trees plashed lowe, Gooseberries, Curran trees, or the like) you may enclose your walke, and keepe both it and your Orchard in better forme and manner, then if it lay open. For the placing of your trees in this Orchard, first for the wals: Those sides that lye open to the South & Southwest Sunne, are fittest to bee planted with your tenderest and earliest fruits, as Apricockes, Peaches, Nectarius, and May or early Cherries: the East, North and West, for Plums and Quinces, as you shall like best to place them. And for the Orchard it selfe, the ordinary manner is to place them without regard of measure or difference, as Peares among Apples, and Plums among Cherries promiscuously; but some keepe both a distance and a diuision for euery sort, without intermingling: yet the most gracefull Orchard containeth them all, with some others, so as they be placed that one doe not hinder or spoile another; and therefore to describe you the modell of an Orchard, both rare for comelinesse in the proportion, and pleasing for the profitablenesse in the vse, and also durable for continuance, regard this figure is here placed for your direction, where you must obserue, that your trees are here set in such an equall distance one from another euery way, & as is fittest for them, that when they are grown great, the greater branches shall not gall or rubbe one against another; for which purpose twenty or sixteene foot is the least to be allowed for the distance euery way of your trees, & being set in rowes euery one in the middle distance, will be the most gracefull for the plantation, and besides, giue you way sufficient to passe through them, to pruine, loppe, or dresse them, as need shall require, and may also bee brought (if you please) to that gracefull delight, that euery alley or distance may be formed like an arch, the branches of either side meeting to be enterlaced together. Now for the seuerall sorts of fruit trees that you shall place in this modell, your best direction is to set Damsons, Bulleis, and your taler growing Plums on the outside, and your lower Plums, Cherries, and Apples on the inside, hauing regard, that you place no Peare tree to the Sunward, or any other tree, lest it ouershadow them: Let your Peare trees therefore be placed behinde, or on the one side of your lower trees, that they may be as it were a shelter or defence on the North & East side. Thus may you also plant Apples among Plums and Cherries, so as you suffer not one to ouer-growe or ouer-toppe another; for by pruning, lopping, and shredding those that growe too fast for their fellowes, you may still keepe your trees in such a conformity, as may be both most comely for the sight, and most profitable for the yeelding of greater and better store of fruit. Other sorts of fruit trees you may mixe among these, if you please, as Filberds, Cornellian Cherries in standerds, and Medlers: but Seruice trees, Baye trees, and others of that high sort, must be set to guard the rest. Thus haue I giuen you the fairest forme could as yet be deuised; and from this patterne, if you doe not follow it precisely, yet by it you may proportion your Orchard, be it large or little, be it walled or hedged.

The forme of an Orchard.

According to the situation of mens grounds, so must the plantation of them of necessitie be also; and if the ground be in forme, you shall haue a formall Orchard: if otherwise, it can haue little grace or forme. And indeed in the elder ages there was small care or heede taken for the formality; for euery tree for the most part was planted without order, euen where the master or keeper found a vacant place to plant them in, so that oftentimes the ill placing of trees without sufficient space betweene them, and negligence in not looking to vphold them, procured more waste and spoile of fruit, then any accident of winde or weather could doe. Orchards in most places haue not bricke or stone wals to secure them, because the extent thereof beinglarger then of a Garden, would require more cost, which euery one cannot vndergoe; and therefore mud wals, or at the best a quicke set hedge, is the ordinary and most vsuall defence it findeth almost in all places: but with those that are of ability to compasse it with bricke or stone wals, the gaining of ground, and profit of the fruit trees planted there against, will in short time recompense that charge. If you make a doubt how to be sure that your Orchard wall shall haue sufficient comfort of the Sunne to ripen the fruits, in regard the trees in the Orchard being so nigh thereunto, and so high withall, will so much shadow the wall, that nothing will ripen well, because it will want the comfort of the Sunne: you may follow this rule and aduice, to remedy those inconueniences. Hauing an Orchard containing one acre of ground, two, three, or more, or lesse, walled about, you may so order it, by leauing a broad and large walke betweene the wall and it, containing twenty or twenty foure foote (or yards if you will) that the wall shall not be hindered of the Sun, but haue sufficient comfort for your trees, notwithstanding the height of them, the distance betweene them and the wall being a sufficient space for their shadow to fall into: and by compassing your Orchard on the inside with a hedge (wherein may bee planted all sorts of low shrubs or bushes, as Roses, Cornellian, Cherry trees plashed lowe, Gooseberries, Curran trees, or the like) you may enclose your walke, and keepe both it and your Orchard in better forme and manner, then if it lay open. For the placing of your trees in this Orchard, first for the wals: Those sides that lye open to the South & Southwest Sunne, are fittest to bee planted with your tenderest and earliest fruits, as Apricockes, Peaches, Nectarius, and May or early Cherries: the East, North and West, for Plums and Quinces, as you shall like best to place them. And for the Orchard it selfe, the ordinary manner is to place them without regard of measure or difference, as Peares among Apples, and Plums among Cherries promiscuously; but some keepe both a distance and a diuision for euery sort, without intermingling: yet the most gracefull Orchard containeth them all, with some others, so as they be placed that one doe not hinder or spoile another; and therefore to describe you the modell of an Orchard, both rare for comelinesse in the proportion, and pleasing for the profitablenesse in the vse, and also durable for continuance, regard this figure is here placed for your direction, where you must obserue, that your trees are here set in such an equall distance one from another euery way, & as is fittest for them, that when they are grown great, the greater branches shall not gall or rubbe one against another; for which purpose twenty or sixteene foot is the least to be allowed for the distance euery way of your trees, & being set in rowes euery one in the middle distance, will be the most gracefull for the plantation, and besides, giue you way sufficient to passe through them, to pruine, loppe, or dresse them, as need shall require, and may also bee brought (if you please) to that gracefull delight, that euery alley or distance may be formed like an arch, the branches of either side meeting to be enterlaced together. Now for the seuerall sorts of fruit trees that you shall place in this modell, your best direction is to set Damsons, Bulleis, and your taler growing Plums on the outside, and your lower Plums, Cherries, and Apples on the inside, hauing regard, that you place no Peare tree to the Sunward, or any other tree, lest it ouershadow them: Let your Peare trees therefore be placed behinde, or on the one side of your lower trees, that they may be as it were a shelter or defence on the North & East side. Thus may you also plant Apples among Plums and Cherries, so as you suffer not one to ouer-growe or ouer-toppe another; for by pruning, lopping, and shredding those that growe too fast for their fellowes, you may still keepe your trees in such a conformity, as may be both most comely for the sight, and most profitable for the yeelding of greater and better store of fruit. Other sorts of fruit trees you may mixe among these, if you please, as Filberds, Cornellian Cherries in standerds, and Medlers: but Seruice trees, Baye trees, and others of that high sort, must be set to guard the rest. Thus haue I giuen you the fairest forme could as yet be deuised; and from this patterne, if you doe not follow it precisely, yet by it you may proportion your Orchard, be it large or little, be it walled or hedged.

Chap. III.Of a noursery for trees, both from sowing the kernels, and planting fit stockes to graft vpon.Although I know the greater sort (I meane the Nobility and better part of the Gentrie of this Land) doe not intend to keepe a Nursery, to raise vp those trees that they meane to plant their wals or Orchards withall, but to buy them already grafted to their hands of them that make their liuing of it: yet because many Gentlemen and others are much delighted to bestowe their paines in grafting themselues, and esteeme their owne labours and handie worke farre aboue other mens: for their incouragement and satisfaction, I will here set downe some conuenient directions, to enable them to raise an Orchard of all sorts of fruits quickly, both by sowing the kernels or stones of fruit, and by making choise of the best sorts of stockes to graft on: First therefore to begin with Cherries; If you will make a Nursery, wherein you may bee stored with plenty of stockes in a little space, take what quantitie you thinke good of ordinarie wilde blacke Cherrie stones, cleansed from the berries, and sowe them, or pricke them in one by one on a peece of ground well turned vp, and large enough for the quantitie of stones you will bestowe thereon, from the midst of August vnto the end of September, which when they are two or three yeares old, according to their growth, you may remoue them, and set them anew in some orderly rowes, hauing pruned their tops and their rootes, which at the next yeares growth after the new planting in any good ground, or at the second, will be of sufficient bignesse to graft vpon in the bud what sorts of Cherries you thinke best: and it is fittest to graft them thus young, that pruning your stockes to raise them high, you may graft them at fiue or six foote high, or higher, or lower, as you shall see good, and being thus grafted in the bud, will both more speedily and safely bring forward your grafts, and with lesse danger of losing your stockes, then by grafting them in the stocke: for if the bud take not by inoculating the first yeare, yet your tree is not lost, nor put in any hazzard of losse; but may be grafted anew the yeare following, if you will, in an other place thereof, whereas if you graft in the stocke, and it doe not take, it is a great chance if the stocke dye not wholly, or at least be not so weakened both in strength and height, that it will not bee fit to bee grafted a yeare or two after. In the same manner as you doe with the blacke, you may deale with the ordinary English red Cherrie stones, or kernels, but they are not so apt to growe so straight and high, nor in so short a time as the blacke Cherrie stones are, and besides are subiect in time to bring out suckers from the rootes, to the hinderance of the stockes and grafts, or at the least to the deformitie of your Orchard, and more trouble to the Gardiner, to pull or digge them away. Plumme stones may bee ordered in this manner likewise, but you must make choise of your Plums; for although euery Plumme is not so fit for this purpose, as the white Peare Plumme, because it groweth the goalest and freest, the barke being smooth and aptest to be raised, that they may be grafted vpon; yet diuers other Plummes may be taken, if they be not at hand, or to be had, as the blacke and red Peare Plumme, thewhite and red Wheate Plumme, because they are nearest in goodnesse vnto it. Peach stones will be soone raised vp to graft other sorts of Peaches or Nectorins vpon, but the nature of the Peach roote being spongie, is not to abide long. As for Almonds, they will be raised from their stones to be trees of themselues; but they will hardly abide the remouing, and lesse to bee grafted vpon. Apricocke stones are the worst to deale withall of any sort of stone fruit; for although the Apricocke branches are the fittest stockes to graft Nectorins of the best sorts vpon, yet those that are raised from the kernels or stones will neuer thriue to be brought on for this purpose; but will starue and dye, or hardly grow in a long time to be a straight and fit stocke to be grafted, if it be once remoued. Your Cornellian Cherrie trees are wholly, or for the most part raised from the stones or kernels; yet I know diuers doe increase them, by laying in their lowest branches to take roote: and thus much for stone fruits. Now for Apples and Peares, to be dealt withall in the same manner as aforesaid. They vse to take the pressing of Crabs whereas Veriuyce is made, as also of Cidar and Perry where they are made, and sowing them, doe raise vp great store of stockes; for although the beating of the fruit doth spoile many kernels, yet there will bee enough left that were neuer toucht, and that will spring: the Crabbe stockes some preferre for the fittest, but I am sure, that the better Apple and Peare kernels will growe fairer, straighter, quicklier, and better to be grafted on. You must remember, that after two or three yeares you take vp these stockes, and when you haue pruned both toppe and roote, to set them againe in a thinner and fitter order, to be afterwards grafted in the bud while they are young, as I shall shew you by and by, or in the stocke if you will suffer them to growe greater. Now likewise to know which are the fittest stockes of all sorts to choose, thereon to graft euery of these sorts of fruits, is a point of some skill indeede; and therefore obserue them as I doe here set them downe: for bee you assured, that they are certaine rules, and knowne experiences, whereunto you may trust without being deceiued. Your blacke Cherrie stockes (as I said before) are the fittest and best for all sorts of Cherries long to abide and prosper, and euen May or early Cherry will abide or liue longer, being grafted thereon, either in the budde or in the stocke, then on the ordinary red Cherry stocke; but the red Cherry stocke is in a manner the onely tree that most Nursery men doe take to graft May Cherries on in the stocke (for it is but a late experience of many, to graft May Cherries in the bud) many also doe graft May Cherries on Gascoigne Cherry stockes, which doe not onely thriue well, but endure longer then vpon any ordinary Cherry stocke: For indeede the May Cherries that are grafted vpon ordinary red Cherrie stockes, will hardly hold aboue a dozen yeares bearing well, although they come forwarder at the first, that is, doe beare sooner then those that are grafted on Gascoigne or blacke Cherry stockes; but as they are earlier in bearing, so they are sooner spent, and the Gascoigne and blacked Cherry stockes that are longer in comming forward, will last twice or thrice their time; but many more grafts will misse in grafting of these, then of those red Cherry stockes, and besides, the natures of the Gascoigne and blacke Cherry stockes are to rise higher, and make a goodlier tree then the ordinary red stocke will, which for the most part spreadeth wide, but riseth not very high. The English red Cherry stocke will serue very well to graft any other sort of Cherry vpon, and is vsed in most places of this Land, and I know no other greater inconuenience in it, then that it shooteth out many suckers from the roote, which yet by looking vnto may soone bee remoued from doing any harme, and that it will not last so long as the Gascoigne or blacke Cherry stocke will. May Cherries thus grafted lowe doe most vsually serue to be planted against a wall, to bring on the fruit the earlier; yet some graft them high vpon standards, although not many, and it is, I thinke, rather curiosity (if they that doe it haue any wals) then anie other matter that causeth them thus to doe: for the fruit is naturally small, though early, and the standard Cherries are alwaies later then the wall Cherries, so that if they can spare any roome for them at their wals, they will not plant many in standards. Now concerning Plummes (as I said before) for the sowing or setting of the stones, so I say here for their choise in grafting of them, either in the budde or stocke. The white Peare Plumme stocke, and the other there mentioned, but especially the white Peare Plumme is the goodliest, freest and fittest of all the rest, as well to graft all sort of Plummes vpon, as also to graft Apricockes, which can be handsomely, and to anygood purpose grafted vpon no other Plum stocke, to rise to bee worth the labour and paine. All sorts of Plums may be grafted in the stocke, and so may they also in the bud; for I know none of them that will refuse to be grafted in the bud, if a cunning hand performe it well, that is, to take off your bud cleanely and well, when you haue made choice of a fit cyon: for, as I shal shew you anon, it is no small peece of cunning to chuse your cyon that it may yeeld fit buds to graft withall, for euery plum is not of a like aptnes to yeeld them: But Apricocks cannot be grafted in the stock for any thing that euer I could heare or learne, but only in the bud, and therefore let your Plum stocke bee of a reasonable size for Apricockes especially, and not too small, that the graft ouergrow not the stocke, and that the stocke bee large enough to nourish the graft. As your Plum stockes serue to graft both Apricockes and Plummes, so doe they serue also very well to graft Peaches of all sorts; and although Peach stockes will serue to be grafted with Peaches againe, yet the Peach stocke (as I said before) will not endure so long as the Plumme stocke, and therefore serueth but for necessity if Plum stocks be not ready, or at hand, or for the present time, or that they afterwards may graft that sort of Peach on a Plumme stocke: for many might lose a good fruit, if when they meete with it, and haue not Plumme stockes ready to graft it on, they could not be assured that it would take vpon another Peach stocke or branch, or on the branch of an Apricocke eyther. Plumme stockes will serue likewise very well for some sorts of Nectorins; I say, for some sorts, and not for all: the greene and the yellow Nectorin will best thriue to be grafted immediately on a Plumme stocke; but the other two sorts of red Nectorins must not be immediately grafted on the Plumme stocke, but vpon a branch of an Apricocke that hath beene formerly grafted on a Plumme stocke, the nature of these Nectorins being found by experience to be so contrary to the Plum stocke, that it will sterue it, and both dye within a yeare, two or three at the most: Diuers haue tryed to graft these red Nectorins vpon Peach stockes, and they haue endured well a while; but seeing the Peach stocke will not last long it selfe, being ouerweake, how can it hold so strong a nature as these red Nectorins, which will (as I said before) sterue a Plum stocke that is sufficient durable for any other Plumme?Apricocke stockes from the stones are hardly nursed vp, and worse to be remoued, and if a red Nectorin should be grafted on an Apricock raysed from the stone, and not remoued, I doubt it might happen with it as it doth with many other trees raised from stones or kernels, and not remoued, that they would hardly beare fruit: for the nature of most trees raised from stones or kernels, and not remoued, is to send great downe-right rootes, and not to spread many forwards; so that if they be not cut away that others may spreade abroad, I haue seldome seene or known any of them to beare in any reasonable time; and therefore in remouing, these great downe-right rootes are alwayes shred away, and thereby made fit to shoote others forwards. Hereby you may perceiue, that these red Nectorins will not abide to bee grafted vpon any other stocke well, then vpon an Apricocke branch, although the green and the yellow (as I said before) will well endure and thriue vpon Plums. The suckers or shootes both of Plums and Cherries that rise from their rootes, eyther neare their stockes, or farther off, so that they bee taken with some small rootes to them, will serue to bee stockes, and will come forward quickly; but if the suckers haue no small roots whereby they may comprehend in the ground, it is almost impossible it should hold or abide. There is another way to rayse vp eyther stockes to graft on, or trees without grafting, which is, by circumcising a faire and fit branch in this manner: About Midsomer, when the sappe is thoroughly risen (or before if the yeare be forward) they vse to binde a good quantity of clay round about a faire and straight branch, of a reasonable good size or bignesse, with some conuenient bands, whether it be ropes of hey, or of any other thing, about an handfull aboue the ioynt, where the branch spreadeth from the tree, and cutting the barke thereof round about vnder the place where the clay is bound, the sap is hereby hindered from rising, or descending further then that place so circumcised, whereby it will shoote out small knubs and rootes into the clay, which they suffer so to abide vntill the beginning of winter, whenas with a fine Sawe they cut off that branch where it was circumcised, and afterwardes place it in the ground where they would haue it to grow, and stake it, and binde it fast, which will shoote forth rootes, and will become eyther a faire tree to beare fruite without grafting, or else a fit stocke to graft on according to the kinde: but oftentimes this kinde of propagation misseth, in that it sendeth not forth rootes sufficient to cause it to abide any long time. Let me yet before I leaue this narration of Plummes, giue you one admonition more, that vpon whatsoeuer Plumme stocke you doe graft, yet vpon a Damson stocke that you neuer striue to graft, for it (aboue all other sorts of Plumme stockes) will neuer giue you a tree worth your labour. It remaineth only of stone fruit, that I speake of Cornelles, which as yet I neuer saw grafted vpon any stocke, being as it should seeme vtterly repugnant to the nature thereof, to abide grafting, but is wholly raysed vp (as I said before) eyther from the stones, or from the suckers or layers. For Peares and Apples your vsuall stockes to graft on are (as I said before, speaking of the nursing vp of trees from the kernels) your Crabbe stockes, and they bee accepted in euery Countrey of this Land as they may conueniently be had, yet many doe take the stockes of better fruit, whether they bee suckers, or stockes raysed from the kernels (and the most common and knowne way of grafting, is in the stocke for all sorts of them, although some doe vse whipping, packing on, or incising, as euery one list to call it: but now we doe in many places begin to deale with Peares and Apples as with other stone fruit, that is, graft them all in the bud, which is found the most compendious and safest way both to preserue your stocke from perishing, and to bring them the sooner to couer the stock, as also to make the goodlier and straighter tree, being grafted at what height you please:) for those stockes that are raysed from the kernels of good fruit (which are for the most part easily knowne from others, in that they want those thornes or prickles the wilde kindes are armed withall:) I say for the most part; for I know that the kernels of some good fruite hath giuen stockes with prickles on them (which, as I thinke, was because that good fruite was taken from a wilde stocke that had not beene long enough grafted to alter his wilde nature; for the longer a tree is grafted, the more strength the fruite taketh from the graft, and the lesse still from the stocke) being smoother and fairer then the wilde kinds, must needes make a goodlier tree, and will not alter any whit the taste of your fruit that is grafted thereon, but rather adde some better rellish thereunto; for the Crabbe stockes yeelding harsh fruite, must giue part of their nature to the grafts are set thereon, and therefore the taste or rellish, as well as some other naturall properties of most fruits, are somewhat altered by the stocke. Another thing I would willingly giue you to vnderstand concerning your fruits and stockes, that whereas diuers for curiosity and to try experiments haue grafted Cherries vpon Plumme stockes, or Plums on Cherry stockes, Apples vpon Peare stockes, and Peares vpon Apple stockes, some of these haue held the graft a yeare, two or three peraduenture, but I neuer knew that euer they held long, or to beare fruite, much lesse to abide or doe well: bestow not therefore your paines and time on such contrary natures, vnlesse it be for curiositie, as others haue done: Yet I know that they that graft peares on a white thorne stocke haue had their grafts seeme to thriue well, and continue long, but I haue seldome seene the fruite thereof answerable to the naturall wilde Peare stocke; yet the Medlar is knowne to thriue best on a white thorne. And lastly, whereas diuers doe affirme that they may haue not only good stockes to graft vpon, but also faire trees to bear store of fruit from the kernels of Peares or Apples being prickt into the ground, and suffered to grow without remouing, and then eyther grafted or suffered to grow into great trees vngrafted; and for their bearing of fruite, assigne a dozen or twenty yeares from the first setting of the kernels, and abiding vngrafted, I haue not seene or heard that experience to hold certaine, or if it should be so, yet it is too long time lost, and too much fruit also, to waite twenty yeares for that profit may be gained in a great deale of lesse time, and with more certainty. Vnto these instructions let mee adde also one more, which is not much known and vsed, and that is, to haue fruit within foure or fiue years from the first sowing of your stones or kernels in this manner: After your stockes raysed from stones or kernels are two or three yeares old, take the fairest toppe or branch, and graft it as you would doe any other cyon taken from a bearing tree, and looke what rare fruite, eyther Peare or Apple, the kernell was of that you sowed, or Peach or Plum&c.the stone was set, such fruite shall you haue within two or three yeares at the most after the grafting, if it take, and the stocke be good. And thus may you see fruit in farre lesse time then to stay vntill the tree from a kernell or stone beareth fruit of it selfe.

Although I know the greater sort (I meane the Nobility and better part of the Gentrie of this Land) doe not intend to keepe a Nursery, to raise vp those trees that they meane to plant their wals or Orchards withall, but to buy them already grafted to their hands of them that make their liuing of it: yet because many Gentlemen and others are much delighted to bestowe their paines in grafting themselues, and esteeme their owne labours and handie worke farre aboue other mens: for their incouragement and satisfaction, I will here set downe some conuenient directions, to enable them to raise an Orchard of all sorts of fruits quickly, both by sowing the kernels or stones of fruit, and by making choise of the best sorts of stockes to graft on: First therefore to begin with Cherries; If you will make a Nursery, wherein you may bee stored with plenty of stockes in a little space, take what quantitie you thinke good of ordinarie wilde blacke Cherrie stones, cleansed from the berries, and sowe them, or pricke them in one by one on a peece of ground well turned vp, and large enough for the quantitie of stones you will bestowe thereon, from the midst of August vnto the end of September, which when they are two or three yeares old, according to their growth, you may remoue them, and set them anew in some orderly rowes, hauing pruned their tops and their rootes, which at the next yeares growth after the new planting in any good ground, or at the second, will be of sufficient bignesse to graft vpon in the bud what sorts of Cherries you thinke best: and it is fittest to graft them thus young, that pruning your stockes to raise them high, you may graft them at fiue or six foote high, or higher, or lower, as you shall see good, and being thus grafted in the bud, will both more speedily and safely bring forward your grafts, and with lesse danger of losing your stockes, then by grafting them in the stocke: for if the bud take not by inoculating the first yeare, yet your tree is not lost, nor put in any hazzard of losse; but may be grafted anew the yeare following, if you will, in an other place thereof, whereas if you graft in the stocke, and it doe not take, it is a great chance if the stocke dye not wholly, or at least be not so weakened both in strength and height, that it will not bee fit to bee grafted a yeare or two after. In the same manner as you doe with the blacke, you may deale with the ordinary English red Cherrie stones, or kernels, but they are not so apt to growe so straight and high, nor in so short a time as the blacke Cherrie stones are, and besides are subiect in time to bring out suckers from the rootes, to the hinderance of the stockes and grafts, or at the least to the deformitie of your Orchard, and more trouble to the Gardiner, to pull or digge them away. Plumme stones may bee ordered in this manner likewise, but you must make choise of your Plums; for although euery Plumme is not so fit for this purpose, as the white Peare Plumme, because it groweth the goalest and freest, the barke being smooth and aptest to be raised, that they may be grafted vpon; yet diuers other Plummes may be taken, if they be not at hand, or to be had, as the blacke and red Peare Plumme, thewhite and red Wheate Plumme, because they are nearest in goodnesse vnto it. Peach stones will be soone raised vp to graft other sorts of Peaches or Nectorins vpon, but the nature of the Peach roote being spongie, is not to abide long. As for Almonds, they will be raised from their stones to be trees of themselues; but they will hardly abide the remouing, and lesse to bee grafted vpon. Apricocke stones are the worst to deale withall of any sort of stone fruit; for although the Apricocke branches are the fittest stockes to graft Nectorins of the best sorts vpon, yet those that are raised from the kernels or stones will neuer thriue to be brought on for this purpose; but will starue and dye, or hardly grow in a long time to be a straight and fit stocke to be grafted, if it be once remoued. Your Cornellian Cherrie trees are wholly, or for the most part raised from the stones or kernels; yet I know diuers doe increase them, by laying in their lowest branches to take roote: and thus much for stone fruits. Now for Apples and Peares, to be dealt withall in the same manner as aforesaid. They vse to take the pressing of Crabs whereas Veriuyce is made, as also of Cidar and Perry where they are made, and sowing them, doe raise vp great store of stockes; for although the beating of the fruit doth spoile many kernels, yet there will bee enough left that were neuer toucht, and that will spring: the Crabbe stockes some preferre for the fittest, but I am sure, that the better Apple and Peare kernels will growe fairer, straighter, quicklier, and better to be grafted on. You must remember, that after two or three yeares you take vp these stockes, and when you haue pruned both toppe and roote, to set them againe in a thinner and fitter order, to be afterwards grafted in the bud while they are young, as I shall shew you by and by, or in the stocke if you will suffer them to growe greater. Now likewise to know which are the fittest stockes of all sorts to choose, thereon to graft euery of these sorts of fruits, is a point of some skill indeede; and therefore obserue them as I doe here set them downe: for bee you assured, that they are certaine rules, and knowne experiences, whereunto you may trust without being deceiued. Your blacke Cherrie stockes (as I said before) are the fittest and best for all sorts of Cherries long to abide and prosper, and euen May or early Cherry will abide or liue longer, being grafted thereon, either in the budde or in the stocke, then on the ordinary red Cherry stocke; but the red Cherry stocke is in a manner the onely tree that most Nursery men doe take to graft May Cherries on in the stocke (for it is but a late experience of many, to graft May Cherries in the bud) many also doe graft May Cherries on Gascoigne Cherry stockes, which doe not onely thriue well, but endure longer then vpon any ordinary Cherry stocke: For indeede the May Cherries that are grafted vpon ordinary red Cherrie stockes, will hardly hold aboue a dozen yeares bearing well, although they come forwarder at the first, that is, doe beare sooner then those that are grafted on Gascoigne or blacke Cherry stockes; but as they are earlier in bearing, so they are sooner spent, and the Gascoigne and blacked Cherry stockes that are longer in comming forward, will last twice or thrice their time; but many more grafts will misse in grafting of these, then of those red Cherry stockes, and besides, the natures of the Gascoigne and blacke Cherry stockes are to rise higher, and make a goodlier tree then the ordinary red stocke will, which for the most part spreadeth wide, but riseth not very high. The English red Cherry stocke will serue very well to graft any other sort of Cherry vpon, and is vsed in most places of this Land, and I know no other greater inconuenience in it, then that it shooteth out many suckers from the roote, which yet by looking vnto may soone bee remoued from doing any harme, and that it will not last so long as the Gascoigne or blacke Cherry stocke will. May Cherries thus grafted lowe doe most vsually serue to be planted against a wall, to bring on the fruit the earlier; yet some graft them high vpon standards, although not many, and it is, I thinke, rather curiosity (if they that doe it haue any wals) then anie other matter that causeth them thus to doe: for the fruit is naturally small, though early, and the standard Cherries are alwaies later then the wall Cherries, so that if they can spare any roome for them at their wals, they will not plant many in standards. Now concerning Plummes (as I said before) for the sowing or setting of the stones, so I say here for their choise in grafting of them, either in the budde or stocke. The white Peare Plumme stocke, and the other there mentioned, but especially the white Peare Plumme is the goodliest, freest and fittest of all the rest, as well to graft all sort of Plummes vpon, as also to graft Apricockes, which can be handsomely, and to anygood purpose grafted vpon no other Plum stocke, to rise to bee worth the labour and paine. All sorts of Plums may be grafted in the stocke, and so may they also in the bud; for I know none of them that will refuse to be grafted in the bud, if a cunning hand performe it well, that is, to take off your bud cleanely and well, when you haue made choice of a fit cyon: for, as I shal shew you anon, it is no small peece of cunning to chuse your cyon that it may yeeld fit buds to graft withall, for euery plum is not of a like aptnes to yeeld them: But Apricocks cannot be grafted in the stock for any thing that euer I could heare or learne, but only in the bud, and therefore let your Plum stocke bee of a reasonable size for Apricockes especially, and not too small, that the graft ouergrow not the stocke, and that the stocke bee large enough to nourish the graft. As your Plum stockes serue to graft both Apricockes and Plummes, so doe they serue also very well to graft Peaches of all sorts; and although Peach stockes will serue to be grafted with Peaches againe, yet the Peach stocke (as I said before) will not endure so long as the Plumme stocke, and therefore serueth but for necessity if Plum stocks be not ready, or at hand, or for the present time, or that they afterwards may graft that sort of Peach on a Plumme stocke: for many might lose a good fruit, if when they meete with it, and haue not Plumme stockes ready to graft it on, they could not be assured that it would take vpon another Peach stocke or branch, or on the branch of an Apricocke eyther. Plumme stockes will serue likewise very well for some sorts of Nectorins; I say, for some sorts, and not for all: the greene and the yellow Nectorin will best thriue to be grafted immediately on a Plumme stocke; but the other two sorts of red Nectorins must not be immediately grafted on the Plumme stocke, but vpon a branch of an Apricocke that hath beene formerly grafted on a Plumme stocke, the nature of these Nectorins being found by experience to be so contrary to the Plum stocke, that it will sterue it, and both dye within a yeare, two or three at the most: Diuers haue tryed to graft these red Nectorins vpon Peach stockes, and they haue endured well a while; but seeing the Peach stocke will not last long it selfe, being ouerweake, how can it hold so strong a nature as these red Nectorins, which will (as I said before) sterue a Plum stocke that is sufficient durable for any other Plumme?

Apricocke stockes from the stones are hardly nursed vp, and worse to be remoued, and if a red Nectorin should be grafted on an Apricock raysed from the stone, and not remoued, I doubt it might happen with it as it doth with many other trees raised from stones or kernels, and not remoued, that they would hardly beare fruit: for the nature of most trees raised from stones or kernels, and not remoued, is to send great downe-right rootes, and not to spread many forwards; so that if they be not cut away that others may spreade abroad, I haue seldome seene or known any of them to beare in any reasonable time; and therefore in remouing, these great downe-right rootes are alwayes shred away, and thereby made fit to shoote others forwards. Hereby you may perceiue, that these red Nectorins will not abide to bee grafted vpon any other stocke well, then vpon an Apricocke branch, although the green and the yellow (as I said before) will well endure and thriue vpon Plums. The suckers or shootes both of Plums and Cherries that rise from their rootes, eyther neare their stockes, or farther off, so that they bee taken with some small rootes to them, will serue to bee stockes, and will come forward quickly; but if the suckers haue no small roots whereby they may comprehend in the ground, it is almost impossible it should hold or abide. There is another way to rayse vp eyther stockes to graft on, or trees without grafting, which is, by circumcising a faire and fit branch in this manner: About Midsomer, when the sappe is thoroughly risen (or before if the yeare be forward) they vse to binde a good quantity of clay round about a faire and straight branch, of a reasonable good size or bignesse, with some conuenient bands, whether it be ropes of hey, or of any other thing, about an handfull aboue the ioynt, where the branch spreadeth from the tree, and cutting the barke thereof round about vnder the place where the clay is bound, the sap is hereby hindered from rising, or descending further then that place so circumcised, whereby it will shoote out small knubs and rootes into the clay, which they suffer so to abide vntill the beginning of winter, whenas with a fine Sawe they cut off that branch where it was circumcised, and afterwardes place it in the ground where they would haue it to grow, and stake it, and binde it fast, which will shoote forth rootes, and will become eyther a faire tree to beare fruite without grafting, or else a fit stocke to graft on according to the kinde: but oftentimes this kinde of propagation misseth, in that it sendeth not forth rootes sufficient to cause it to abide any long time. Let me yet before I leaue this narration of Plummes, giue you one admonition more, that vpon whatsoeuer Plumme stocke you doe graft, yet vpon a Damson stocke that you neuer striue to graft, for it (aboue all other sorts of Plumme stockes) will neuer giue you a tree worth your labour. It remaineth only of stone fruit, that I speake of Cornelles, which as yet I neuer saw grafted vpon any stocke, being as it should seeme vtterly repugnant to the nature thereof, to abide grafting, but is wholly raysed vp (as I said before) eyther from the stones, or from the suckers or layers. For Peares and Apples your vsuall stockes to graft on are (as I said before, speaking of the nursing vp of trees from the kernels) your Crabbe stockes, and they bee accepted in euery Countrey of this Land as they may conueniently be had, yet many doe take the stockes of better fruit, whether they bee suckers, or stockes raysed from the kernels (and the most common and knowne way of grafting, is in the stocke for all sorts of them, although some doe vse whipping, packing on, or incising, as euery one list to call it: but now we doe in many places begin to deale with Peares and Apples as with other stone fruit, that is, graft them all in the bud, which is found the most compendious and safest way both to preserue your stocke from perishing, and to bring them the sooner to couer the stock, as also to make the goodlier and straighter tree, being grafted at what height you please:) for those stockes that are raysed from the kernels of good fruit (which are for the most part easily knowne from others, in that they want those thornes or prickles the wilde kindes are armed withall:) I say for the most part; for I know that the kernels of some good fruite hath giuen stockes with prickles on them (which, as I thinke, was because that good fruite was taken from a wilde stocke that had not beene long enough grafted to alter his wilde nature; for the longer a tree is grafted, the more strength the fruite taketh from the graft, and the lesse still from the stocke) being smoother and fairer then the wilde kinds, must needes make a goodlier tree, and will not alter any whit the taste of your fruit that is grafted thereon, but rather adde some better rellish thereunto; for the Crabbe stockes yeelding harsh fruite, must giue part of their nature to the grafts are set thereon, and therefore the taste or rellish, as well as some other naturall properties of most fruits, are somewhat altered by the stocke. Another thing I would willingly giue you to vnderstand concerning your fruits and stockes, that whereas diuers for curiosity and to try experiments haue grafted Cherries vpon Plumme stockes, or Plums on Cherry stockes, Apples vpon Peare stockes, and Peares vpon Apple stockes, some of these haue held the graft a yeare, two or three peraduenture, but I neuer knew that euer they held long, or to beare fruite, much lesse to abide or doe well: bestow not therefore your paines and time on such contrary natures, vnlesse it be for curiositie, as others haue done: Yet I know that they that graft peares on a white thorne stocke haue had their grafts seeme to thriue well, and continue long, but I haue seldome seene the fruite thereof answerable to the naturall wilde Peare stocke; yet the Medlar is knowne to thriue best on a white thorne. And lastly, whereas diuers doe affirme that they may haue not only good stockes to graft vpon, but also faire trees to bear store of fruit from the kernels of Peares or Apples being prickt into the ground, and suffered to grow without remouing, and then eyther grafted or suffered to grow into great trees vngrafted; and for their bearing of fruite, assigne a dozen or twenty yeares from the first setting of the kernels, and abiding vngrafted, I haue not seene or heard that experience to hold certaine, or if it should be so, yet it is too long time lost, and too much fruit also, to waite twenty yeares for that profit may be gained in a great deale of lesse time, and with more certainty. Vnto these instructions let mee adde also one more, which is not much known and vsed, and that is, to haue fruit within foure or fiue years from the first sowing of your stones or kernels in this manner: After your stockes raysed from stones or kernels are two or three yeares old, take the fairest toppe or branch, and graft it as you would doe any other cyon taken from a bearing tree, and looke what rare fruite, eyther Peare or Apple, the kernell was of that you sowed, or Peach or Plum&c.the stone was set, such fruite shall you haue within two or three yeares at the most after the grafting, if it take, and the stocke be good. And thus may you see fruit in farre lesse time then to stay vntill the tree from a kernell or stone beareth fruit of it selfe.

Chap. IIII.The diuers manners of grafting all sorts of fruits vsed in our Land.The most vsuall manner of grafting in the stocke is so common and well known in this Land to euery one that hath any thing to doe with trees or an Orchard, that I think I shall take vpon mee a needlesse worke to set downe that is so well knowne to most; yet how common soeuer it is, some directions may profit euery one, without which it is not easily learned. And I doe not so much spend my time and paines herein for their sakes that haue knowledge, but for such as not knowing would faine be taught priuately, I meane, to reade the rules of the arte set downe in priuate, when they would refuse to learne of a Gardiner, or other by sight: and yet I discommend not that way vnto them to learne by sight; for one may see more in an instant by sight, then he shall learn by his own practice in a great while, especially if he be a little practised before he see a cunning hand to doe it. There are many other kindes of grafting, which shall be spoken of hereafter, and peraduenture euen they that know it well, may learne something they knew not before.1. The grafting in the stocke, is, to set the sprigge of a good fruit into the body or stocke of another tree, bee it wilde or other, bee it young or old, to cause that tree to bring forth such fruit as the tree bore from whence you took the sprigge, and not such as the stocke or tree would haue borne, if it had not beene grafted, and is performed in this manner: Looke what tree or stocke you will chuse to graft on, you must with a small fine sawe and very sharpe, whip off, or cut off the head or toppe thereof at what height you eyther thinke best for your purpose, or conuenient for the tree: for if you graft a great tree, you cannot without endangering the whole, cut it downe so low to the ground, as you may without danger doe a small tree, or one that is of a reasonable size; and yet the lower or neerer the ground you graft a young tree, the safer it is both for your stocke and graft, because the sappe shall not ascend high, but soone giue vigour to the graft to take and shoote quickly: After you haue cut off the toppe of your stocke, cut or smooth the head thereof with a sharpe knife, that it may be as plaine and smooth as you can, and then cleaue it with a hammer or mallet, and with a strong knife, cleauer or chessell, either in the middle of it if it be small, or of a reasonable size, or on the sides an inch or more within the barke, if it be great: into both sides of the cleft put your grafts, or into one if the stocke bee smaller; which grafts must bee made fit for the purpose on this fashion: Hauing made choise of your grafts from the toppe branches especially, or from the sides of that tree whereof you would haue the fruit, and that they be of a reasonable good size, not too small or too great for your stockes, and of one or the same yeares shoote; (and yet many doe cut an inch or more of the olde wood with the sprigge of the last yeares growth, and so graft the old and young together, but both are good, and the old wood no better then the young) cut your graft not too long, but with two, three or foure eyes or buds at the most, which at the lower or bigger end for an inch long or more (for the greater stockes, and an inch or lesse for the lesser sort) must be so cut, that it be very thin on the one side from the shoulders downward, and thicker on the other, and thin also at the end, that it may goe downe close into the cleft, and rest at the shoulders on the head of the stocke: but take heede that in cutting your grafts your knife bee very sharpe that you doe not rayse any of the barke, eyther at the sides or the end, for feare of losing both your paines and graft, and stocke too peraduenture; and let not your grafts bee made long before you set them, or else put the ends of them in water to keepe them fresh and cleane: when you set them you must open the cleft of your stocke with a wedge or chessell as most doe, that the graft may goe easily into it, and that the barke of both graft and stocke may ioyne close the one to the other, which without stirring or displacing must bee so left in the cleft, and the wedge or chessell gently pulled forth; but because in the doing hereof consisteth in a manner the whole losse or gaine of your paines, graft and stocke, to preuent which inconuenience I doe vse an iron Instrument, the forme whereof is showne in the following page, marked with the letter A, crooked at both ends, and broade like vnto a chessell, the one bigger, and the other lesser, to fit all sorts of stockes, and the iron handle somewhat long betweene them both, that being thrust or knocked downe into the cleft, you may with your left hand open it as wide as is fit to let in your graft, without strayning, which being placed, this iron may bee pulled or knocked vp againe without any mouing of your graft: when you haue thus done, you must lay a good handfull or more (according to the bignesse of your stocke) of soft and well moistned clay or loame, well tempered together with short cut hey or horse dung, vpon the head of your stocke, as lowe or somewhat lower then the cleft, to keepe out all winde, raine or ayre from your graft vntill Midsomer at the least, that the graft be shot forth somewhat strongly, which then if you please may be remoued, and the cleft at the head only filled with a little clay to keepe out earewigs, or other things that may hurt your graft.Page 543:Grafting tools and methods.A. The Iron Instrument with chessels at each end, the one bigger and the other lesser, to keepe the cleft of the Tree open vntill the graft bee placed in the stocke, which with a knock vpwards will be easily taken away.B. The small Penne-knife with a broad and thinne ended hafte, to raise the sides both of the bud and the down-right slit in the body or arme of a Tree to be grafted in the bud.C. A pen or quil cut halfe round to take off a bud from the branch.D. An Iuory Instrument made to the same fashion.E. A shielde of brasse made hollow before to be put into the slit, to keepe it open vntill the bud be put into its place.F. The manner of grafting called incising or splicing.G. A Ladder made with a stoole at the toppe, to serue both to graft higher or lower, and also to gather fruit without spoyling or hurting any buddes or branches of Trees.1. The first slit in the body or arme of a Tree to be grafted in the bud with the crosse cut at the head.2. The same slit opened on both sides, ready to receiue the budde should be put therein: these small peeces serue as well as trees to shew the manner and order of the grafting.3. The branch of a Tree with one budde cut ready to be taken off, and another not yet touched.4. The bud cleane taken off from the branch, both the foreside and backside.5. The graft or bud now put into the stocke or tree you intend to be grafted: but the binding thereof is omitted.2. Inarching is another manner of grafting in the stocke, and is more troublesome, and more casuall also then the former, and is rather a curiosity then any way of good speede, certainety or profit, and therefore vsed but of a few. Yet to shew you, themanner thereof, it is thus: Hauing a tree well growne, bee it high or low, yet the lower the better, with young branches well spread, they vse to set stockes round about it, or on the one side as you please; into which stockes they ingraft the young branches of the well growne tree as they are growing (before they cut them from the tree) by bowing downe the branch they intend to graft, and putting it into the stocke, hauing first cut off the head thereof, and cut a notch in the middle of the head a little slope on both sides, wherein the branch must be fitted: let the branch be cut thinne on the vnderside, only of that length as may suffice to fit the notch in the stocke, leauing about halfe a yarde length of the branch, to rise aboue or beyond the stocke, which beeing bound on, and clayed ouer or couered with red or greene soft waxe, they let so abide, that if it take in the stocke they cut off the branch a little below the grafting place in Nouember following, and remouing the stocke, they haue thus gained a grafted and growne tree the first yeare: but it is vsually seene, that where one branch taketh, three doe misse: yet this manner of grafting was much in vse for May Cherries, when they were first known to vs, and the way thought to be a rare manner of grafting to encrease them, vntill a better way was found out, which now is so common and good also, that this is not now scarce thought vpon.3. Another kinde of grafting in the stocke is called of some whipping, of some splicing, of others incising, and of others packing on (and as I heare, is much vsed in the West parts especially, and also in the North parts of this Land) and is performed in this manner: Take and slice the branch of a tree (so as the branch be not too bigge) or else a young tree of two, or three, or foure yeares growth at the most, quite off slope wise, about an inch and a halfe long or more, and cut a deep notch in the middle thereof, then fit into it a graft iust of that size or bignesse, cut on both sides with shoulders, and thin at the end, that it may ioyne close in the notch, and neyther bigger or lesser, but that the barke of the one may bee fitted iust to the barke of the other, the figure wherof is expressed at the letters E.F. which shew the one to be with a shoulder & the other without; binde them gently together with bast, and put clay or waxe ouer the place, vntill it be taken: this is much vsed of late dayes for such young trees as are risen of stones or kernels after the second or third yeares growth, and thriue very well in that it not only saueth much time, but diuers checks by remouing and grafting.4. Inoculating or grafting in the budde is another manner of grafting, which is the taking of a budde from one tree, and putting it into the barke of another tree, to the end, that thereby you may haue of the same kinde of fruit the tree bare from whence the budde was taken; and although it bee sufficiently knowne in many places of this Land, yet as I vnderstand, good Gardiners in the North parts, and likewise in some other places, can scarce tell what it meaneth, or at the least how to doe it well. It is performed after a different fashion from the former, although they all tend vnto one end, which is the propagating of trees. You must for this purpose obserue, that for those trees you would graft, either with, or vpon, you choose a fit time in Summer, when the sappe is well risen, and your graft well shot, that the barke will rise easily and cleanly, both of stocke and graft, which time I cannot appoint, because both the years doe differ in earlinesse, and the seuerall parts or countries of this Land likewise one from another, but most vsually in these Southerne parts, from the beginning of Iune vnto the end of it, or to the middle of Iuly, or either somewhat before or after. First (as I said) hauing taken the fitted time of the yeare, you must take especiall care, that your grafts be well growne, and of the same yeares shoote, and also that the buds or eyes haue but single leaues at them, as neere as you can: for I would vtterly refuse those buds that haue aboue two leaues as vnprofitable, either in Peaches or any other fruit; and therefore see that your grafts or cyons bee taken from the chiefest place of the tree, that is, either from the toppe, or from a sunnie side thereof, and not from the contrarie side if you may otherwise, nor from any vnder-boughes; for seeing your graft is so small a thing, you had neede take the more care that it be the best and fairest. You must to take off this eye or budde from the sprigge, haue a small sharpe pen-knife, the end of the haft being made flat and thinne, like a chessell or wedge, the figure whereof is set forth at the letter B, and a pen or goose quill cut, to be lesse then halfe round, and to be broad at the end, but not sharpe pointed like a penne, or else such a peece of bone or Iuorie made in that fashion as the quill is, to bee thinne, hollow, orhalfe round, the figures of both which are marked with the letters C, D, with your knife cut the barke of the bud (hauing first cut off the leafe, leauing onely the short foote-stalke thereof at the bud) about a strawes breadth aboue the eye thereof halfe round, and then from that round or ouerthwart cut, with your knife cut it downe on both sides of the eye, close to the bud slopewise about an inch long or thereabouts, that it bee broad at the head aboue the eye, and pointing at the end like a sheild or scutcheon; and then cutting away the rest of the barke from about it, with the thinne flat end of the haft of your knife raise vp both sides of your bud a little, and with your quill or bone put vnder the barke, raise your budde, and thrust it quite off, beginning at the toppe or head of your eye; but see that you thrust it off close to the wood of the branch or sprigge, and that you doe not leaue the eye of the budde behinde sticking vpon the branch; for if that eye be left or lost, your bud is worth nothing; you must cast it away, and cut another that may haue that eye abiding within the budde on the inside: you may perceiue if that eye be wanting, if you see an emptie hole in the place where the eye should be, to fill it vp on the inside thereof; thus hauing taken off your bud well and cleanly, which is set forth vnto you at the figures, 3 and 4. presently set it on the tree you would graft (for your small budde can abide no delay, lest by taking the ayre too long it become dry, and nothing worth) in this manner: Cut the barke of your tree you would graft in a smooth place, at what height you please, first aboue or ouerthwart, and then downe right in the middle thereof, more then an inch long, the figure whereof you shall haue at the figure 1. and then raise vp both sides of the barke, first one, and then another, with the flat and thinne haft end of your knife, a prettie way inwards (for if the barke will not rise easily, the stocke is not then fit to graft vpon) put in your budde into the cleft with the point downewards, holding the stalke of the leafe that is with the budde betweene your fingers of the one hand, and opening the cleft with the flat end of your knife with the other hand, that the head of your bud may be put close vnder the ouerthwart cut in the stocke or tree (which must not be raised or stirred as the sides are) & the eye of the bud stand iust in the middle of the slit that is downeright, and then closing the barke of the stocke or tree softly vnto the bud thus put in with your fingers, let it be bound gently with a small long peece of baste, or other such like soft thing, first aboue the eye, & then compassing it belowe as close as you can, but not too hard in any case, vntil you haue bound it all ouer the slit you made, especially the lower end, lest any winde get in to dry and spoile it; and hauing tyed both ends thereof fast, leaue it so for a fortnight or somewhat more, in which space it will take and hold, if it be well done, which you shall perceiue, if the bud abide green, and turne not blacke, when you haue vnloosed the tying; for if it hold fast to the tree, and be fresh and good, tye it vp gently againe, and so leaue it for a fortnight longer, or a moneth if you will, and then you may take away your binding cleane: this budde will (if no other mischance happen vnto it) spring and shoote forth the next yeare, (and sometimes the same yeare, but that is seldome) and therefore in the beginning of the yeare, cut off the head of the grafted tree about an handfull aboue the grafted place, vntill the graft be growne strong, and then cut it off close, that the head may be couered with the graft, and doe not suffer any buds to sprout besides the graft, either aboue or belowe it. If you graft diuers buds vpon one stocke (which is the best way) let that onely remaine and abide that shooteth best forth, and rubbe off, or take away the other: the seuerall parts of this grafting I haue caused to be expressed for your further information.5. Grafting in the scutcheon is accounted another kinde of grafting, and differeth verie little from grafting in the budde: the difference chiefly consisteth in this, that in stead of the downe right slit, and that aboue ouerthwart, they take away iust so much barke of the great tree, as your budde is in bignesse, which vsually is a little larger then the former, and placing it therein, they binde it as formerly is said: some vse for this purpose a paire of compasses, to giue the true measure both of bud and stocke; this manner of grafting is most vsed vpon greater trees, whose young branches are too high to graft vpon in the former maner, and whose tops they cut off (for the most part) at the latter end of the next yeare after the bud is taken: both these waies were inuented to saue the losse of trees, which are more endangered by grafting in the stocke,then any of these waies; and besides, by these waies you may graft at a farre greater height without losse.

The most vsuall manner of grafting in the stocke is so common and well known in this Land to euery one that hath any thing to doe with trees or an Orchard, that I think I shall take vpon mee a needlesse worke to set downe that is so well knowne to most; yet how common soeuer it is, some directions may profit euery one, without which it is not easily learned. And I doe not so much spend my time and paines herein for their sakes that haue knowledge, but for such as not knowing would faine be taught priuately, I meane, to reade the rules of the arte set downe in priuate, when they would refuse to learne of a Gardiner, or other by sight: and yet I discommend not that way vnto them to learne by sight; for one may see more in an instant by sight, then he shall learn by his own practice in a great while, especially if he be a little practised before he see a cunning hand to doe it. There are many other kindes of grafting, which shall be spoken of hereafter, and peraduenture euen they that know it well, may learne something they knew not before.

1. The grafting in the stocke, is, to set the sprigge of a good fruit into the body or stocke of another tree, bee it wilde or other, bee it young or old, to cause that tree to bring forth such fruit as the tree bore from whence you took the sprigge, and not such as the stocke or tree would haue borne, if it had not beene grafted, and is performed in this manner: Looke what tree or stocke you will chuse to graft on, you must with a small fine sawe and very sharpe, whip off, or cut off the head or toppe thereof at what height you eyther thinke best for your purpose, or conuenient for the tree: for if you graft a great tree, you cannot without endangering the whole, cut it downe so low to the ground, as you may without danger doe a small tree, or one that is of a reasonable size; and yet the lower or neerer the ground you graft a young tree, the safer it is both for your stocke and graft, because the sappe shall not ascend high, but soone giue vigour to the graft to take and shoote quickly: After you haue cut off the toppe of your stocke, cut or smooth the head thereof with a sharpe knife, that it may be as plaine and smooth as you can, and then cleaue it with a hammer or mallet, and with a strong knife, cleauer or chessell, either in the middle of it if it be small, or of a reasonable size, or on the sides an inch or more within the barke, if it be great: into both sides of the cleft put your grafts, or into one if the stocke bee smaller; which grafts must bee made fit for the purpose on this fashion: Hauing made choise of your grafts from the toppe branches especially, or from the sides of that tree whereof you would haue the fruit, and that they be of a reasonable good size, not too small or too great for your stockes, and of one or the same yeares shoote; (and yet many doe cut an inch or more of the olde wood with the sprigge of the last yeares growth, and so graft the old and young together, but both are good, and the old wood no better then the young) cut your graft not too long, but with two, three or foure eyes or buds at the most, which at the lower or bigger end for an inch long or more (for the greater stockes, and an inch or lesse for the lesser sort) must be so cut, that it be very thin on the one side from the shoulders downward, and thicker on the other, and thin also at the end, that it may goe downe close into the cleft, and rest at the shoulders on the head of the stocke: but take heede that in cutting your grafts your knife bee very sharpe that you doe not rayse any of the barke, eyther at the sides or the end, for feare of losing both your paines and graft, and stocke too peraduenture; and let not your grafts bee made long before you set them, or else put the ends of them in water to keepe them fresh and cleane: when you set them you must open the cleft of your stocke with a wedge or chessell as most doe, that the graft may goe easily into it, and that the barke of both graft and stocke may ioyne close the one to the other, which without stirring or displacing must bee so left in the cleft, and the wedge or chessell gently pulled forth; but because in the doing hereof consisteth in a manner the whole losse or gaine of your paines, graft and stocke, to preuent which inconuenience I doe vse an iron Instrument, the forme whereof is showne in the following page, marked with the letter A, crooked at both ends, and broade like vnto a chessell, the one bigger, and the other lesser, to fit all sorts of stockes, and the iron handle somewhat long betweene them both, that being thrust or knocked downe into the cleft, you may with your left hand open it as wide as is fit to let in your graft, without strayning, which being placed, this iron may bee pulled or knocked vp againe without any mouing of your graft: when you haue thus done, you must lay a good handfull or more (according to the bignesse of your stocke) of soft and well moistned clay or loame, well tempered together with short cut hey or horse dung, vpon the head of your stocke, as lowe or somewhat lower then the cleft, to keepe out all winde, raine or ayre from your graft vntill Midsomer at the least, that the graft be shot forth somewhat strongly, which then if you please may be remoued, and the cleft at the head only filled with a little clay to keepe out earewigs, or other things that may hurt your graft.

Page 543:Grafting tools and methods.A. The Iron Instrument with chessels at each end, the one bigger and the other lesser, to keepe the cleft of the Tree open vntill the graft bee placed in the stocke, which with a knock vpwards will be easily taken away.B. The small Penne-knife with a broad and thinne ended hafte, to raise the sides both of the bud and the down-right slit in the body or arme of a Tree to be grafted in the bud.C. A pen or quil cut halfe round to take off a bud from the branch.D. An Iuory Instrument made to the same fashion.E. A shielde of brasse made hollow before to be put into the slit, to keepe it open vntill the bud be put into its place.F. The manner of grafting called incising or splicing.G. A Ladder made with a stoole at the toppe, to serue both to graft higher or lower, and also to gather fruit without spoyling or hurting any buddes or branches of Trees.1. The first slit in the body or arme of a Tree to be grafted in the bud with the crosse cut at the head.2. The same slit opened on both sides, ready to receiue the budde should be put therein: these small peeces serue as well as trees to shew the manner and order of the grafting.3. The branch of a Tree with one budde cut ready to be taken off, and another not yet touched.4. The bud cleane taken off from the branch, both the foreside and backside.5. The graft or bud now put into the stocke or tree you intend to be grafted: but the binding thereof is omitted.

A. The Iron Instrument with chessels at each end, the one bigger and the other lesser, to keepe the cleft of the Tree open vntill the graft bee placed in the stocke, which with a knock vpwards will be easily taken away.

B. The small Penne-knife with a broad and thinne ended hafte, to raise the sides both of the bud and the down-right slit in the body or arme of a Tree to be grafted in the bud.

C. A pen or quil cut halfe round to take off a bud from the branch.

D. An Iuory Instrument made to the same fashion.

E. A shielde of brasse made hollow before to be put into the slit, to keepe it open vntill the bud be put into its place.

F. The manner of grafting called incising or splicing.

G. A Ladder made with a stoole at the toppe, to serue both to graft higher or lower, and also to gather fruit without spoyling or hurting any buddes or branches of Trees.

1. The first slit in the body or arme of a Tree to be grafted in the bud with the crosse cut at the head.

2. The same slit opened on both sides, ready to receiue the budde should be put therein: these small peeces serue as well as trees to shew the manner and order of the grafting.

3. The branch of a Tree with one budde cut ready to be taken off, and another not yet touched.

4. The bud cleane taken off from the branch, both the foreside and backside.

5. The graft or bud now put into the stocke or tree you intend to be grafted: but the binding thereof is omitted.

2. Inarching is another manner of grafting in the stocke, and is more troublesome, and more casuall also then the former, and is rather a curiosity then any way of good speede, certainety or profit, and therefore vsed but of a few. Yet to shew you, themanner thereof, it is thus: Hauing a tree well growne, bee it high or low, yet the lower the better, with young branches well spread, they vse to set stockes round about it, or on the one side as you please; into which stockes they ingraft the young branches of the well growne tree as they are growing (before they cut them from the tree) by bowing downe the branch they intend to graft, and putting it into the stocke, hauing first cut off the head thereof, and cut a notch in the middle of the head a little slope on both sides, wherein the branch must be fitted: let the branch be cut thinne on the vnderside, only of that length as may suffice to fit the notch in the stocke, leauing about halfe a yarde length of the branch, to rise aboue or beyond the stocke, which beeing bound on, and clayed ouer or couered with red or greene soft waxe, they let so abide, that if it take in the stocke they cut off the branch a little below the grafting place in Nouember following, and remouing the stocke, they haue thus gained a grafted and growne tree the first yeare: but it is vsually seene, that where one branch taketh, three doe misse: yet this manner of grafting was much in vse for May Cherries, when they were first known to vs, and the way thought to be a rare manner of grafting to encrease them, vntill a better way was found out, which now is so common and good also, that this is not now scarce thought vpon.

3. Another kinde of grafting in the stocke is called of some whipping, of some splicing, of others incising, and of others packing on (and as I heare, is much vsed in the West parts especially, and also in the North parts of this Land) and is performed in this manner: Take and slice the branch of a tree (so as the branch be not too bigge) or else a young tree of two, or three, or foure yeares growth at the most, quite off slope wise, about an inch and a halfe long or more, and cut a deep notch in the middle thereof, then fit into it a graft iust of that size or bignesse, cut on both sides with shoulders, and thin at the end, that it may ioyne close in the notch, and neyther bigger or lesser, but that the barke of the one may bee fitted iust to the barke of the other, the figure wherof is expressed at the letters E.F. which shew the one to be with a shoulder & the other without; binde them gently together with bast, and put clay or waxe ouer the place, vntill it be taken: this is much vsed of late dayes for such young trees as are risen of stones or kernels after the second or third yeares growth, and thriue very well in that it not only saueth much time, but diuers checks by remouing and grafting.

4. Inoculating or grafting in the budde is another manner of grafting, which is the taking of a budde from one tree, and putting it into the barke of another tree, to the end, that thereby you may haue of the same kinde of fruit the tree bare from whence the budde was taken; and although it bee sufficiently knowne in many places of this Land, yet as I vnderstand, good Gardiners in the North parts, and likewise in some other places, can scarce tell what it meaneth, or at the least how to doe it well. It is performed after a different fashion from the former, although they all tend vnto one end, which is the propagating of trees. You must for this purpose obserue, that for those trees you would graft, either with, or vpon, you choose a fit time in Summer, when the sappe is well risen, and your graft well shot, that the barke will rise easily and cleanly, both of stocke and graft, which time I cannot appoint, because both the years doe differ in earlinesse, and the seuerall parts or countries of this Land likewise one from another, but most vsually in these Southerne parts, from the beginning of Iune vnto the end of it, or to the middle of Iuly, or either somewhat before or after. First (as I said) hauing taken the fitted time of the yeare, you must take especiall care, that your grafts be well growne, and of the same yeares shoote, and also that the buds or eyes haue but single leaues at them, as neere as you can: for I would vtterly refuse those buds that haue aboue two leaues as vnprofitable, either in Peaches or any other fruit; and therefore see that your grafts or cyons bee taken from the chiefest place of the tree, that is, either from the toppe, or from a sunnie side thereof, and not from the contrarie side if you may otherwise, nor from any vnder-boughes; for seeing your graft is so small a thing, you had neede take the more care that it be the best and fairest. You must to take off this eye or budde from the sprigge, haue a small sharpe pen-knife, the end of the haft being made flat and thinne, like a chessell or wedge, the figure whereof is set forth at the letter B, and a pen or goose quill cut, to be lesse then halfe round, and to be broad at the end, but not sharpe pointed like a penne, or else such a peece of bone or Iuorie made in that fashion as the quill is, to bee thinne, hollow, orhalfe round, the figures of both which are marked with the letters C, D, with your knife cut the barke of the bud (hauing first cut off the leafe, leauing onely the short foote-stalke thereof at the bud) about a strawes breadth aboue the eye thereof halfe round, and then from that round or ouerthwart cut, with your knife cut it downe on both sides of the eye, close to the bud slopewise about an inch long or thereabouts, that it bee broad at the head aboue the eye, and pointing at the end like a sheild or scutcheon; and then cutting away the rest of the barke from about it, with the thinne flat end of the haft of your knife raise vp both sides of your bud a little, and with your quill or bone put vnder the barke, raise your budde, and thrust it quite off, beginning at the toppe or head of your eye; but see that you thrust it off close to the wood of the branch or sprigge, and that you doe not leaue the eye of the budde behinde sticking vpon the branch; for if that eye be left or lost, your bud is worth nothing; you must cast it away, and cut another that may haue that eye abiding within the budde on the inside: you may perceiue if that eye be wanting, if you see an emptie hole in the place where the eye should be, to fill it vp on the inside thereof; thus hauing taken off your bud well and cleanly, which is set forth vnto you at the figures, 3 and 4. presently set it on the tree you would graft (for your small budde can abide no delay, lest by taking the ayre too long it become dry, and nothing worth) in this manner: Cut the barke of your tree you would graft in a smooth place, at what height you please, first aboue or ouerthwart, and then downe right in the middle thereof, more then an inch long, the figure whereof you shall haue at the figure 1. and then raise vp both sides of the barke, first one, and then another, with the flat and thinne haft end of your knife, a prettie way inwards (for if the barke will not rise easily, the stocke is not then fit to graft vpon) put in your budde into the cleft with the point downewards, holding the stalke of the leafe that is with the budde betweene your fingers of the one hand, and opening the cleft with the flat end of your knife with the other hand, that the head of your bud may be put close vnder the ouerthwart cut in the stocke or tree (which must not be raised or stirred as the sides are) & the eye of the bud stand iust in the middle of the slit that is downeright, and then closing the barke of the stocke or tree softly vnto the bud thus put in with your fingers, let it be bound gently with a small long peece of baste, or other such like soft thing, first aboue the eye, & then compassing it belowe as close as you can, but not too hard in any case, vntil you haue bound it all ouer the slit you made, especially the lower end, lest any winde get in to dry and spoile it; and hauing tyed both ends thereof fast, leaue it so for a fortnight or somewhat more, in which space it will take and hold, if it be well done, which you shall perceiue, if the bud abide green, and turne not blacke, when you haue vnloosed the tying; for if it hold fast to the tree, and be fresh and good, tye it vp gently againe, and so leaue it for a fortnight longer, or a moneth if you will, and then you may take away your binding cleane: this budde will (if no other mischance happen vnto it) spring and shoote forth the next yeare, (and sometimes the same yeare, but that is seldome) and therefore in the beginning of the yeare, cut off the head of the grafted tree about an handfull aboue the grafted place, vntill the graft be growne strong, and then cut it off close, that the head may be couered with the graft, and doe not suffer any buds to sprout besides the graft, either aboue or belowe it. If you graft diuers buds vpon one stocke (which is the best way) let that onely remaine and abide that shooteth best forth, and rubbe off, or take away the other: the seuerall parts of this grafting I haue caused to be expressed for your further information.

5. Grafting in the scutcheon is accounted another kinde of grafting, and differeth verie little from grafting in the budde: the difference chiefly consisteth in this, that in stead of the downe right slit, and that aboue ouerthwart, they take away iust so much barke of the great tree, as your budde is in bignesse, which vsually is a little larger then the former, and placing it therein, they binde it as formerly is said: some vse for this purpose a paire of compasses, to giue the true measure both of bud and stocke; this manner of grafting is most vsed vpon greater trees, whose young branches are too high to graft vpon in the former maner, and whose tops they cut off (for the most part) at the latter end of the next yeare after the bud is taken: both these waies were inuented to saue the losse of trees, which are more endangered by grafting in the stocke,then any of these waies; and besides, by these waies you may graft at a farre greater height without losse.

Chap. V.Of the manner of grafting and propagating all sorts of Roses.Hauing now spoken of the grafting of trees, let mee adioyne the properties of Roses, which although they better fit a Garden then an Orchard, yet I could not in a fitter place expresse them then here, both for the name and affinity of grafting, & because I do not expresse it in the first part. All sorts of Roses may be grafted (although all sorts are not, some seruing rather for stockes for others to be grafted on) as easily as any other tree, & is only performed, by inoculating in the same maner I haue set downe in theformer Chapterof grafting trees in the bud; for both stocke and budde must bee dealt with after the same fashion. And although some haue boasted of grafting Roses by dicing or whipping, as they call it, or in the stocke, after the first manner, set downe in the former Chapter, yet I thinke it rather a bragge, not hauing seene or heard any true effect proceede from that relation. The sweete Briar or Eglantine, the white and the Damaske Roses, are the chiefest stockes to graft vpon. And if you graft lowe or neare the ground, you may by laying downe that graft within the ground, after it hath bin shot out well, and of a years growth, by pinning it fast downe with short stickes, a thwart or acrosse, cause that grafted branch, by taking roote, to become a naturall Rose, such as the graft was, which being separated and transplanted after it hath taken root wel, will prosper as well as any naturall sucker. And in this maner, by laying downe branches at length into the ground, if they be full of spreading small branches, you may increase all sorts of Roses quickly and plentifully; for they will shoote forth rootes at the ioynts of euery branch: But as for the manner of grafting white Roses or Damaske vpon Broome stalkes or Barbary bushes, to cause them to bring forth double yellow Roses, or vpon a Willowe, to beare greene Roses, they are all idle conceits, as impossible to be effected, as other things, whereof I haue spoken in theninth Chapter of my first part, concerning a Garden of flowers, vnto which I referre you to be satisfied with the reasons there alledged. And it is the more needlesse, because we haue a naturall double yellow Rose of it owne growing. The sowing of the seedes of Roses (which are sometimes found vpon most sorts of Roses, although not euery yeare, and in euerie place) hath bin formerly much vsed; but now the laying downe of the young shootes is a way for increase so much vsed, being safe and verie speedie to take, especially for those Roses that are not so apt to giue suckers, that it hath almost taken quite away the vse of sowing of the seedes of Roses, which yet if anie one be disposed to make the triall, they must gather the seede out of the round heads, from amongst the doune, wherein they lye verie like vnto the berries of the Eglantine or sweete Briar bush, and especially of those Roses that bee of the more single kindes, which are more apt to giue berries for seed then the more double, although sometimes the double Roses yeeld the like heads or berries. Their time of sowing is in the end of September (yet some reserue them vntill February) and their manner of noursing is to bee transplanted, after the first or second yeares growth, and tended carefully, that while they are young they be not lost for want of moisture in the dry time of Summer.

Hauing now spoken of the grafting of trees, let mee adioyne the properties of Roses, which although they better fit a Garden then an Orchard, yet I could not in a fitter place expresse them then here, both for the name and affinity of grafting, & because I do not expresse it in the first part. All sorts of Roses may be grafted (although all sorts are not, some seruing rather for stockes for others to be grafted on) as easily as any other tree, & is only performed, by inoculating in the same maner I haue set downe in theformer Chapterof grafting trees in the bud; for both stocke and budde must bee dealt with after the same fashion. And although some haue boasted of grafting Roses by dicing or whipping, as they call it, or in the stocke, after the first manner, set downe in the former Chapter, yet I thinke it rather a bragge, not hauing seene or heard any true effect proceede from that relation. The sweete Briar or Eglantine, the white and the Damaske Roses, are the chiefest stockes to graft vpon. And if you graft lowe or neare the ground, you may by laying downe that graft within the ground, after it hath bin shot out well, and of a years growth, by pinning it fast downe with short stickes, a thwart or acrosse, cause that grafted branch, by taking roote, to become a naturall Rose, such as the graft was, which being separated and transplanted after it hath taken root wel, will prosper as well as any naturall sucker. And in this maner, by laying downe branches at length into the ground, if they be full of spreading small branches, you may increase all sorts of Roses quickly and plentifully; for they will shoote forth rootes at the ioynts of euery branch: But as for the manner of grafting white Roses or Damaske vpon Broome stalkes or Barbary bushes, to cause them to bring forth double yellow Roses, or vpon a Willowe, to beare greene Roses, they are all idle conceits, as impossible to be effected, as other things, whereof I haue spoken in theninth Chapter of my first part, concerning a Garden of flowers, vnto which I referre you to be satisfied with the reasons there alledged. And it is the more needlesse, because we haue a naturall double yellow Rose of it owne growing. The sowing of the seedes of Roses (which are sometimes found vpon most sorts of Roses, although not euery yeare, and in euerie place) hath bin formerly much vsed; but now the laying downe of the young shootes is a way for increase so much vsed, being safe and verie speedie to take, especially for those Roses that are not so apt to giue suckers, that it hath almost taken quite away the vse of sowing of the seedes of Roses, which yet if anie one be disposed to make the triall, they must gather the seede out of the round heads, from amongst the doune, wherein they lye verie like vnto the berries of the Eglantine or sweete Briar bush, and especially of those Roses that bee of the more single kindes, which are more apt to giue berries for seed then the more double, although sometimes the double Roses yeeld the like heads or berries. Their time of sowing is in the end of September (yet some reserue them vntill February) and their manner of noursing is to bee transplanted, after the first or second yeares growth, and tended carefully, that while they are young they be not lost for want of moisture in the dry time of Summer.

Chap. VI.Certaine rules and obseruations in and after grafting, not remembred in the former Chapter.The time of some manners of grafting being not mentioned before, must here be spoken of. For the grafting of all sorts of trees in the stocke, the most vsuall time is from the middle of February vntill the middle of March, as the yeare and the countrie is more forward or backward, with vs about London wee neuer passe midde March: but because the May Cherrie is first ripe, and therefore of a very forward nature, it doth require to be grafted somewhat sooner then others. The time of gathering likewise, or cutting your grafts for grafting in the stocke, is to be obserued, that they bee not long gathered before they bee grafted, for feare of being too dry, which I commend, howsoeuer diuers say, if they be long kept they are not the worse; and therefore if you be forced to haue your grafts from farre, or by some other chance to keepe them long, be carefull to keepe them moist, by keeping their ends stucke in moist clay; but if neare hand, neglect no time I say after the cutting of them for their grafting, but either the same, or the next day, or verie speedily after, in the meane time being put into the ground to keepe them fresh. The grafts taken from old trees, because they are stronger, and shoote forth sooner, are to bee sooner grafted then those that are taken from younger trees: of a good branch may bee made two, and sometimes three grafts sufficient for anie reasonable stocke. For whipping, the time is somewhat later then grafting in the stocke, because it is performed on younger trees, which (as I said before) doe not so early bud or shoote forth as the elder. Inarching likewise is performed much about the later end of the grafting time in the stocke; for being both kindes thereof they require the same time of the yeare. The times of the other manners of graftings are before expressed, to bee when they haue shot forth young branches, from whence your buds must be taken; and therefore need not here againe to be repeated. If a graft in the stocke doth happen not to shoote forth when others do (so as it holdeth green) it may perchance shoot out a moneth or two after, & do well, or else after Midsummer, when a second time of shooting, or the after Spring appeareth: but haue an especiall care, that you take not such a graft that shal haue nothing but buds for flowers vpon it, and not an eye or bud for leaues (which you must be carefull to distinguish) for such a graft after it hath shot out the flowers must of necessitie dye, not hauing wherewith to maintaine it selfe. Also if your good graft doe misse, and not take, it doth hazzard your stocke at the first time, yet manie stockes doe recouer to be grafted the second time; but twice to faile is deadly, which is not so in the inoculating of buds in the greene tree: for if you faile there in three, or three times three, yet euerie wound being small, and the tree still growing greene, will quickly recouer it, and not be afterwards seen. Some vse to graft in the stocke the same yeare they remoue the stocke, to saue time, & a second checke by grafting; but I like better both in grafting in the stocke, and in the bud also, that your trees might be planted in the places where you would haue them growe, for a yeare or two at the least before you graft them, that after grafting there should be no remouall, I neede not be tedious, nor yet I hope verie sollicitous to remember many other triuiall, or at the least common knowne things in this matter. First, for the time to remoue trees, young or old, grafted or vngrafted, to be from a fortnight after Michaelmas vntill Candlemas, or if neede be, somewhat after, yet the sooner your remoue is, the better your trees will thriue, except it be in a very moist ground. For the manner or way to set them:viz.in the high and dry grounds set them deeper, both to haue the more moisture, and to be the better defended from windes; and in the lower and moister grounds Shallower, and that the earth be mellow, well turned vp, and that the finer earth bee put among the small rootes, wherein they may spread, and afterwards gently troden downe, that no hollownesse remaine among the rootes: as also that after setting (if the time be not ouermoist) there may be some water powred to the rootes, to moisten and fasten them the better; and in the dry time of Summer, after the setting, let them not want moisture, if you willhaue them thriue and prosper; for the want thereof at that time, hath often killed manie a likely tree. To stake and fence them also if neede bee after they are new set, and so to continue for two or three yeares after, is verie expedient, lest windes or other casualties spoile your paines, and ouerthrow your hopes. And likewise to defend your grafts from birds lighting on them, to breake or displace them, to sticke some prickes or sharpe pointed stickes longer then your graft into your clay, that so they may be a sure defence of it: As also to tye some woollen cloathes about the lower end of your stockes, or thrust in some thornes into the ground about the rootes, to defend them from hauing their barkes eaten by Conies, or hurt by some other noisome vermine.

The time of some manners of grafting being not mentioned before, must here be spoken of. For the grafting of all sorts of trees in the stocke, the most vsuall time is from the middle of February vntill the middle of March, as the yeare and the countrie is more forward or backward, with vs about London wee neuer passe midde March: but because the May Cherrie is first ripe, and therefore of a very forward nature, it doth require to be grafted somewhat sooner then others. The time of gathering likewise, or cutting your grafts for grafting in the stocke, is to be obserued, that they bee not long gathered before they bee grafted, for feare of being too dry, which I commend, howsoeuer diuers say, if they be long kept they are not the worse; and therefore if you be forced to haue your grafts from farre, or by some other chance to keepe them long, be carefull to keepe them moist, by keeping their ends stucke in moist clay; but if neare hand, neglect no time I say after the cutting of them for their grafting, but either the same, or the next day, or verie speedily after, in the meane time being put into the ground to keepe them fresh. The grafts taken from old trees, because they are stronger, and shoote forth sooner, are to bee sooner grafted then those that are taken from younger trees: of a good branch may bee made two, and sometimes three grafts sufficient for anie reasonable stocke. For whipping, the time is somewhat later then grafting in the stocke, because it is performed on younger trees, which (as I said before) doe not so early bud or shoote forth as the elder. Inarching likewise is performed much about the later end of the grafting time in the stocke; for being both kindes thereof they require the same time of the yeare. The times of the other manners of graftings are before expressed, to bee when they haue shot forth young branches, from whence your buds must be taken; and therefore need not here againe to be repeated. If a graft in the stocke doth happen not to shoote forth when others do (so as it holdeth green) it may perchance shoot out a moneth or two after, & do well, or else after Midsummer, when a second time of shooting, or the after Spring appeareth: but haue an especiall care, that you take not such a graft that shal haue nothing but buds for flowers vpon it, and not an eye or bud for leaues (which you must be carefull to distinguish) for such a graft after it hath shot out the flowers must of necessitie dye, not hauing wherewith to maintaine it selfe. Also if your good graft doe misse, and not take, it doth hazzard your stocke at the first time, yet manie stockes doe recouer to be grafted the second time; but twice to faile is deadly, which is not so in the inoculating of buds in the greene tree: for if you faile there in three, or three times three, yet euerie wound being small, and the tree still growing greene, will quickly recouer it, and not be afterwards seen. Some vse to graft in the stocke the same yeare they remoue the stocke, to saue time, & a second checke by grafting; but I like better both in grafting in the stocke, and in the bud also, that your trees might be planted in the places where you would haue them growe, for a yeare or two at the least before you graft them, that after grafting there should be no remouall, I neede not be tedious, nor yet I hope verie sollicitous to remember many other triuiall, or at the least common knowne things in this matter. First, for the time to remoue trees, young or old, grafted or vngrafted, to be from a fortnight after Michaelmas vntill Candlemas, or if neede be, somewhat after, yet the sooner your remoue is, the better your trees will thriue, except it be in a very moist ground. For the manner or way to set them:viz.in the high and dry grounds set them deeper, both to haue the more moisture, and to be the better defended from windes; and in the lower and moister grounds Shallower, and that the earth be mellow, well turned vp, and that the finer earth bee put among the small rootes, wherein they may spread, and afterwards gently troden downe, that no hollownesse remaine among the rootes: as also that after setting (if the time be not ouermoist) there may be some water powred to the rootes, to moisten and fasten them the better; and in the dry time of Summer, after the setting, let them not want moisture, if you willhaue them thriue and prosper; for the want thereof at that time, hath often killed manie a likely tree. To stake and fence them also if neede bee after they are new set, and so to continue for two or three yeares after, is verie expedient, lest windes or other casualties spoile your paines, and ouerthrow your hopes. And likewise to defend your grafts from birds lighting on them, to breake or displace them, to sticke some prickes or sharpe pointed stickes longer then your graft into your clay, that so they may be a sure defence of it: As also to tye some woollen cloathes about the lower end of your stockes, or thrust in some thornes into the ground about the rootes, to defend them from hauing their barkes eaten by Conies, or hurt by some other noisome vermine.

Chap. VII.Obseruations for the dressing and well keeping of Trees and an Orchard in good order.There are two manner of waies to dresse and keepe trees in good order, that they may bee both gracefull and fruitfull; the one is for wall-trees, the other is for standards: for as their formes are different, so is their keeping or ordering. Wall trees, because they are grafted lowe, and that their branches must be plasht or tackt vnto the wall to fasten them, are to be so kept, that all their branches may be suffered to growe, that shoote forth on either side of the bodie, and led either along the wall, or vpright, and one to lappe ouer or vnder another as is conuenient, and still with peeces of lists, parings of felt, peeces of soft leather, or other such like soft thing compassing the armes or branches, fastened with small or great nailes, as neede requireth, to the wals, onely those buds or branches are to be nipped or cut off, that shoot forward, and will not so handsomely be brought into conformity, as is fitting; yet if the branches growe too thicke, to hinder the good of the rest, or too high for the wall, they may, nay they must be cut away or lopped off: and if anie dead branches also happen to be on the trees, they must be cut away, that the rest may haue the more libertie to thriue. Diuers also by carefully nipping away the waste and superfluous buds, doe keepe their trees in conformity, without much cutting. The time to pruine or plash, or tye vp wall trees, is vsually from the fall of the leafe, to the beginning of the yeare, when they begin to blossome, and most especially a little before or after Christmas: but in any case not too late, for feare of rubbing off their buds. Some I know doe plash and tye vp their wall trees after bearing time, while the leaues are greene, and their reason is, the buds are not so easie or apt to bee rubbed from the branches at that time, as at Christmas, when they are more growne: but the leaues must needes be very cumbersome, to hinder much both the orderly placing, and close fastening of them to the wall. This labour you must performe euery yeare in its due time; for if you shall neglect and ouerslip it, you shall haue much more trouble, to bring them into a fit order againe, then at the first. The standard trees in an Orchard must be kept in another order; for whereas the former are suffered to spread at large, these must be pruined both from superfluous branches that ouerload the trees, & make them lesse fruitfull, as well as lesse sightly, and the vnder or water boughes likewise, that drawe much nourishment from the trees and yet themselues little the better for it, I meane to giue fruit. If therefore your Orchard consist of young trees, with a little care and paines it may bee kept in that comely order and proportion it was first defined vnto; but if it consist of old growne trees, they will not without a great deale of care and paines be brought into such conformitie, as is befitting good, and comely trees: for the marke of those boughes or branches that are cut off from young trees, will quickly be healed againe, the barke growing quickly ouer them, whereby they are not worse for the cutting, but an old tree if you cut off a bough, you must cut it close and cleanly, and lay a searcloth of tallow, waxe, and a little pitch melted together vpon the place, to keepe off both the winde, sunne, and raine, untill the barke haue couered it ouer againe: and in this manner you must deale with all such short stumps of branches, as are either broken short off with the winde, or by carelesnesse orwant of skill, or else such armes or branches as are broken off close, or sliued from the body of the tree: for the raine beating and falling into such a place, will in short time rotte your tree, or put it in danger, besides the deformity. Some vse to fill vp such an hole with well tempered clay, and tacke a cloth or a peece of leather ouer it vntill it be recouered, and this is also not amisse. Your young trees, if they stand in anie good ground, will bee plentifull enough in shooting forth branches; bee carefull therefore if they growe too thicke, that you pruine away such as growe too close (and will, if they be suffered, spoile one another) as they may be best spared, that so the sunne, ayre, and raine may haue free accesse to all your branches, which will make them beare the more plentifully, and ripen them the sooner and the more kindly. If anie boughes growe at the toppe too high, cut them also away, that your trees may rather spread then growe too high. And so likewise for the vnder boughes, or anie other that by the weight of fruit fall or hang downe, cut them off at the halfe, and they will afterwards rise and shoote vpwards. You shall obserue, that at all those places where anie branches haue been cut away, the sappe will euer bee readie to put forth: if therefore you would haue no more branches rise from that place, rubbe off or nippe off such buddes as are not to your minde when they are new shot: and thus you may keep your trees in good order with a little paines, after you haue thus pruined and dressed them. One other thing I would aduertise you of, and that is how to preserue a fainting or decaying tree which is readie to perish, if it be not gone too farre or past cure, take a good quantitie of oxe or horse bloud, mixe therewith a reasonable quantitie of sheepe or pigeons dung, which being laid to the roote, will by the often raines and much watering recouer it selfe, if there bee anie possibilitie; but this must bee done in Ianuarie or Februarie at the furthest.

There are two manner of waies to dresse and keepe trees in good order, that they may bee both gracefull and fruitfull; the one is for wall-trees, the other is for standards: for as their formes are different, so is their keeping or ordering. Wall trees, because they are grafted lowe, and that their branches must be plasht or tackt vnto the wall to fasten them, are to be so kept, that all their branches may be suffered to growe, that shoote forth on either side of the bodie, and led either along the wall, or vpright, and one to lappe ouer or vnder another as is conuenient, and still with peeces of lists, parings of felt, peeces of soft leather, or other such like soft thing compassing the armes or branches, fastened with small or great nailes, as neede requireth, to the wals, onely those buds or branches are to be nipped or cut off, that shoot forward, and will not so handsomely be brought into conformity, as is fitting; yet if the branches growe too thicke, to hinder the good of the rest, or too high for the wall, they may, nay they must be cut away or lopped off: and if anie dead branches also happen to be on the trees, they must be cut away, that the rest may haue the more libertie to thriue. Diuers also by carefully nipping away the waste and superfluous buds, doe keepe their trees in conformity, without much cutting. The time to pruine or plash, or tye vp wall trees, is vsually from the fall of the leafe, to the beginning of the yeare, when they begin to blossome, and most especially a little before or after Christmas: but in any case not too late, for feare of rubbing off their buds. Some I know doe plash and tye vp their wall trees after bearing time, while the leaues are greene, and their reason is, the buds are not so easie or apt to bee rubbed from the branches at that time, as at Christmas, when they are more growne: but the leaues must needes be very cumbersome, to hinder much both the orderly placing, and close fastening of them to the wall. This labour you must performe euery yeare in its due time; for if you shall neglect and ouerslip it, you shall haue much more trouble, to bring them into a fit order againe, then at the first. The standard trees in an Orchard must be kept in another order; for whereas the former are suffered to spread at large, these must be pruined both from superfluous branches that ouerload the trees, & make them lesse fruitfull, as well as lesse sightly, and the vnder or water boughes likewise, that drawe much nourishment from the trees and yet themselues little the better for it, I meane to giue fruit. If therefore your Orchard consist of young trees, with a little care and paines it may bee kept in that comely order and proportion it was first defined vnto; but if it consist of old growne trees, they will not without a great deale of care and paines be brought into such conformitie, as is befitting good, and comely trees: for the marke of those boughes or branches that are cut off from young trees, will quickly be healed againe, the barke growing quickly ouer them, whereby they are not worse for the cutting, but an old tree if you cut off a bough, you must cut it close and cleanly, and lay a searcloth of tallow, waxe, and a little pitch melted together vpon the place, to keepe off both the winde, sunne, and raine, untill the barke haue couered it ouer againe: and in this manner you must deale with all such short stumps of branches, as are either broken short off with the winde, or by carelesnesse orwant of skill, or else such armes or branches as are broken off close, or sliued from the body of the tree: for the raine beating and falling into such a place, will in short time rotte your tree, or put it in danger, besides the deformity. Some vse to fill vp such an hole with well tempered clay, and tacke a cloth or a peece of leather ouer it vntill it be recouered, and this is also not amisse. Your young trees, if they stand in anie good ground, will bee plentifull enough in shooting forth branches; bee carefull therefore if they growe too thicke, that you pruine away such as growe too close (and will, if they be suffered, spoile one another) as they may be best spared, that so the sunne, ayre, and raine may haue free accesse to all your branches, which will make them beare the more plentifully, and ripen them the sooner and the more kindly. If anie boughes growe at the toppe too high, cut them also away, that your trees may rather spread then growe too high. And so likewise for the vnder boughes, or anie other that by the weight of fruit fall or hang downe, cut them off at the halfe, and they will afterwards rise and shoote vpwards. You shall obserue, that at all those places where anie branches haue been cut away, the sappe will euer bee readie to put forth: if therefore you would haue no more branches rise from that place, rubbe off or nippe off such buddes as are not to your minde when they are new shot: and thus you may keep your trees in good order with a little paines, after you haue thus pruined and dressed them. One other thing I would aduertise you of, and that is how to preserue a fainting or decaying tree which is readie to perish, if it be not gone too farre or past cure, take a good quantitie of oxe or horse bloud, mixe therewith a reasonable quantitie of sheepe or pigeons dung, which being laid to the roote, will by the often raines and much watering recouer it selfe, if there bee anie possibilitie; but this must bee done in Ianuarie or Februarie at the furthest.

Chap. VIII.Diuers other obseruations to be remembred in the well keeping of an Orchard.There be diuers other things to be mentioned, whereof care must be had, either to doe or auoide, which I thinke fit in this Chapter promiscuously to set down, that there may be nothing wanting to furnish you with sufficient knowledge of the care, paines, and casualties that befall an Orchard: for it hath many enemies, and euery one laboureth as much as in them lye, to spoile you of your pleasure, or profit, or both, which must bee both speedily and carefully preuented and helped; and they are these: Mosse, Caterpillars, Ants, Earwigs, Snailes, Moales, and Birds. If Mosse begin to ouergrowe your trees, looke to it betimes, lest it make your trees barren: Some vse to hacke, and crossehacke, or cut the barke of the bodies of their trees, to cause it fall away; but I feare it may endanger your trees. Others do either rubbe it off with a haire cloth, or with a long peece of wood formed like a knife, at the end of a long sticke or pole, which if it bee vsed cauteiously without hurting the buds, I like better. Caterpillars, some smoake them with burning wet strawe or hay, or such like stuffe vnder the trees; but I doe not greatly like of that way: others cut off the boughes whereon they breed, and tread them vnder their feete, but that will spoile too manie branches; and some kill them with their hands, but some doe vse a new deuised way, that is, a pompe made of lattin or tin, spout-fashion, which being set in a tubbe of water vnder or neare your trees, they will cause the water to rise through it with such a force, and through the branches, that it will wash them off quickly. To destroy Ants, that eate your fruit before and when it is ripe, some vse to annoint the bodies of their trees with tarre, that they may not creepe vp on the branches; but if that doe not helpe, or you will not vse it, you must be careful to finde out their hill, and turne it vp, pouring in scalding water, either in Summer, but especially if you can in Winter, and that will surely destroy them. I haue spoken of Earwigs in the first part of this worke, entreating of the annoyances of Gilloflowers, and therefore I referre you thereunto: yet one way more Iwill here relate which some doe vse, and that is with hollow canes of halfe a yard long or more, open at both ends for them to creepe in, and stucke or laid among the branches of your trees, will soone drawe into them many Earwigs, which you may soone kill, by knocking the cane a little vpon the ground, and treading on them with your foote. Snailes must be taken with your hands, and that euerie day, especially in the morning when they will be creeping abroad. Moales by running vnder your trees make them lesse fruitfull, and also put them in danger to be blowne downe, by leauing the ground hollow, that thereby the rootes haue not that strength in the ground, both to shoote and to hold, that otherwise they might haue. Some haue vsed to put Garlicke, and other such like things into their holes, thinking thereby to driue them away, but to no purpose: others haue tryed manie other waies; but no way doth auaile anie thing, but killing them either with a Moale spade, or a trappe made for the purpose as manie doe know: and they must bee watched at their principall hill, and trenched round, and so to be caught. Birds are another enemie both to your trees and fruit; for the Bullfinch will destroy all your stone fruit in the budde, before they flower, if you suffer them, and Crowes,&c.when your Cherries are ripe: for the smaller birds, Lime twigs set either neare your trees, or at the next water where they drinke, will helpe to catch them and destroy them. And for the greater birds, a stone bowe, a birding or fowling peece will helpe to lessen their number, and make the rest more quiet: or a mill with a clacke to scarre them away, vntill your fruit be gathered. Some other annoyances there are, as suckers that rise from the rootes of your trees, which must be taken away euerie yeare, and not suffered to growe anie thing great, for feare of robbing your trees of their liuelihood. Barke bound, is when a tree doth not shoote and increase, by reason the barke is as it were drie, and will not suffer the sappe to passe vnto the branches: take a knife therefore, and slit the barke downe almost all the length of the tree in two or three places, and it will remedy that euill, and the tree will thriue and come forward the better after. Barke pilled is another euill that happeneth to some trees, as well young as old, either by reason of casuall hurts, or by the gnawing of beasts, howsoeuer it bee, if it bee anie great hurt, lay a plaister thereon made of tallow, tarre, and a little pitch, and binde it thereto, letting it so abide vntill the wound bee healed: yet some doe only apply a little clay or loame bound on with ropes of hay. The Canker is a shrewd disease when it happeneth to a tree; for it will eate the barke round, and so kill the very heart in a little space. It must be looked vnto in time before it hath runne too farre; most men doe wholly cut away as much as is fretted with the Canker, and then dresse it, or wet it with vinegar or Cowes pisse, or Cowes dung and vrine,&c.vntill it be destroyed, and after healed againe with your salue before appointed. There are yet some other enemies to an Orchard: for if your fence be not of bricke or stone, but either a mudde wall, or a quicke set or dead hedge, then looke to it the more carefully, and preuent the comming in of either horse, or kine, sheepe, goates, or deere, hare, or conie; for some of them will breake through or ouer to barke your trees, and the least hole almost in the hedge will giue admittance to hares and conies to doe the like. To preuent all which, your care must be continuall to watch them or auoide them, and to stoppe vp their entrance. A dogge is a good seruant for many such purposes, and so is a stone bowe, and a peece to make vse of as occasion shall serue. But if you will take that medicine for a Canker spoken of before, which is Cowes dung and vrine mixed together, and with a brush wash your trees often to a reasonable height, will keepe hares and conies from eating or barking your trees. Great and cold windes doe often make a great spoile in an Orchard, but great trees planted without the compasse thereof, as Wall-nuts, Oakes, Elmes, Ashes, and the like, will stand it in great stead, to defend it both early and late. Thus haue I shewed you most of the euils that may happen to an Orchard, and the meanes to helpe them, and because the number is great and daily growing, the care and paines must be continuall, the more earnest and diligent, lest you lose that in a moment that hath been growing many yeares, or at the least the profit or beauty of some yeares fruit.

There be diuers other things to be mentioned, whereof care must be had, either to doe or auoide, which I thinke fit in this Chapter promiscuously to set down, that there may be nothing wanting to furnish you with sufficient knowledge of the care, paines, and casualties that befall an Orchard: for it hath many enemies, and euery one laboureth as much as in them lye, to spoile you of your pleasure, or profit, or both, which must bee both speedily and carefully preuented and helped; and they are these: Mosse, Caterpillars, Ants, Earwigs, Snailes, Moales, and Birds. If Mosse begin to ouergrowe your trees, looke to it betimes, lest it make your trees barren: Some vse to hacke, and crossehacke, or cut the barke of the bodies of their trees, to cause it fall away; but I feare it may endanger your trees. Others do either rubbe it off with a haire cloth, or with a long peece of wood formed like a knife, at the end of a long sticke or pole, which if it bee vsed cauteiously without hurting the buds, I like better. Caterpillars, some smoake them with burning wet strawe or hay, or such like stuffe vnder the trees; but I doe not greatly like of that way: others cut off the boughes whereon they breed, and tread them vnder their feete, but that will spoile too manie branches; and some kill them with their hands, but some doe vse a new deuised way, that is, a pompe made of lattin or tin, spout-fashion, which being set in a tubbe of water vnder or neare your trees, they will cause the water to rise through it with such a force, and through the branches, that it will wash them off quickly. To destroy Ants, that eate your fruit before and when it is ripe, some vse to annoint the bodies of their trees with tarre, that they may not creepe vp on the branches; but if that doe not helpe, or you will not vse it, you must be careful to finde out their hill, and turne it vp, pouring in scalding water, either in Summer, but especially if you can in Winter, and that will surely destroy them. I haue spoken of Earwigs in the first part of this worke, entreating of the annoyances of Gilloflowers, and therefore I referre you thereunto: yet one way more Iwill here relate which some doe vse, and that is with hollow canes of halfe a yard long or more, open at both ends for them to creepe in, and stucke or laid among the branches of your trees, will soone drawe into them many Earwigs, which you may soone kill, by knocking the cane a little vpon the ground, and treading on them with your foote. Snailes must be taken with your hands, and that euerie day, especially in the morning when they will be creeping abroad. Moales by running vnder your trees make them lesse fruitfull, and also put them in danger to be blowne downe, by leauing the ground hollow, that thereby the rootes haue not that strength in the ground, both to shoote and to hold, that otherwise they might haue. Some haue vsed to put Garlicke, and other such like things into their holes, thinking thereby to driue them away, but to no purpose: others haue tryed manie other waies; but no way doth auaile anie thing, but killing them either with a Moale spade, or a trappe made for the purpose as manie doe know: and they must bee watched at their principall hill, and trenched round, and so to be caught. Birds are another enemie both to your trees and fruit; for the Bullfinch will destroy all your stone fruit in the budde, before they flower, if you suffer them, and Crowes,&c.when your Cherries are ripe: for the smaller birds, Lime twigs set either neare your trees, or at the next water where they drinke, will helpe to catch them and destroy them. And for the greater birds, a stone bowe, a birding or fowling peece will helpe to lessen their number, and make the rest more quiet: or a mill with a clacke to scarre them away, vntill your fruit be gathered. Some other annoyances there are, as suckers that rise from the rootes of your trees, which must be taken away euerie yeare, and not suffered to growe anie thing great, for feare of robbing your trees of their liuelihood. Barke bound, is when a tree doth not shoote and increase, by reason the barke is as it were drie, and will not suffer the sappe to passe vnto the branches: take a knife therefore, and slit the barke downe almost all the length of the tree in two or three places, and it will remedy that euill, and the tree will thriue and come forward the better after. Barke pilled is another euill that happeneth to some trees, as well young as old, either by reason of casuall hurts, or by the gnawing of beasts, howsoeuer it bee, if it bee anie great hurt, lay a plaister thereon made of tallow, tarre, and a little pitch, and binde it thereto, letting it so abide vntill the wound bee healed: yet some doe only apply a little clay or loame bound on with ropes of hay. The Canker is a shrewd disease when it happeneth to a tree; for it will eate the barke round, and so kill the very heart in a little space. It must be looked vnto in time before it hath runne too farre; most men doe wholly cut away as much as is fretted with the Canker, and then dresse it, or wet it with vinegar or Cowes pisse, or Cowes dung and vrine,&c.vntill it be destroyed, and after healed againe with your salue before appointed. There are yet some other enemies to an Orchard: for if your fence be not of bricke or stone, but either a mudde wall, or a quicke set or dead hedge, then looke to it the more carefully, and preuent the comming in of either horse, or kine, sheepe, goates, or deere, hare, or conie; for some of them will breake through or ouer to barke your trees, and the least hole almost in the hedge will giue admittance to hares and conies to doe the like. To preuent all which, your care must be continuall to watch them or auoide them, and to stoppe vp their entrance. A dogge is a good seruant for many such purposes, and so is a stone bowe, and a peece to make vse of as occasion shall serue. But if you will take that medicine for a Canker spoken of before, which is Cowes dung and vrine mixed together, and with a brush wash your trees often to a reasonable height, will keepe hares and conies from eating or barking your trees. Great and cold windes doe often make a great spoile in an Orchard, but great trees planted without the compasse thereof, as Wall-nuts, Oakes, Elmes, Ashes, and the like, will stand it in great stead, to defend it both early and late. Thus haue I shewed you most of the euils that may happen to an Orchard, and the meanes to helpe them, and because the number is great and daily growing, the care and paines must be continuall, the more earnest and diligent, lest you lose that in a moment that hath been growing many yeares, or at the least the profit or beauty of some yeares fruit.

Chap. IX.The manner and way how to plant, order, and keepe other trees that beare greene leaues continually.The way to order those trees that beare their leaues greene continually, is differing from all others that doe not so: for neyther are they to bee planted or remoued at the time that all other trees are set, nor doe they require that manner of dressing, pruining and keeping, that others doe. And although many ignorant persons and Gardiners doe remoue Bay trees, and are so likewise perswaded that all other trees of that nature, that is, that carry their greene leaues continually, may bee remoued in Autumne or Winter, as well as all other trees may bee, yet it is certaine it is a great chance if they doe thriue and prosper that are set at that time, or rather it is found by experience, that scarce one of ten prospereth well that are so ordered. Now in regard that there be diuers trees and shrubs mentioned here in this booke that beare euer greene leaues, wherein there is very great beauty, and many take pleasure in them; as the ordinary Bay, the Rose Bay, and the Cherry Bay trees, the Indian Figge, the Cypresse, the Pine tree, the Mirtle and dwarfe Boxe, and many others; I will here shew you how to plant and order them, as is fittest for them. For in that they doe not shed their greene leaues in winter as other trees doe, you may in reason be perswaded that they are of another nature; and so they are indeede: for seeing they all grow naturally in warme Countries, and are from thence brought vnto vs, we must both plant them in a warmer place, and transplant them in a warmer time then other trees be, or else it is a great hazzard if they doe not perish and dye, the cold and frosts in the winter being able to pierce them through, if they should bee transplanted in winter, before they haue taken roote. You must obserue and take this therefore for a certaine rule, that you alwaies remoue such trees or shrubbes as are euer greene in the spring of the yeare, and at no time else if you will doe well, that is, from the end of March, or beginning of Aprill, vnto the middle or end of May, especially your more dainty and tender plants, shadowing them also for a while from the heate of the Sun, and giuing them a little water vpon their planting or transplanting; but such water as hath not perfectly been drawn from a Well or Pumpe, for that will go neer to kill any plant, but such water as hath stood in the open ayre for a day at the least, if not two or three. Yet for dwarfe Boxe I confesse it may endure one moneth to be earlier planted then the rest, because it is both a more hardy and lowe plant, and thereby not so much subiect to the extremitie of the colde: but if you should plant it before winter, the frosts would raise it out of the ground, because it cannot so soone at that time of the yeare take roote, and thereby put it in danger to be lost. Moreouer all of them will not abide the extremitie of our winter frosts, and therefore you must of necessity house some of them, as the Rose Bay, Mirtle, and some others, but the other sorts being set where they may bee somewhat defended from the cold windes, frostes, and snow in winter, with some couering or shelter for the time, will reasonably well endure and beare their fruit, or the most of them. If any be desirous to be furnished with store of these kinds of trees that will be noursed vp in our Country, he may by sowing the seed of them in square or long woodden boxes or chests made for that purpose, gaine plenty of them: but hee must be carefull to couer them in winter with some straw or fearne, or beane hame, or such like thing layd vpon crosse sticks to beare it vp from the plants, and after two or three yeares that they are growne somewhat great and strong, they may bee transplanted into such places you meane they shall abide: yet it is not amisse to defend them the first yeare after they are transplanted, for their more securitie: the seedes that are most vsually sowen with vs, are, the Cypresse tree, the Pine tree, the Baye, the Pyracantha or prickly Corall tree, and the Mirtle: the Rose Bay I haue had also risen from the seede that was fresh, and brought me from Spaine. But as for Orenge trees, because they are so hardly preserued in this our cold climate (vnlesse it bee with some that doe bestow the housing of them, besides a great deale more of care and respect vnto them) from the bitternesse of our cold long winter weather (although theirkernels being put into the ground in the Spring or Summer, and if care bee had of them and conuenient keeping, will abide, and by grafting the good fruite on the crab stocke they may bee in time nursed vp) I doe not make any other especiall account of them, nor giue you any further relation of their ordering. Now for the ordering of these trees after they are eyther planted of young sets, or transplanted from the seede, it is thus: First for Bay trees, the most vsuall way is to let them grow vp high to bee trees, and many plant them on the North or East side of their houses that they may not bee scorched with the Sunne; but the bitter winters which we often haue, doe pinch them shrewdly, insomuch that it killeth euen well growne trees sometimes downe to the roote: but some doe make a hedge of them being planted in order, and keep them low by lopping of them continually, which will make them bush and spread. The Cypresse tree is neuer lopped, but suffered to grow with all the branches from a foote aboue the ground, if it may be, straight vpright; for that is his natiue grace and greatest beautie, and therefore the more branches doe dye that they must bee cut away, the more you deforme his propertie. The Pine tree may be vsed in the same manner, but yet it wil better endure to sustaine pruining then the Cypresse, without any such deformitie. The Laurocerasus or Cherry Bay may be diuersly formed, that is, it may be either made to grow into a tall tree by shredding still away the vnder branches, or else by suffering all the branches to grow to be a low or hedge bush, and both by the suckers and by laying downe the lower branches into the earth, you may soone haue much increase; but this way will cause it to bee the longer before it beare anie fruit. The Rose Baye will verie hardlie bee encreased either by suckers or by layers, but must bee suffered to grow without lopping, topping or cutting. The Pyracantha or Prickly Corall tree may bee made to grow into a reasonable tall tree by shredding away the lower branches, or it may be suffered to grow lowe into an hedge bush, by suffering all the branches to grow continually, you may also propagate it by the suckers, or by laying downe the lower branches. The Myrtle of all sorts abideth a low bush spreading his branches full of sweete leaues and flowers, without anie great encrease of it selfe, yet sometimes it giueth suckers or shootes from the rootes: but for the more speedie propagating of them, some doe put the cuttings of them into the earth, and thereby increase them. There are some other trees that are not of any great respect, as the Yew tree, and the Savine bush, both which may be encreased by the cuttings, and therefore I need not make any further relation or amplification of them, and to say thus much of them all, is (I thinke) sufficient for this Worke.

The way to order those trees that beare their leaues greene continually, is differing from all others that doe not so: for neyther are they to bee planted or remoued at the time that all other trees are set, nor doe they require that manner of dressing, pruining and keeping, that others doe. And although many ignorant persons and Gardiners doe remoue Bay trees, and are so likewise perswaded that all other trees of that nature, that is, that carry their greene leaues continually, may bee remoued in Autumne or Winter, as well as all other trees may bee, yet it is certaine it is a great chance if they doe thriue and prosper that are set at that time, or rather it is found by experience, that scarce one of ten prospereth well that are so ordered. Now in regard that there be diuers trees and shrubs mentioned here in this booke that beare euer greene leaues, wherein there is very great beauty, and many take pleasure in them; as the ordinary Bay, the Rose Bay, and the Cherry Bay trees, the Indian Figge, the Cypresse, the Pine tree, the Mirtle and dwarfe Boxe, and many others; I will here shew you how to plant and order them, as is fittest for them. For in that they doe not shed their greene leaues in winter as other trees doe, you may in reason be perswaded that they are of another nature; and so they are indeede: for seeing they all grow naturally in warme Countries, and are from thence brought vnto vs, we must both plant them in a warmer place, and transplant them in a warmer time then other trees be, or else it is a great hazzard if they doe not perish and dye, the cold and frosts in the winter being able to pierce them through, if they should bee transplanted in winter, before they haue taken roote. You must obserue and take this therefore for a certaine rule, that you alwaies remoue such trees or shrubbes as are euer greene in the spring of the yeare, and at no time else if you will doe well, that is, from the end of March, or beginning of Aprill, vnto the middle or end of May, especially your more dainty and tender plants, shadowing them also for a while from the heate of the Sun, and giuing them a little water vpon their planting or transplanting; but such water as hath not perfectly been drawn from a Well or Pumpe, for that will go neer to kill any plant, but such water as hath stood in the open ayre for a day at the least, if not two or three. Yet for dwarfe Boxe I confesse it may endure one moneth to be earlier planted then the rest, because it is both a more hardy and lowe plant, and thereby not so much subiect to the extremitie of the colde: but if you should plant it before winter, the frosts would raise it out of the ground, because it cannot so soone at that time of the yeare take roote, and thereby put it in danger to be lost. Moreouer all of them will not abide the extremitie of our winter frosts, and therefore you must of necessity house some of them, as the Rose Bay, Mirtle, and some others, but the other sorts being set where they may bee somewhat defended from the cold windes, frostes, and snow in winter, with some couering or shelter for the time, will reasonably well endure and beare their fruit, or the most of them. If any be desirous to be furnished with store of these kinds of trees that will be noursed vp in our Country, he may by sowing the seed of them in square or long woodden boxes or chests made for that purpose, gaine plenty of them: but hee must be carefull to couer them in winter with some straw or fearne, or beane hame, or such like thing layd vpon crosse sticks to beare it vp from the plants, and after two or three yeares that they are growne somewhat great and strong, they may bee transplanted into such places you meane they shall abide: yet it is not amisse to defend them the first yeare after they are transplanted, for their more securitie: the seedes that are most vsually sowen with vs, are, the Cypresse tree, the Pine tree, the Baye, the Pyracantha or prickly Corall tree, and the Mirtle: the Rose Bay I haue had also risen from the seede that was fresh, and brought me from Spaine. But as for Orenge trees, because they are so hardly preserued in this our cold climate (vnlesse it bee with some that doe bestow the housing of them, besides a great deale more of care and respect vnto them) from the bitternesse of our cold long winter weather (although theirkernels being put into the ground in the Spring or Summer, and if care bee had of them and conuenient keeping, will abide, and by grafting the good fruite on the crab stocke they may bee in time nursed vp) I doe not make any other especiall account of them, nor giue you any further relation of their ordering. Now for the ordering of these trees after they are eyther planted of young sets, or transplanted from the seede, it is thus: First for Bay trees, the most vsuall way is to let them grow vp high to bee trees, and many plant them on the North or East side of their houses that they may not bee scorched with the Sunne; but the bitter winters which we often haue, doe pinch them shrewdly, insomuch that it killeth euen well growne trees sometimes downe to the roote: but some doe make a hedge of them being planted in order, and keep them low by lopping of them continually, which will make them bush and spread. The Cypresse tree is neuer lopped, but suffered to grow with all the branches from a foote aboue the ground, if it may be, straight vpright; for that is his natiue grace and greatest beautie, and therefore the more branches doe dye that they must bee cut away, the more you deforme his propertie. The Pine tree may be vsed in the same manner, but yet it wil better endure to sustaine pruining then the Cypresse, without any such deformitie. The Laurocerasus or Cherry Bay may be diuersly formed, that is, it may be either made to grow into a tall tree by shredding still away the vnder branches, or else by suffering all the branches to grow to be a low or hedge bush, and both by the suckers and by laying downe the lower branches into the earth, you may soone haue much increase; but this way will cause it to bee the longer before it beare anie fruit. The Rose Baye will verie hardlie bee encreased either by suckers or by layers, but must bee suffered to grow without lopping, topping or cutting. The Pyracantha or Prickly Corall tree may bee made to grow into a reasonable tall tree by shredding away the lower branches, or it may be suffered to grow lowe into an hedge bush, by suffering all the branches to grow continually, you may also propagate it by the suckers, or by laying downe the lower branches. The Myrtle of all sorts abideth a low bush spreading his branches full of sweete leaues and flowers, without anie great encrease of it selfe, yet sometimes it giueth suckers or shootes from the rootes: but for the more speedie propagating of them, some doe put the cuttings of them into the earth, and thereby increase them. There are some other trees that are not of any great respect, as the Yew tree, and the Savine bush, both which may be encreased by the cuttings, and therefore I need not make any further relation or amplification of them, and to say thus much of them all, is (I thinke) sufficient for this Worke.

Chap. X.The ordering, curing, and propagating Vines of all sorts.Inmost places of this countrie there is small care or paines taken about the ordering of Vines: it sufficeth for the most part with them that haue anie, to make a frame for it to spread vpon aboue a mans height, or to tacke it to a wall or window,&c.and so to let it hang downe with the branches and fruit, vntill the weight thereof, and the force of windes doe teare it downe oftentimes, and spoile the grapes: and this way doth somewhat resemble that course that the Vineyard keepers obserue in the hot countries of Syria, Spaine, and Italy, and in the farthest parts of France as I hear likewise: for in most of these hot countries they vse to plant an Oliue betweene two Vines, and let them runne thereupon. But manie of the other parts of France,&c.doe not suffer anie trees to growe among their Vines; and therefore they plant them thicke, and pruine them much and often, and keepe them lowe in comparison of the other way, fastening them to pearches or poles to hold them vp. And according to that fashion may haue aduentured to make Vineyards in England, not onely in these later daies, but in ancient times, as may wel witnesse the sundrie places in this Land, entituled by the name of Vineyards; and I haue read that manie Monasteries in this Kingdome hauing Vineyards, had as much wine made therefrom, as sufficed their conuents yeare by yeare: but long since they haue been destroyed, and the knowledge how to order a Vineyard is also vtterly perished with them. For although diuers, both Nobles and Gentlemen, haue in these later times endeauoured to plant and make Vineyards, and to that purpose haue caused French men, being skilfull in keeping and dressing of Vines, to be brought ouer to performe it, yet either their skill failed them, or their Vines were not good, or (the most likely) the soile was not fitting, for they could neuer make anie wine that was worth the drinking, being so small and heartlesse, that they soone gaue ouer their practice. And indeede the soile is a maine matter to bee chiefly considered to seate a Vineyard vpon: for euen in France and other hot countries, according to the nature of the soile, so is the rellish, strength, and durabilitie of the wine. Now although I think it a fruitlesse labour for any man to striue in these daies to make a good Vineyard in England, in regard not only of the want of knowledge, to make choise of the fitted ground for such Vines as you would plant thereupon but also of the true maner of ordering them in our country; but most chiefly & aboue all others, that our years in these times do not fal out to be so kindly and hot, to ripen the grapes, to make anie good wine as formerly they haue done; yet I thinke it not amisse, to giue you instructions how to order such Vines as you may nourse vp for the pleasure of the fruit, to eate the grapes being ripe, or to preserue and keepe them to bee eaten almost all the winter following: And this may be done without any great or extraordinarie paines. Some doe make a lowe wall, and plant their Vines against it, and keepe them much about the height thereof, not suffering them to rise much higher: but if the high bricke or stone wals of your Garden or Orchard haue buttresses thereat, or if you cause such to bee made, that they bee somewhat broade forwards, you may the more conueniently plant Vines of diuers sorts at them, and by sticking down a couple of good stakes at euery buttresse, of eight or ten foot high aboue ground, tacking a few lathes acrosse vpon those stakes, you may thereunto tye your Vines, & carry them theron at your pleasure: but you must be carefull to cut them euery year, but not too late, and so keepe them downe, and from farre spreading, that they neuer runne much beyond the frame which you set at the buttresses: as also in your cutting you neuer leaue too many ioynts, nor yet too few, but at the third or fourth ioint at the most cut them off. I doe aduise you to these frames made with stakes and lathes, for the better ripening of your grapes: for in the blooming time, if the branches of your vines bee too neare the wall, the reflection of the Sunne in the day time, and the colde in the night, doe oftentimes spoile a great deale of fruit, by piercing and withering the tender footstalkes of the grapes, before they are formed, whereas when the blossomes are past, and the fruit growing of some bignesse, then all the heate and reflection you can giue them is fit, and therefore cut away some of the branches with the leaues, to admit the more Sunne to ripen the fruit. For the diuers sorts of grapes I haue set them downe in theBooke following, with briefe notes vpon euerie of them, whether white or blacke, small or great, early or late ripe; so that I neede not here make the same relation again. There doth happen some diseases to Vines sometimes, which that you may helpe, I thinke it conuenient to informe you what they are, and how to remedy them when you shall be troubled with any such. The first is a luxurious spreading of branches and but little or no fruit: for remedie whereof, cut the branches somewhat more neere then vsuall, and bare the roote, but take heed of wounding or hurting it, and in the hole put either some good old rotten stable dung of Horses, or else some Oxe blood new taken from the beasts, and that in the middle of Ianuarie or beginning of Februarie, which being well tempered and turned in with the earth, let it so abide, which no doubt, when the comfort of the blood or dung is well soaked to the bottome by the raines that fall thereon, will cause your Vine to fructifie againe. Another fault is, when a Vine doth not bring the fruit to ripenesse, but either it withereth before it be growne of any bignesse, or presently after the blooming: the place or the earth where such a Vine standeth, assuredly is too cold, and therefore if the fault bee not in the place, which cannot bee helped without remouing to a better, digge out a good quantity of that earth, and put into the place thereof some good fresh ground well heartned with dung, and some sand mixed therewith (but not salt or salt water, as some doe aduise, nor yet vrine as others would haue) and this will hearten and strengthen your Vine to beare out the fruit vnto maturitie. When the leaues of a Vine in the end of Summer or in Autumne, vntimely doe turne either yellow or red, it is a great signe the earth istoo hot and drie; you must therefore in stead of dung and sand, as in the former defect is said, put in some fresh loame or short clay, well mixed together with some of the earth, and so let them abide, that the frosts may mellow them. And lastly, a Vine sometimes beareth some store of grapes, but they are too many for it to bring to ripenesse; you shall therefore helpe such a Vine (which no doubt is of some excellent kinde, for they are most vsually subiect to this fault) by nipping away the blossomes from the branches, and leauing but one or two bunches at the most vpon a branch, vntill the Vine be growne older, and thereby stronger, and by this meane inured to beare out all the grapes to ripenesse. These be all the diseases I know doe happen to Vines: for the bleeding of a Vine it seldome happeneth of it selfe, but commeth either by cutting it vntimely, that is, too late in the yeare, (for after Ianuarie, if you will be well aduised, cut not any Vine) or by some casuall or wilfull breaking of an arme or a branch. This bleeding in some is vnto death, in others it stayeth after a certaine space of it selfe: To helpe this inconuenience, some haue seared the place where it bleedeth with an hot iron, which in many haue done but a little good; others haue bound the barke close with packe-thred to stay it; and some haue tied ouer the place, being first dried as well as may bee, a plaister made with waxe rossen and turpentine while it is warme. Now for the propagating of them: You must take the fairest and goalest shot branches of one yeares growth, and cut them off with a peece of the old wood vnto it, and these being put into the ground before the end of Ianuarie at the furthest, will shoote forth, and take roote, and so become Vines of the same kinde from whence you tooke them. This is the most speedy way to haue increase: for the laying downe of branches to take roote, doth not yeelde such store so plentifully, nor doe suckers rise from the rootes so aboundantly; yet both these waies doe yeelde Vines that being taken from the old stockes will become young plants, fit to bee disposed of as any shall thinke meete.

Inmost places of this countrie there is small care or paines taken about the ordering of Vines: it sufficeth for the most part with them that haue anie, to make a frame for it to spread vpon aboue a mans height, or to tacke it to a wall or window,&c.and so to let it hang downe with the branches and fruit, vntill the weight thereof, and the force of windes doe teare it downe oftentimes, and spoile the grapes: and this way doth somewhat resemble that course that the Vineyard keepers obserue in the hot countries of Syria, Spaine, and Italy, and in the farthest parts of France as I hear likewise: for in most of these hot countries they vse to plant an Oliue betweene two Vines, and let them runne thereupon. But manie of the other parts of France,&c.doe not suffer anie trees to growe among their Vines; and therefore they plant them thicke, and pruine them much and often, and keepe them lowe in comparison of the other way, fastening them to pearches or poles to hold them vp. And according to that fashion may haue aduentured to make Vineyards in England, not onely in these later daies, but in ancient times, as may wel witnesse the sundrie places in this Land, entituled by the name of Vineyards; and I haue read that manie Monasteries in this Kingdome hauing Vineyards, had as much wine made therefrom, as sufficed their conuents yeare by yeare: but long since they haue been destroyed, and the knowledge how to order a Vineyard is also vtterly perished with them. For although diuers, both Nobles and Gentlemen, haue in these later times endeauoured to plant and make Vineyards, and to that purpose haue caused French men, being skilfull in keeping and dressing of Vines, to be brought ouer to performe it, yet either their skill failed them, or their Vines were not good, or (the most likely) the soile was not fitting, for they could neuer make anie wine that was worth the drinking, being so small and heartlesse, that they soone gaue ouer their practice. And indeede the soile is a maine matter to bee chiefly considered to seate a Vineyard vpon: for euen in France and other hot countries, according to the nature of the soile, so is the rellish, strength, and durabilitie of the wine. Now although I think it a fruitlesse labour for any man to striue in these daies to make a good Vineyard in England, in regard not only of the want of knowledge, to make choise of the fitted ground for such Vines as you would plant thereupon but also of the true maner of ordering them in our country; but most chiefly & aboue all others, that our years in these times do not fal out to be so kindly and hot, to ripen the grapes, to make anie good wine as formerly they haue done; yet I thinke it not amisse, to giue you instructions how to order such Vines as you may nourse vp for the pleasure of the fruit, to eate the grapes being ripe, or to preserue and keepe them to bee eaten almost all the winter following: And this may be done without any great or extraordinarie paines. Some doe make a lowe wall, and plant their Vines against it, and keepe them much about the height thereof, not suffering them to rise much higher: but if the high bricke or stone wals of your Garden or Orchard haue buttresses thereat, or if you cause such to bee made, that they bee somewhat broade forwards, you may the more conueniently plant Vines of diuers sorts at them, and by sticking down a couple of good stakes at euery buttresse, of eight or ten foot high aboue ground, tacking a few lathes acrosse vpon those stakes, you may thereunto tye your Vines, & carry them theron at your pleasure: but you must be carefull to cut them euery year, but not too late, and so keepe them downe, and from farre spreading, that they neuer runne much beyond the frame which you set at the buttresses: as also in your cutting you neuer leaue too many ioynts, nor yet too few, but at the third or fourth ioint at the most cut them off. I doe aduise you to these frames made with stakes and lathes, for the better ripening of your grapes: for in the blooming time, if the branches of your vines bee too neare the wall, the reflection of the Sunne in the day time, and the colde in the night, doe oftentimes spoile a great deale of fruit, by piercing and withering the tender footstalkes of the grapes, before they are formed, whereas when the blossomes are past, and the fruit growing of some bignesse, then all the heate and reflection you can giue them is fit, and therefore cut away some of the branches with the leaues, to admit the more Sunne to ripen the fruit. For the diuers sorts of grapes I haue set them downe in theBooke following, with briefe notes vpon euerie of them, whether white or blacke, small or great, early or late ripe; so that I neede not here make the same relation again. There doth happen some diseases to Vines sometimes, which that you may helpe, I thinke it conuenient to informe you what they are, and how to remedy them when you shall be troubled with any such. The first is a luxurious spreading of branches and but little or no fruit: for remedie whereof, cut the branches somewhat more neere then vsuall, and bare the roote, but take heed of wounding or hurting it, and in the hole put either some good old rotten stable dung of Horses, or else some Oxe blood new taken from the beasts, and that in the middle of Ianuarie or beginning of Februarie, which being well tempered and turned in with the earth, let it so abide, which no doubt, when the comfort of the blood or dung is well soaked to the bottome by the raines that fall thereon, will cause your Vine to fructifie againe. Another fault is, when a Vine doth not bring the fruit to ripenesse, but either it withereth before it be growne of any bignesse, or presently after the blooming: the place or the earth where such a Vine standeth, assuredly is too cold, and therefore if the fault bee not in the place, which cannot bee helped without remouing to a better, digge out a good quantity of that earth, and put into the place thereof some good fresh ground well heartned with dung, and some sand mixed therewith (but not salt or salt water, as some doe aduise, nor yet vrine as others would haue) and this will hearten and strengthen your Vine to beare out the fruit vnto maturitie. When the leaues of a Vine in the end of Summer or in Autumne, vntimely doe turne either yellow or red, it is a great signe the earth istoo hot and drie; you must therefore in stead of dung and sand, as in the former defect is said, put in some fresh loame or short clay, well mixed together with some of the earth, and so let them abide, that the frosts may mellow them. And lastly, a Vine sometimes beareth some store of grapes, but they are too many for it to bring to ripenesse; you shall therefore helpe such a Vine (which no doubt is of some excellent kinde, for they are most vsually subiect to this fault) by nipping away the blossomes from the branches, and leauing but one or two bunches at the most vpon a branch, vntill the Vine be growne older, and thereby stronger, and by this meane inured to beare out all the grapes to ripenesse. These be all the diseases I know doe happen to Vines: for the bleeding of a Vine it seldome happeneth of it selfe, but commeth either by cutting it vntimely, that is, too late in the yeare, (for after Ianuarie, if you will be well aduised, cut not any Vine) or by some casuall or wilfull breaking of an arme or a branch. This bleeding in some is vnto death, in others it stayeth after a certaine space of it selfe: To helpe this inconuenience, some haue seared the place where it bleedeth with an hot iron, which in many haue done but a little good; others haue bound the barke close with packe-thred to stay it; and some haue tied ouer the place, being first dried as well as may bee, a plaister made with waxe rossen and turpentine while it is warme. Now for the propagating of them: You must take the fairest and goalest shot branches of one yeares growth, and cut them off with a peece of the old wood vnto it, and these being put into the ground before the end of Ianuarie at the furthest, will shoote forth, and take roote, and so become Vines of the same kinde from whence you tooke them. This is the most speedy way to haue increase: for the laying downe of branches to take roote, doth not yeelde such store so plentifully, nor doe suckers rise from the rootes so aboundantly; yet both these waies doe yeelde Vines that being taken from the old stockes will become young plants, fit to bee disposed of as any shall thinke meete.

Chap. XI.The way to order and preserue grapes, fit to be eaten almost all the Winter long, and sometimes vnto the Spring.Although it bee common and vsuall in the parts beyond the Sea to dry their grapes in the Sunne, thereby to preserue them all the year, as the Raisins of the Sunne are, which cannot bee done in our Countrie for the want of sufficient heate thereof at that time: or otherwise to scald them in hot water (as I heare) and afterwards to dry them, and so keepe them all the yeare, as our Malaga Raisins are prepared that are packed vp into Frayles: yet I doe intend to shew you some other waies to preserue the grapes of our Countrie fresh, that they may be eaten in the winter both before and after Christmas with as much delight and pleasure almost, as when they were new gathered. One way is, when you haue gathered your grapes you intend to keepe, which must be in a dry time, and that all the shrunke, dried, or euill grapes in euery bunch be picked away, and hauing prouided a vessell to hold them, be it of wood or stone which you will, and a sufficient quantitie of faire and cleane drie sand; makestratum super stratumof your grapes and the sand, that is, a lay of sand in the bottome first, and a lay of grapes vpon them, and a lay or strowing againe of sand vpon those grapes, so that the sand may couer euery lay of grapes a fingers breadth in thicknesse, which being done one vpon another vntill the vessell be full, and a lay of sand vppermost, let the vessell be stopped close, and set by vntill you please to spend them, being kept in some drie place and in no sellar: let them bee washed cleane in faire water to take away the sand from so many you will spend at a time. Another way is (which Camerarius setteth downe he was informed the Turkes vse to keepe grapes all the winter vnto the next summer) to take so much meale of Mustard seede, as will serue to strow vpon grapes, vntill they haue filled their vessels, thereon afterwards they poure new wine before it hath boiled, to fill vp their vessels therwith, and being stopped vp close, they keepe them a certaine time, and selling them with their liquour to them that willvse them, they doe wash the seedes or meale from them when they vse them. Another way is, that hauing gathered the fairest ripe grapes, they are to be cast vpon threds or strings that are fastened at both ends to the side walls of a chamber, neere vnto the seeling thereof, that no one bunch touch another, which will bee so kept a great while, yet the chamber must be well defended from the frosts, and cold windes that pierce in at the windowes, lest they perish the sooner: and some will dippe the ends of the branches they hang vp first in molten pitch, thinking by searing vp the ends to keepe the bunches the better; but I doe not see any great likelihood therein. Your chamber or closet you appoint out for this purpose must also bee kept somewhat warme, but especially in the more cold and frostie time of the yeare, lest it spoile all your cost and paines, and frustrate you of all your hopes: but although the frosts should pierce and spoile some of the grapes on a bunch, yet if you be carefull to keepe the place warme, the fewer will be spoiled. And thus haue I shewed you the best directions to order this Orchard rightly, and all the waies I know are vsed in our Countrie to keep grapes good anie long time after the gathering, in regard wee haue not that comfort of a hotter Sun to preserue them by its heate.The fruits themselues shall follow euerie one in their order; the lower shrubbes or bushes first, and the greater afterwards.

Although it bee common and vsuall in the parts beyond the Sea to dry their grapes in the Sunne, thereby to preserue them all the year, as the Raisins of the Sunne are, which cannot bee done in our Countrie for the want of sufficient heate thereof at that time: or otherwise to scald them in hot water (as I heare) and afterwards to dry them, and so keepe them all the yeare, as our Malaga Raisins are prepared that are packed vp into Frayles: yet I doe intend to shew you some other waies to preserue the grapes of our Countrie fresh, that they may be eaten in the winter both before and after Christmas with as much delight and pleasure almost, as when they were new gathered. One way is, when you haue gathered your grapes you intend to keepe, which must be in a dry time, and that all the shrunke, dried, or euill grapes in euery bunch be picked away, and hauing prouided a vessell to hold them, be it of wood or stone which you will, and a sufficient quantitie of faire and cleane drie sand; makestratum super stratumof your grapes and the sand, that is, a lay of sand in the bottome first, and a lay of grapes vpon them, and a lay or strowing againe of sand vpon those grapes, so that the sand may couer euery lay of grapes a fingers breadth in thicknesse, which being done one vpon another vntill the vessell be full, and a lay of sand vppermost, let the vessell be stopped close, and set by vntill you please to spend them, being kept in some drie place and in no sellar: let them bee washed cleane in faire water to take away the sand from so many you will spend at a time. Another way is (which Camerarius setteth downe he was informed the Turkes vse to keepe grapes all the winter vnto the next summer) to take so much meale of Mustard seede, as will serue to strow vpon grapes, vntill they haue filled their vessels, thereon afterwards they poure new wine before it hath boiled, to fill vp their vessels therwith, and being stopped vp close, they keepe them a certaine time, and selling them with their liquour to them that willvse them, they doe wash the seedes or meale from them when they vse them. Another way is, that hauing gathered the fairest ripe grapes, they are to be cast vpon threds or strings that are fastened at both ends to the side walls of a chamber, neere vnto the seeling thereof, that no one bunch touch another, which will bee so kept a great while, yet the chamber must be well defended from the frosts, and cold windes that pierce in at the windowes, lest they perish the sooner: and some will dippe the ends of the branches they hang vp first in molten pitch, thinking by searing vp the ends to keepe the bunches the better; but I doe not see any great likelihood therein. Your chamber or closet you appoint out for this purpose must also bee kept somewhat warme, but especially in the more cold and frostie time of the yeare, lest it spoile all your cost and paines, and frustrate you of all your hopes: but although the frosts should pierce and spoile some of the grapes on a bunch, yet if you be carefull to keepe the place warme, the fewer will be spoiled. And thus haue I shewed you the best directions to order this Orchard rightly, and all the waies I know are vsed in our Countrie to keep grapes good anie long time after the gathering, in regard wee haue not that comfort of a hotter Sun to preserue them by its heate.

The fruits themselues shall follow euerie one in their order; the lower shrubbes or bushes first, and the greater afterwards.

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