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 A N 
 
 ESSAY 
 
 O N 
 
 DESIGN 
 
 I N 
 
 GARDENING. 
 
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 A N 
 
 ESSAY 
 
 i 
 
 N 
 
 DESIGN 
 
 1 N 
 
 GARDENING. 
 
 Ego credo fore, qui .... labor! meo nomen in- 
 ertias imponant ; certe quibus maxima induftria 
 videtur, falutare plebem, et conviviis gratiam 
 quaerere. SALLUST. 
 
 And fu re there feem, of human kind, 
 Some born to mun the folemn flrife ; 
 
 Some for amufive tafks defign'd, 
 To foothe the certain ills of life ; 
 
 Grace its lone vales with many a budding rofe, 
 New founts of blifs difclofe, 
 
 Call forth refreming fhades, and decorate repofe. 
 SHENSTOKE'S Rural Elegance. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for BENJAMIN WHITE, at Horace's Head 
 in Fleet-ftreet. 
 
 MDCC LXVIII.
 
 
 A N 
 
 ESSAY, 
 
 is an extenfive 
 
 $k?5 
 
 D )e( Province, GARDENING 
 
 one of its Dl fi rias - a 
 
 Diftrid: of fo various an 
 appearance, as hardly to be known for 
 the fame country in different periods 
 of timei Wherein confiils its great- 
 B eft 
 
 20CC7S3
 
 cil beauty has not yet been agreed 
 upon. Nor can it be wonder'd at, 
 when fome have pretended, that the 
 very idea of beauty itfelf is idle and 
 vifionary. A notion, like this, may 
 ferve admirably well for foothing the 
 difappointment of fome fplenetic ar- 
 
 tift ; may afford an excellent topic of 
 
 J 
 
 difpute for thofe, who love argument 
 
 better than reafon : but it is the off- 
 
 ^ 
 
 fpring of vulgar error a chimasra of 
 the fuperficial obferver. Tafte is by 
 no means arbitrary, however un- 
 intelligible to grofler apprehenfions ; 
 however difficult to be marked by 
 the accurate lines of definition. D'A- 
 i. EM BERT gives the heft account of 
 it, when he fays, The truth is, that 
 the Jbnrce of our J>leafures, and of 
 i our
 
 E 3 1 
 
 our difoufls lies folely and entirely 
 
 */o J */ * J 
 
 within ourfches -, fo that, if we re- 
 flett with attention upon our mental 
 frame, we foallfind there general and 
 invariable rules of tajle*. Or in 
 other words, ' The approbation of 
 ' attentive minds is the trueft cri- 
 ' terion of beauty.' Though this 
 defcription mould be charged with 
 uncertainty, we fliall poffibly feel 
 within ourfelves ftronger motives for 
 confirming the reality of tafte, than 
 the power of language can explain 
 
 * En efFet la fource de notre plaifirs et de 
 notre ennui eft uniqucment et entierement en 
 nous : nous trouverons done au-dedans de 
 nous-memes, en y portant une viie atten- 
 tive, des regies generates et invariabjes de 
 gout. 
 
 B z to
 
 f 4 ] 
 
 to us : we iliall there difcover in 
 particular its analogy to Morals. 
 Fafhion, cuftom, many adventitious 
 circumftances may prevail upon 
 mankind to leave virtue for vice, 
 elegance for barbariim ; but no per- 
 vcrfion of natural principles can 
 ever excite thofe pleafing emotions 
 in the hearty which the contemp- 
 lation of elegance and virtue, pro- 
 duces. 
 
 If then merit of defign is not 
 abfolutely vague and indeterminate, 
 neither is it incapable of being regu- 
 lated within the fphere of garden- 
 ing. By gardening, I mean 
 
 thit fort of it more peculiarly de- 
 noted by the epithet Piciurcfque : 
 
 and
 
 [ 5 3 
 
 and this I thought neceiTary to pre- 
 mife, becaufe of the more general 
 import, not only of the word Gar^ 
 den, but of its fynonymous term too 
 in different languages. This com- 
 bination of ideas, (which it origi- 
 nally included and ilill retains) may 
 perhaps be accounted for from the 
 practice of the EAST, where the 
 foil and climate brought forth herbs 
 and fruit-trees without cultivation, 
 and in their natural luxuriance : 
 there the admiffion of both was no 
 difadvantage to the elegance of gar- 
 dens : every pleafure or conveni- 
 ence, which the whole vegetable 
 creation could fupply, this Eajtern 
 model comprehended. But whether 
 internal difpofttlon was much con- 
 
 fulted
 
 fultcd in thefe Afiatic Paradifes, is 
 a matter of conjecture. They pro- 
 bably gain'd their firft introduction 
 among the various improvements of 
 SEMI R A MIS. With her the idea 
 of forming them feems to have been 
 a favourite palfion, for which me de- 
 lay'd expeditions, and employ 'd the 
 labour of armies in decorating re- 
 moteft corners of her empire : and 
 though the plans themfelves are no- 
 where exactly delineated, yet ad- 
 mirable muft have been her genius 
 in the art, if we are allow'd to 
 judge by the romantic * fituations on 
 which it was exercis'd. 
 
 * Sec DIODORUS Sicutus, L. 2. Stf. 10. 
 
 Under
 
 [ 7 1 
 
 Under the dominion of the MEDES 
 AND PERSIANS, paradifes were fre- 
 quently enlarg'd into the iimilitude 
 of forefts, plentifully ftockt with 
 wild-beafts, and dedicated to the di- 
 verfion of hunting : and .QUINT us 
 CURTIUS informs us, that, (in the 
 time of ALEXANDER) to be pofTefs'd 
 of one of thefe was the greatefl fign 
 of opulence in the Perfian nobility. 
 Thus the ufes of paradifes were ac- 
 commodated to the different hu- 
 mours of proprietors, but their na- 
 tural allurements never entirely un- 
 attended to. They * were chofen for 
 the largenefs of their groves, and 
 
 * Spatiofes _ad hoc eligunt Sylvas, crebris 
 perennium aquarian fontibus amcenas* (^ C. 
 L. 8. ca. i. 
 
 the
 
 [ 8 J 
 
 frequency of their fountains and 
 rivulets : that of CYRUS the younger 
 at CALJEKM, was divided by the 
 river MEANDER, whofe fprings 
 i filled from the palace : in the royal 
 one at PAS ARCADE was the fepul- 
 
 chre of CYRUS THE GREAT 
 
 n turret embofomd in variety of 
 ftadcsy where the woodland abounded 
 withjtreams, and rlchejl verdure in- 
 hefted the meadows *. 
 
 Natural defign did not indeed 
 equally prevail throughout all the 
 regions of the EAST. We have a 
 moft convincing inftance to the con- 
 
 * ARRIA, L. 6. ca. 29. 
 
 trary
 
 [ 9 3 
 
 trary in thofe famous Pen/lie * Gar- 
 dens of BABYLON. But very re- 
 markable is it, that even thefe 
 fhould owe their origin to the truefl 
 fenfibility of the wild beauties of 
 nature. This furprizing and labo- 
 rious experiment was a flrain of 
 complaifance in King NEBUCHAD- 
 NEZZAR to his Median Queen, who 
 could never be reconciled to the 
 flat naked appearance of the Pro- 
 vince of BABYLON, but frequently 
 regretted each riling hill, and fcat- 
 ter'd foreft me had formerly de- 
 lighted in, with all the charms they 
 had prefented to her youthful ima- 
 
 * Defcribed inDiODOiius SICULUS, STRA- 
 fto, QUINTUS CuRTit's, ROLLIN'S, and 
 Univerfal Ancient Hi/I or las. 
 
 C gination :
 
 [ lo] 
 
 gination : the King, who thought 
 nothing impofiible for his power to 
 execute, nothing to be unattempted 
 that might gratify his beloved con- 
 fort, determined to raife woods and 
 t err aces > even within the walls of 
 the city, equal to thofe, by which 
 her native country was diverfified : 
 unfortunately he did not under- 
 fland, that the fecret power of beauty 
 neither belonged to the one, nor the 
 otbo-y but to the difpofing hand of 
 the CREATOR. However, the 
 work itfelf was fufficient to excite 
 admiration, and confequently to 
 rniflead the judgment of mankind. 
 Regularity and magnificence could 
 never have been fo mif-applied thro' 
 fubfequent ages, but for fome fuch 
 4 fallacious
 
 fallacious example. Splendour in^ 
 toxicates the mind, and often robs 
 us of our more agreeable fenfations : 
 when once the dazzling glare of it 
 poffefTes the fancy, every foft and 
 delicate impreffion lofes its effecT:. 
 
 LORD BACON obferves, * that 
 when ages grow to civility and ele- 
 gancy, men come to build Jtately 9 
 fooner than to garden jinely -, as if 
 gardening were the greater perfec- 
 tion j -alluding to the progrefs of 
 thefe fifter arts both in the Grecian 
 and Roman commonwealths. For 
 Architecture was a favourite amufe- 
 ment of GREECE; Gardening almoft 
 
 * EJJay on Gardens. 
 
 C 2 totally
 
 totally neglected : one mould have 
 thought, the Vale of Tempe might 
 alone have infpired rural cnthu- 
 fiafm. Roman gardens are hardly 
 mention'd before the time of Lu- 
 CULLUS ; from which aera, pleafant 
 fituations feem to have been chofen 
 for villas, and the adjacent territories 
 expenfively ornamented. It cannot 
 well be fuppos'd, that the Romans 
 were incapable of diftinguifhing real 
 beauty in a landfcape ; but miftaken 
 notions of power and grandeur per- 
 petually intervened, and mifguided 
 the ftyle of their improvements. A 
 fuperlative excellence was imagined 
 to confift in furmounting the great- 
 eft difficulties, and inverting the 
 
 order
 
 [ '3 1 
 
 order of nature * : indeed fronx 
 their artificial projections into the 
 fea -f-, and other works of equal 
 extravagance, we might fairly con- 
 
 * Mons erat hie, ubi plana vides : hac luftra 
 
 fuerunt, 
 Quae nunc te&a fubis : ubi nunc nemora 
 
 ardua cernis, 
 Hie neque terra fuit : domuit pofleflbr ; et 
 
 iilum 
 
 Formantum rupes, expugnantemq; fecuta 
 Gaudet humus : nunc cernejugum difcentia 
 
 faxa, 
 Intrantefq; domes, jufTumq; recedere mon- 
 
 tem, 
 
 STATIUS, Syhes> L. 2. 
 
 f Contra&a Pifces asquora fentiunt 
 
 Jaiia in altum molibus. HOR. 
 
 Expelluntur aquae faxis ; mare nafcitur arvis ; 
 Et permutata rerum ftatione rebellant. P. AR. 
 
 elude
 
 [ H ] 
 
 elude vanity r f wealth to have been 
 their fundamental principle of de- 
 fign. No wonder then that the 
 Roman manner fcon degenerated in- 
 to more puerile abfurdities. PLINY'S 
 defcription of his own villa exhi- 
 bits every kind of imitation that 
 could be practis'd on the ductility 
 of evergreens. Further inflances 
 of formality and unnatural conceit 
 feem to have had a later introduc- 
 tion. Pieces of water were permit- 
 ted to retain their moft obvious 
 and moft beautiful appearance for 
 fucceeding centuries ; at leaft I do 
 not recollect any mention of fquar- 
 ing ponds, 'till we meet with it in 
 ACHILLES TATIUS * ; but ingeni- 
 
 * Suppofed to have wrote about the year 800. 
 
 OUS
 
 [ '5 ] 
 
 c&s devices were fufficiently multi- 
 plied in a fubfequent period, fudi 
 as gilt eagles with expanded 
 wings feeming to wafh themlelves 
 
 fountains gurgling through the 
 
 throats of iinging-birds in imitation 
 of their voices and many fimilar 
 fancies, erroneoufly afcrib'd to Dutch 
 invention *. 
 
 The embellifhment of gardens, 
 which found its way into this ifland, 
 unhappily confifled of every inno- 
 
 * They may be found in EUSTATHIUS de 
 Jjmenia et Jfmenes atr.oril/us. The author's age 
 (who wrote this very moderate compofition in 
 Greek) is uncertain, but lies between 800, 
 and uoo: fo that the antiquity of thefe 
 follies is fome centuries ftanding. 
 
 vation
 
 [ 16 ] 
 
 vation upon nature. LORD BACON T , 
 was the firfl who attempted to re- 
 form our method : he ihews us at 
 once both the ridiculous conceits of 
 his cotemporaries, and the propereft 
 manner of cenfuring them : as for 
 tic making of knots of figures with 
 dhcrs colour d earths .... they be 
 but toys, you may fee as good Jights 
 
 many times in tarts / 
 
 do not like images cut out in juniper, 
 or other garden fluff, they are for 
 children. However tinctured by 
 prejudice, yet was his EJfay upon 
 the whole greatly fuperior to the 
 reigning mode, and probably tend- 
 ed to banim many puerilities, 'till 
 they were re-imported from IIoi.- 
 JLAND at the Revolution. 
 
 Indeed
 
 [ '7 1 
 
 Indeed were only clafficai autho- 
 rities confulted, it would hardly be 
 fuppofed, that any confiderable vari-> 
 ation in tafte ever had prevailed. 
 It was well underflood by eminent 
 writers, how much the beauty of 
 allufion depends on its being per- 
 fectly natural, and that artificial 
 fcenes ill bear a poetical defcription* 
 Hence thofe admirable Jketcbes of 
 rural delineation fo frequent among 
 the GREEKS and LATINS : and we 
 are not to be furprized if fewer 
 finifhed pieces are to be met with 
 in their writings, a defective or a 
 vitiated national tafle being no fmall 
 impediment for fancy to contend 
 with. Superior genius fometimes 
 D conquers
 
 conquers the difficulty, and exhibits 
 fuch pictures, as thefe : 
 
 - Sylvejlria templa tenebant 
 Nytnpharum, quibus exibant humor e fluenta 
 Lulrica, proluvie larga lavere bumida faxa ; 
 Hitmida faxa fuper uirldi Jlillant'ia mufco : 
 Et part'tm piano fcatere atq-y erumpere campo. 
 
 LUCRETIUS. 
 
 They dwelt in Sylvan grots 
 
 Sacred to nymphs j whence gufhing fountains 
 
 flow'd, 
 
 And in full torrent rocky channels wore j 
 The channel'd rocks on verdant mofs diftil : 
 Some bubbling rife, and burft into the plain, 
 
 EJl injcctjju longo locus. Infula portum 
 fficit objeftu laterum \ quibus omnls ab alto 
 Frangttw^ inque finus folvit frfe undo reduftos. 
 Hint atq\ hinc vaJltK rupes ; geminiq; ntinaiitur 
 /n qoelum fcopuli ; quorum fub vertice late 
 jEquora tuta filent : turn fy his fcena corttfc'u 
 Drfuper, horrent ig; at rum nemus imm'met umbra. 
 
 VlR. 'JETS. 
 
 The
 
 The place in long recefs retired lies. 
 An ifland's clofing fides, where broken floods 
 fall to the fhelter'd bay, the harbour form. 
 On either hand vaft rocks : two craggy cliffs 
 (Twin-giants) tow'r to Heav'n : how fafe be- 
 neath 
 
 Sleeps the ftill furface ! neither wants the fcenc 
 Or flitting lights on waving woods difplay'd, 
 Or gloom of horror fr6m their darkforhe brow. 
 
 
 
 THEOCRITUS 's feventh Idyll fur- 
 nimes another. In our own lan- 
 guage we have KALANDER'S AR- 
 CADIAN VILLA, particularly de- 
 fcrib'd -, and this was his principle 
 of fafhioning it, Art therein would 
 needs be delightful by counterfeiting 
 its enemy error, and making order in 
 confufion. Have I quoted that 
 " tedious, lamentable, pedantic, paf- 
 toral romance, which the patience 
 D 2 of
 
 of a young virgin in love cannot 
 now wade through r" * Such is the 
 character impos'd upon it in the 
 elegant ftylc of modern refinement. 
 New and extraordinary affertions 
 are leading fteps to notoriety-, in 
 purfuit of which, literary adven- 
 turers not only controvert every 
 received opinion among the liv- 
 ing, but, with infinite fatisfaclion 
 to themfefoes, even 
 
 Strike the monuments 
 
 Wl:cre noble names lie fieefring. 
 
 Yet (I believe) many readers of 
 ARCADIA, are ftill weak enough, 
 to be delighted with a work of ge- 
 nius, and fubject themfelves to the 
 
 * Catalogue ' of wile Author* under LORD BROOK. 
 
 charge
 
 [ 21 J 
 
 charge of worfe than gir/ijb admira- 
 tion. Romance is a flattering re- 
 prefentation of human life -, where 
 the likenefs is preferv'd, though its 
 powers are magnified, and infirmi- 
 ties veiled. We view ourfelves in 
 an elevated ftation ; and the pro- 
 fpecl: muft be naturally pleafing : 
 we muft love the ingenuity of an 
 author ib benevolently employ 'd. - 
 Is Romance a fcene of Ddufion ? 
 Greater are the requifites to main- 
 tain it in its purity. The Perfons, 
 the Incidents, the Language itfelf 
 mould combine to waft us with 
 eafe to the region of enchantment :. 
 we mould find nothing there, that 
 may render our excurfion dilagree- 
 able, or bear too ftrong a refem- 
 i blance
 
 blance to the more beaten road we 
 have departed from. Conduct can 
 give amiable form to incredible 
 fidlion, can familiarize our imagina- 
 tions with fomething above mor- 
 tality ; but too flocking, or too 
 common occurrences infallibly re- 
 inflate us in our humbler condition; 
 T^hefe are the Char aft erijiicks, which 
 diftinguifh SIR PHILIP SIDNEY, 
 from the modern marvellous-Jlory- 
 teller > which create that elTential 
 difference between amufive paftime 
 among the Shepherds of ARCADIA, 
 and difgufKng prodigies in the P;y- 
 
 fon of OTRANTO. MILTON, as 
 
 well as SIDNEY, liv'd at a time 
 when rural graces were but little 
 underitood; yet his model of EDEN 
 
 remains
 
 .remains unimpeachable. CLARE- 
 MONT could not be freed from the 
 fetters of regularity, when celebrat- 
 ed by GARTH ; neverthelefs regu- 
 larity is conceal'd without violating 
 truth in the defcription *. And, 
 as to the Poets of the prefent age, 
 the influence of improved tafte ma- 
 
 nifeftly mews itfelf in their land- 
 * 
 
 fcapes. 
 
 * 'Tis he can painjt in verfe thofe rifing hills, 
 Their gentle vallies, and their filver rills ; 
 Clofe groves, and opening glades with verdure 
 
 fpread ; 
 Flowers fighrng fweets, and fhrubs that baffam 
 
 bleed : 
 
 With gay variety the profpect crown'd, 
 And all the bright horizon fmiling round. 
 
 GARTH'S Clartmont. 
 
 To
 
 [ 24 ] 
 
 To return to thofe who wrote 
 profefledly on the fubjet of gar- 
 dening SIR WILLIAM TEMPLE 
 
 was fo ftrongly bigotted to efta- 
 blifh'd fashion, that he difapproves 
 of all deviation from it, though 
 thoroughly fenfible of a fuperior 
 beauty : * What I have faid of the 
 &eji forms of gardens is only of fuch 
 0s are in fome fort regular ; for there 
 may be other forms wholly irregular, 
 that may (for ought I knoiv) have 
 more beauty than any of the others ; 
 but they muft owe it to fome extraor- 
 dinary difpojithns of nature in the 
 feat, or fome great race of fancy 
 or judgment in the contrivance, which 
 
 * Effay on the gardens of Epicurus. 
 
 may
 
 f*5 3 
 
 reduce many difagreeing parts 
 into fome figure * which fh all yet upon 
 the whole be ^ery agreeable. Some- 
 thing of this I have Jeen in feme 
 places, but heard more of it from 
 others, who have lived much among 
 
 the Chinefes But I ' Jhould 
 
 hardly advife any of thefe attempts in 
 
 the figures of gardens among us-, they 
 
 are adventures of too hard atcbieve- 
 
 ment for common hands ; and though 
 
 there may be more honour if they 
 
 fucceed well, yet there is more difto- 
 
 nour if they fail, and 'tis twenty to 
 
 one they will', whereas in regular 
 
 figures 'tis hard to make any great 
 
 and remarkable faults. Very hard 
 
 indeed ! for a regular figure is fault 
 
 enough of itfelf to eclipfe all other 
 
 E ab-
 
 abfurdities. Little did SIR WILLIAM 
 TEMPLE imagine, that in about 
 half a century the CHINESE would 
 become the fafhionable tafte of his 
 country ; or that fo many adven- 
 turers in it would do great juftice 
 to his o&jerpatfott, and prove by their 
 works how difficult it is to fucceed 
 in the undertaking. The CHINESE 
 manner (whether real or fictitious) 
 has of late years been prefented to 
 our view clearly and comprehen- 
 fively * : but is it pomble to convey 
 any accurate idea of the Englim 
 imitations of it ? In this country 
 the fpirit of liberty extends itfelf to 
 
 * In CHAMBERS'S Chlnefe Defigm\ the 
 pafiage is nearly tranfcribed into the Elements 
 of Criticifm, 
 
 the
 
 [ *7 1 
 
 the very fancies of individuals : inde- 
 pendency has been as ftrongly afTerted 
 in matters of tafte, as in religion 
 and government : it has produced 
 more motley appearances, than per- 
 haps a whole feries of ages can 
 parallel. Yet to this whimfical ex- 
 ercife of caprice the modern im- 
 provements in gardening may chiefly 
 be attributed. In ADDISON'S * time 
 FRANCE and ITALY far excelled us 
 in artificial rudeneiTes : and whence 
 can proceed our prefent fuperiority, 
 but from the fcope of experiment ? 
 Though numberlefs abfurd plans 
 have been actually carried into exe- 
 cution, they have not prevented our 
 profiting by good ones : for, how- 
 
 * See SPECTATOR No. 414. 
 
 E 2 ever
 
 r *s i 
 
 ever erroneous in their deiigns, the 
 public are much lefs miflaken in 
 their approbation of what is beau- 
 tiful; let various fpecimens offer 
 themfelves to view, the difference 
 of choice will feldom be material* 
 Thus obfervation has been the guide 
 of ENGLISH gardeners and indeed 
 the only one they could follow. 
 The hints in POPE'S epifUe are 
 hardly fufficient for directions ; but 
 in vain might we fearch for better 
 before the late publication of SHEN- 
 STONE'S UNCONNECTED THOUGHTS 
 ON GARDENING. Thefe inftruc- 
 tions (as far as they extend) appear 
 to me unexceptionable : the follow- 
 ing remarks will by no means in 7 
 
 terfere
 
 [ 29 3 
 
 with them, but are intended 
 merely as additional. 
 
 The elegance and propriety of 
 rural defigns feems greatly to de- 
 pend on a nice diftinction between 
 contraft and incongruity. To define 
 the exact limits of each in every 
 inftance is a talk next to impoffi- 
 ble j but the judicious eye will im- 
 mediately difcover the difference in 
 objects prefented before it. In ge- 
 neral we may obferve, that confufion 
 arifes from crowding together into 
 one fcene, what would be infinitely 
 pleafing in two fucceflively. At 
 PAINE'S HILL the banks of the 
 lake are admirably contrafted by the 
 wild rufticity on the other fide of 
 
 the
 
 [ 3 ] 
 
 the arch : but I could wifh the fe- 
 paration more perfect : as far as the 
 fcenes are open to each other, the 
 effect of furprize is diminifhed ; 
 and (I think) propriety requires they 
 fhould be abfolutely dijlintt. 
 
 The fpecies of dcfign (liould ge- 
 nerally conform to the nature of the 
 
 place : but even this rule may 
 
 fometimes be neglected without any 
 uifible incongruity. For example : 
 it may be pofTible to contrive an 
 artificial river even near the fummit 
 of a hill, fo as to bear the fimilitude 
 of an irriguous 'valley provided that 
 all furrounding objects perfectly 
 correfpond to it, and every appear- 
 ance of declivity remains totally ex- 
 cluded,
 
 r 3 i 
 
 t 
 eluded. Such deviations from the 
 
 guidance of nature are fuggefted by 
 the fame caufe, as were the Penjik 
 
 Gardens of BABYLON nothing 
 
 of the fort being otherwife to be 
 obtained : but the objection to them 
 is by no means parallel > for perfect 
 
 deceit equals reality. 
 
 
 
 Contrajl will often call forth beau- 
 ties, which one mould hardly be- 
 lieve the fituation could afford. 
 One of the propereft places for at- 
 tending to it is the internal arrange- 
 ment of a wood. By the various 
 windings of the walks, the clofing 
 and opening of thickets, exhibiting 
 the ftatelieft trees, and fudden tran- 
 litions from one degree of made to 
 
 another
 
 [ 3* .3 
 
 another more awful ideas might 
 be impreft on the imagination, than 
 Days Garifh Eye can fupply us with. 
 A paflage in PARADISE REGAIN'O 
 will exemplify my meaning : 
 
 Only in a bottom faw a pleafant grove, 
 jyith chaunt of tuneful birds r (founding loud', 
 Thither he bent bis way, determined there 
 To reft at noon, and entered foon the Jhade 
 High-rotft, and walks beneath, and alleys bwwn % 
 That opend in the midft a woody fcene : 
 Nature's own work it feenid (nature taught art) 
 And to a fuperftitioui eye the haunt 
 Qfwcid-gods, and wood-nymphs. 
 
 Book 2. ver. 289. 
 
 * facred fyfoan fcenes were 
 places of worfhip in the reign of 
 druidical priefthood ; and by no im- 
 probable fuppofition fuch * as of old 
 
 * LORD SHAFTESBURY*S.Mra///?J. 
 
 4
 
 [ 33 ] 
 
 gave rife to temples, and favoured 
 the religion of the antient world. 
 
 Contraft of light and fiade has a 
 powerful effecl: in lengthening or 
 contracting the apparent extenfion 
 of viftas. Is the terminating objeft 
 too near ? Then at fome diftance, 
 on the hither fide of it, the ftronger 
 portion of light fhould be admitted : 
 the diftindlnefs of the intermediate 
 parts, and its own comparative de- 
 gree of made, will make the termi- 
 nation remoter. Is it too remote 
 already ? Let it be proportionably 
 illuminated. For this latter advice 
 there feems indeed but little occa- 
 lion; whitening obje&s being a com- 
 mon practice rather too frequently 
 F ufed
 
 [ 34 j 
 
 iiicd where the contrary method 
 feems wanting. I would not here 
 be underftood to fuppofe, that fome 
 kind of edifice is necefiary for the 
 termination of a vifta ; natural ob- 
 jects are often preferable, efpecially 
 in a fhort one : perhaps the moft 
 pleafing terminations are formed by 
 the united works of art and nature. 
 A vifta mould certainly be conclud- 
 ed with fomething more than the 
 meer heavens ; and I know 'tis a 
 maxim with fome, that no portion 
 of glade can be admitted with pro- 
 priety : but this maxim appears 
 much more calculated to reftrain 
 genius, than correct the judgment ; 
 wildly broken, or clofely over-arch- 
 ed, the glade may create a variety, 
 
 not
 
 [ 35 ] 
 
 not otherwife fo eafily attainable. 
 What I have already faid of viftas, 
 plainly relates to thofe, the Jides of 
 which are for fome confiderable 
 fpace fubjected to view: MR. 
 SOUTHCOTE taught us to form 
 others, through the branches of a 
 Jingle tree only ; and fhew'd us how 
 the opening might be made na- 
 tural and eafy, and (as it were) 
 perfectly accidental. SHENSTONE, 
 and LORD LYTTELTON, took the 
 hint, and improved upon it; but 
 the experiment in unfkilful hands 
 generally does more prejudice to the 
 beauty of trees, than the formal vifta 
 can recompence. 
 
 The greateft fault of modern 
 F 2 planners
 
 [ 36 ] 
 
 planners is their injudicious applica- 
 tion of Fir-trees. A quick growth 
 and perpetual verdure have been the 
 temptations for introducing them ; 
 but thcfe advantages are very in- 
 fufticient to juilify the prevailing 
 mode, which gives them an univer- 
 fal eftimation. Trees of conic fi- 
 gure are by nature unfociable not 
 to be allcw'd a place amid the luxu- 
 riant heads of oaks, or other no- 
 bleft progeny of the foreft ; though 
 they may fometimes join with the 
 am and the poplar. They are beau- 
 tiful as fmgle objects ill-fuited to 
 
 h 
 
 an extent of wood-land fervice- 
 
 able however to particular fwells of 
 ground, if the fize of the plantation 
 be proportionable, and not (as 
 
 SHENSTONE
 
 [ 37 J 
 
 SHE N STONE obferves, and our artifts 
 execute) like coronets on an elephant's 
 back. They may be loofely fcatter'd 
 on a wild heath : their deep Jhades 
 may in many places be happily dif- 
 pofed : but when I fee them in cir- 
 cular clumps choking up a meadow, 
 or. prepofleroufly converted into 
 fhrubs under the branches of a forefl- 
 tree, they excite no other emotion, 
 than contempt for the planter, 
 who perhaps may have acquired a An- 
 gular degree of merit in fmoothing 
 lawns, and humouring every exten- 
 iion or inequality of furface. In- 
 deed Practice is a necefTary in- 
 gredient for modelling the furface 
 of ground ; or at leaft for an ade- 
 quate execution. The difficulty at- 
 tending
 
 tending this mechanical part of gar- 
 dening has induced many proprie- 
 tors to commit the whole of it to 
 artifts by profeflion, whofe contract- 
 ed geniufes (without the leaft capa- 
 bility of enlargement) have ftampt 
 an unmeaning famenefs upon half 
 the principal feats in the kingdom. 
 
 Uniting lawns is the chief purpofe 
 
 vifunk fences : wherefore they 
 
 Should be perfectly concealed them- 
 felves, that we may not difcover 
 infufiiciency in the execution : nei- 
 ther mould unnatural fwells be made 
 ufe of in order to conceal them ; for 
 thus the very purpofe is deftroyed. 
 
 Shrubberies and beds of flowers 
 
 demand
 
 [ 39 ] 
 
 demand limitation : immoderately 
 extended, they mark the triumph of 
 luxury over elegance. The apparent 
 wafte * of ground difpleafes us; 
 and the plants themfelves are too 
 minute to admit of any conliderable 
 fpace being exclufively allotted them. 
 [I fay this, in regard to beauty of 
 difpojition y and mean not to interfere 
 with the vanity of collections .] On 
 fpots, that have nothing obfervable 
 in themfelves, fuch profulion of 
 ornament is generally beftowed ; 
 yet, however fafhionably patron- 
 ized, gaudy colouring is a poor 
 
 * .. turn violaria, et 
 
 Myrtus, et omnis copia narium, 
 Spargent olivetis odorem 
 
 Fertilibus domino priori. HOR. 
 
 com-
 
 f 40] 
 
 compenfation for natural deficien- 
 cies : with much more juftice has 
 POPE given the preference to that 
 man's tafte, 
 
 ample lawns are not a/ham'd to feed 
 The milky heifer , and deferring Jleed. 
 
 Ail opinion prevails that * regu- 
 larity is required in that part of a 
 garden, which joins the dwelling- 
 houfe. The author, who afTerts this 
 maxim, mews at the fame time the 
 abfurdity of extending it : but I ra- 
 ther take the rule itfelf to be a re- 
 lict of the prejudice of habit. Hid- 
 ing a good front obftructing a pro- 
 fpect from the windows rendering 
 a manfion damp and unwholfome by 
 
 * Elements of Critififrn, Chap. 24. 
 
 2 tOO
 
 t 41 j 
 
 too much fhelter are inconveni- 
 ences to be avoided : but I fee no 
 connection between thefe cautions 
 and pofitive regularity : there are in- 
 deed reafons for excluding it : a de* 
 gree of wildnefs in the garden con^- 
 trafts the fymmetry of the building; 
 and the generality of edifices appear 
 to greateft advantage 
 
 Bofomd high in tufted tree:* 
 
 Turning woods into groves gives 
 an air of freedom, and introduces a 
 variety of objects. To what extent 
 the practice is advifeable mufl be de- 
 termined by the fituation, 'and by 
 the kind of fcene propereft to be; 
 formed/, for, though a partial open- 
 ing in the front of a wood (unlefs 
 G con-
 
 [ 4* J 
 
 contrail forbids it) generally pleafes 
 us ; yet a total deftru&ion of thicket 
 is one of the greateil impediments 
 to defign. The age of the trees is 
 another circumflance to be attended 
 to : beeches in particular fliould ne- 
 ver be cleared of underwood, 'till 
 their fize is confiderable ; they only 
 look like the approach to a ivzfc/j- 
 boufe, whofe inhabitants had en- 
 couraged a nurfery of broom/licks. 
 
 Fafhion's dictates have fubjecled 
 \\\zform of planting to frequent vari- 
 ation : avenues, quincunxes^ clumps, 
 fucceflively had the preference ; dot- 
 ting (as they term it) is the prefent 
 method, and the leaft exceptionable 
 of any. But a field for the exercife of 
 
 genius
 
 [ 43 ] 
 
 genius ihould never be limited by 
 fafhion : the CHINESE are in this 
 refpecl (according to SIR WILLIAM 
 TEMPLE) particularly excellent : 
 their great eft reach of imagination is 
 employed in contriving Jigures, where 
 the beauty Jhall be great and Jlrike 
 the eye 9 but without any order or dif- 
 pofition of parts, that fiall be com~ 
 monly or eajily obferved. 
 
 Standing pools give offence to LORD 
 BACON : I have no partiality for the 
 green mantle they are fometimes co- 
 vered with; but, without any extraor- 
 dinary clearnefs, properly placed, their 
 effect may be admirable. GASPER 
 POUSSIN'S landfcapes prove the aiTer- 
 tion. Ponds may be like wife Jlrung 
 G 2 together
 
 [ 44 ] 
 together, fo as to gain a river-like 
 
 appearance or at lead that of a 
 
 con fiderable lake. This junction of 
 ponds is furprizingly executed at 
 HAG LEY : and, though an equal 
 deception may not always be practi- 
 cable, yet I think the experiment 
 could not absolutely fail but in the 
 hands of a mechanical artift, who 
 would make their broad naked heads 
 the principal objects in view. 
 
 An edifice may be ilrongly charac- 
 terifed by correfpondent accompany- 
 ments : ths difficulty lies in diftin- 
 guitliing where they are applicable. 
 For inftance in the horrid land- 
 fcapes of the CHINESES dcfolation 
 {hould be total. But ruins are fuf- 
 
 fercd
 
 [ 45 1 
 
 fered to exift in the regions. of neat- 
 
 nefs not that this circumftance 
 
 alone is abfolutely improper : only 
 it fhould be conlidered, that in fuch 
 fituations confer/ion of character is 
 vifible -, confequently let the ex- 
 hibition of ruin (as at * WOOBURN- 
 FARM) be extended no further than 
 the pile, 
 
 "Tis a common cafe with garden- 
 buildings, to be ftrangely incoherent 
 in themfelves unconnected with the 
 places they occupy : fuch are root- 
 houfes in rofaries hermitages richly 
 ornamented ruftic feats marked 
 with a formal vulgarity by way of 
 
 * Late Mr. SOUTHCOTE'S. 
 
 rudenejs.
 
 [ 46 ] 
 
 rudenefs. As to pillars and obelifks, 
 they are generally erected to vanity. 
 Had obelifks never flood upon claffic 
 ground, one fhould be puzzled to 
 account for their reception : other 
 pillars may have greater beauty in 
 thcmfelves ; yet I cannot recommend 
 the admiflion of either among rural 
 objects, unlefs back'd by rifmg wood, 
 or in fome fmall area furrounded by 
 thickets. 
 
 
 
 The ufe of flatucs is another dan- 
 gerous attempt in gardening not 
 
 however impoffible to be practiied 
 with fuccefs. How peculiarly happy 
 is the pofition of the Koer-god at 
 STOURHEAD! how prettily group'd 
 are the Syhan Deifies near the tem- 
 ple
 
 [ 47 1 
 
 pie of PAN on ENFIELD-CHACE ! 
 I remember a figure at HAGLEY 
 which one could fancy to be darting 
 crofs an alley of a grove : the noble 
 proprietor has lince remov'd it- 
 perhaps as bordering upon puerile 
 
 conceit but I muft confefs my- 
 
 felf much taken with the thought, 
 and only wimed fazpedeftal had been 
 concealed. 
 
 There is an art in the manage- 
 ment of grounds, little underftood, 
 and poffibly the mofl difficult to be 
 accomplished : 'tis analogous to what 
 is called keeping under in painting : 
 by fome parts being feemingly ne- 
 g!e<ted, the fucceeding are more 
 ftrikingly beautiful. The effedt of 
 
 this-
 
 [ 43 ] 
 
 this management is very apparent 
 at the LEASOWES. I know not whe* 
 ther the fame thing is intended at 
 PAINE'S-HILL, when you are con* 
 dueled to a view of the lake through 
 fpecimens of French and Italian gar- 
 dening : but tbefe are too much la- 
 bour'd to give an equal refpite to the 
 attention with natural negligences. 
 
 From a general view of our pre- 
 fent gardens in populous diftridts, a 
 ftranger might imagine they were 
 calculated for a race of LILLIPU* 
 T i A N s . Are theiry7W<?, their ponds , 
 or their ijlands proportionable to 
 common mortals ? Their winding 
 walks fuch as no human foot-ftep 
 (except a reeling drunkard's) could 
 5 have
 
 [ 49 ] 
 
 have traced. Yet thefe, in the eyes 
 of the proprietors, are perfect models 
 of CHINESE; though the only part 
 that can be called fo, is their ridicu- 
 lous ftyle of architecture in rails and 
 temples. 
 
 Whatever rules may be prefcrib- 
 ed, after all the befl inftructor is 
 example > the force of which firfl 
 rectified our tafte, and muft continue 
 to improve it. Yet we mould be 
 aware, not to confound the difpo- 
 fitions of nature with artificial con- 
 trivances. I know places exceeding 
 worthy of admiration without the 
 leaft pretence to genius or judgment 
 in their defign they are like fome 
 charming ftory indifferently related 
 H the
 
 [ 50 ] 
 
 the tale and t\\z fcene have in- 
 
 triniic powers of magic, and neither 
 barbarous language, nor barbarous 
 artifts can eafily diflblve the enchant- 
 ment. However, jufter models of 
 artificial difpofition are by no means 
 wanting you will find them with- 
 in the woods of STOKE *, at 
 WROXTON, and the valley of BAD- 
 MINTON : OATLANDS, WIND- 
 SOR-PARK and WENTWORTH- 
 CASTLE will mew you, how rivers 
 can be imitated: PERESFIELD may 
 bring to your imagination fome ro* 
 mantic paradife of SEMIRAMIS, 
 PAINE'S-HILL has every mark of 
 creative genius, and H A G L E Y of 
 correttejl fancy ; but the mofl inti- 
 
 * LORD BOTTETOURT'S near BRISTOL. 
 
 mate
 
 t 5' ] 
 
 mate alliance 'with nature was form- 
 ed by SHENSTONE. Not that 
 
 I would recommend even the works 
 of the laft for fervile imitation. how 
 infipid are the copiers of SHAKE- 
 SPEARE ! whoever would rival his 
 excellence, muft ftudy in the fame 
 fchool, as did SHAKESPEARE him- 
 felf. NATURE'S favourite haunts 
 are the fchool of gardening me ap- 
 pears in fublimeft rudenefs on the 
 forefl of MACCLESFIELD, and the 
 WELCH mountains her milder 
 train of graces difperfe themfelves 
 
 along the banks of THAMES her 
 
 majeftic retirements are fi mated on the 
 ftreams of DOVE and DERWENT, in 
 the vale of HACKNESS, and the groves 
 
 "of EAST WELL fhe afTumes on 
 
 H 2 RICH-
 
 RICHMOND-BROW a gayer and a 
 fofter dignity, making every fprightly 
 work of art ferve for her emhelliih- 
 ment. 
 
 In apology for the fubject, I 
 would remark with ADD ISDN, boiv 
 very few have a relifo of any p lea- 
 fur es that are not criminal. Gar- 
 dening has a more pofitive merit 
 
 Hence the poor are cloattid, the hungry fed ; 
 
 Health to himfelf, ahd to his children bread 
 The labourer bears. POPE. 
 
 Is the fludy productive of indo- 
 lence ? let us view its ableft pro- 
 feflbrs. The fpirit, which animated 
 HAG LEY, glows with equal luftre 
 through the darker (hades of hifto- 
 rical obfcurity. And was it not after 
 2 bis
 
 [ 53 1 
 
 his long attention to rural elegance, 
 that our glories burfting forth into 
 the world rendered the name of PITT 
 great among the nations ? Neither 
 are thofe without excufe, who defert 
 the bufier fcenes of life for the fake, 
 of amuling retirement : indeed the 
 oppofite practice is much more pre- 
 judicial to the community 
 
 Meantime by pleafure's fopbijlry allur'd, > 
 
 From the bright fun and living breeze ye Jlray ; 
 And deep in London's gloomy haunts immur'd, 
 Brood o'er your fortune's, freedom's, health's 
 
 decay. 
 
 O blind of choice, and to yourfelves untrue ! 
 The young grove Jhoots, their bloom the fields 
 
 renew. 
 
 The man/ion ajks its Lord, thejwains their friend', 
 While be doth riot's orgies haply Jbarc, 
 
 Or
 
 [ 54 ] 
 
 Or tempt tbegamefler^ dark dejlroying fnart y 
 Or at feme courtly Jbrine wltbjlavijh incenfe bend. 
 AKENSIDE'S Militia Ode. 
 
 Should any one reply that thefe 
 
 are only the vice s, and that ^the pur- 
 fuits of public life are necefTary to 
 the welfare of the ftate; that they 
 extend fociety and commerce ; that 
 they lead to riches, honour, and ad- 
 vancement cela eft bien dit (repon- 
 droit C AND IDE) mats il faut culti- 
 ver nCtre 
 
 FINIS.
 
 TREATISE 
 
 UPON THE 
 
 CULTURE 
 
 O F 
 
 PEACH TREES, 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH. 
 
 LONDON, Printed ; 
 
 And fold by J. DODSLEY in Pall-mall, S, 
 BAKER and G. LEIGH in York-ftrect, Co- 
 vent-Garden, T. BECKET and P. A. DE 
 HONDT in the Strand, and J. GORDON, 
 Seedfman, in Fenchurch-ftreet. 
 
 M DCC LXVJII.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. I. Of Peach Trees in general* Page i 
 
 CHAP. II. Of the different Sorts of Peaches, and 
 
 the Choice of them, ^ 
 
 CHAP. III. Of the Choice of Trees, and the Me- 
 thod of raifmg them in the Nurferies, ^ 
 CHAP. IV. Of the Situation and Expofure of Peach 
 Trees, and the Manner of preparing the Ground 
 for them, i j 
 CHAP. V. Of the Manner of planting the Trees, 21 
 CHAP. VI. A Defcripiiui of a Treillage, and the 
 
 Manner of making it, 29 
 
 CHAP. VII. Of Pruning 37 
 
 CHAP. VIII. Of rubbing off the Buds 56 
 
 CHAP. IX. Of the Firjt Time of laying in the 
 
 Shoots 66 
 
 CHAP. X. Of the Second Time of laying in the 
 
 Shoots, 68 
 
 CHAP. XI. Of uncovering the Fruit, and the 
 
 proper Time to gather it, 70 
 
 CHAP. XII. Of the different Infefls that damage 
 the Wood and Fruit of Peach Trees y and the Re- 
 medy to be applied, 7 1 
 CHAP. XII L Of the Precautions to be taken du- 
 ring the Heats of the Summer, 78 
 CHAP. XIV. Of covering the Trees, 79 
 CuAP.XV.OftheDi/tempersofTrtes, 86 
 CHAP. XVI. Of the Method of new planting an 
 old Efpalier, 89 
 
 CHAP. XVII. Of Tillage, 92 
 
 CHAP. XVIII. Of the Propriety of laying Dung 
 
 to Peach Trees, 93 
 
 CHAP. XIX. Of the Carriage of Trees into dif- 
 
 tant Countries, 97 
 
 CHAP. XX. Of the Manner of raifmg and bud- 
 ding Peach Trees, - 99 
 CHAP. XXI. Of the Method of making a new 
 Plantation, 106 
 
 O F
 
 O F T H E 
 
 CULTURE 
 
 O F 
 
 PEACH TREES, 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Of Peach frees in general. 
 
 THE Peach is efteemed one of the mod 
 excellent fruits of Europe j but in our 
 climate, the cultivating it with fuccefs requires 
 more care, and confequently more knowledge 
 than any other fort. It is owing only to the 
 great number of thefe trees fo univerfally raifed, 
 that in a favorable year we have fuch abun- 
 dance of this fruit in Paris and its environs; 
 for by the prefent unlkilful method of treating 
 them, their crops are ib deficient that an hun- 
 dred trees do not yield fo much fruit as might 
 be produced by twenty under a more judicious 
 B manage-
 
 r 4 i 
 
 themfclves. How few are there who wilt 
 befk>w fo much care and trouble ! 
 
 I fpeak now with regard to thole who plant 
 for profit, and who aim at nothing but pro- 
 ducing a great quantity of fruit. Thofe who 
 raife them only for fatis faction and amufcment 
 will be content with feeing their trees well 
 trained, and furnifhed with a moderate quan- 
 tity of the beft fruit, without envy ing this great 
 abundance. It is for the latter that I write 
 chiefly; and to do this with propriety and me- 
 thod, I fhall begin with examining the diffe- 
 rent forts of Peaches, and mark fuch as are 
 moft to be preferred. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of the different forts of Peaches, and the choice 
 of them. 
 
 O 
 
 , Pinions are various concerning the different 
 forts of Peaches. Mr. De la Quintinic 
 has pretended to diftinguifh thirty-two, which 
 he names, exclufive of Nectarines and hard 
 Peaches. Others extend them even to forty 
 or fifty , but thefe (if I am not much miftaken) 
 often mention the fame fort twice ; fo that moft 
 of them have acquired two or three names. 
 For my own part, I can fay nothing precifely 
 on this head, having never taken pains to dif- 
 tinguifh the forti accurately. The principal 
 
 point
 
 t 5 ] 
 
 point is to know the belt ; and we lofe very 
 little by being unacquainted with thofe that are 
 inferior. I confefs then, that I do not know 
 above fifteen forts that are worth attention , and 
 to thofe we may confine ourfeives, for the reft 
 are eicher very indifferent, or very bad. There 
 are fome which (though good) do not bear 
 well, and are not worth the ipace they occupy ; 
 others are very liable to be injured by thegurn, 
 or by ants. In fhort, there are fame, which, 
 though they have good qualities, are out of 
 fafhion, their long or crooked fhape being very 
 unpleafing. Since then it is not more expen- 
 five to cultivate the bed than the more indif- 
 ferent ones, the firft only deferve our regard ; 
 for a good afpect is too valuable to be filled 
 with any but the very capital forts. If a con- 
 ftant fucceflion of good Peaches can be obtain- 
 ed from the end of July to the middle of 
 Oftober, nothing more need be defired ; for, 
 after that time, the fruit ripens but very im- 
 perfectly. In fhort, I cannot come into the 
 opinion of many people, who are covetous of 
 every fort, whether good or bad ; efpecially as 
 it is a fruit that requires great care and pains, 
 and deferws the bdl fituation. 
 
 The fifteen forts which I prefer, form a con- 
 ftant fucceffion, and are undoubtedly the mofl 
 beautiful, both in colour, fhape, and fize, of 
 the higheft flavour and the bed bearers, as 
 is universally acknowledged. "What I fay in 
 general will fufrice, without giving a more par- 
 B 3 ticuhr
 
 I 6 ] 
 
 ticular character of them ; and if thofe only are 
 approved of, I fliouid advife the following 
 method of difpofing them. 
 
 If you have room for fifty trees, you will 
 plant 
 
 2 Small Mignon 3 Early Violet 
 
 6 Grofs Mignon 3 Bourdin 
 
 2 Red Magdalene 3 Chevreufe 
 4 Galande 4 Purple 
 
 3 Teton de Venus 3 Perlique 
 
 3 Italian Peaches 4 Admirable 
 
 3 Eclle^ --.-J 
 3 P.oyale 
 2 Nivette 
 2 Pavies de Pom* 
 pone 
 
 If you have more or Icfs room, you will plant 
 in proportion. In a very fmall garden, or 
 where you have room only for fix trees, | 
 fhould advife you to chufe the following : 
 
 'gnon 
 
 :>iet 
 
 I Galande 
 i Purple 
 
 i Admirable 
 .tte 
 
 I give a p!;we to the Violet, which is not 
 elltemed by many, bccaufe it will not acquire 
 its proper flavour nor fize in every foil ; but 
 when it is in perfection, I place it before all 
 other Peaches, and have found a great many of 
 my opinion. 
 
 1 have alib given the Pavie de Pom pone a 
 place in my lift, though it is not generally 
 Jikcd, and which, as to flavour, 1 do not my- 
 felf rank among the good Peache?, but I men- 
 tion i: for three reafons. Firft, its prodigious 
 fize and beautiful colour make it the grcateft 
 ornament of the table: Secondly, it comes in 
 
 eating
 
 [ 7 1 
 
 eating after all other Peaches are gone : And 
 thirdly, it may be eaten all the year round as a 
 pickle, and furpailes all others for this purpofe. 
 It has for this reafon been in great repute with- 
 in thefe few years, and is preserved by fome in 
 a different manner from the Cucumber. 
 
 There is alfo a dwarf Peach, which is raifed 
 in Orleans, and affords great amuiement to th$ 
 curious, as a beautiful object, though other- 
 \vife of no value. It is planted in pots or boxes, 
 where it requires no care but that of watering, 
 and grows about as large in the ftem as a flock 
 Gillyflower ; the fruit lets very well, and it bears 
 fometimes twenty or twenty-five Peaches, of a. 
 middling fize. The tree is commonly brought 
 to table with the fruit on it, and makes a very 
 finking appearance j but the fruit is infipid. 
 It feldom ripens well in this climate, but it 
 might poffibly fucceed better in a more fouth- 
 ern one. 
 
 Thofe who inhabit a warmer country may 
 chufe fuch of the forts mentioned above, as 
 are moft adapted to their climate ; for inftance, 
 I do not reckon all the hard Peaches of that va- 
 lue here, that they are in Italy and Provence ; 
 nor do I efteem many forts of the late Peaches, 
 which here ripen but very imperfectly, and 
 have very little flavour, though perhaps they 
 might acquire more in thefe warmer countries. 
 It is therefore the bufinefs of the curious to 
 examine what is proper for their own climates : 
 but ws ought 'not to envy any of them in this 
 B 4 refpect ;
 
 [ 8 ] 
 
 refpec~l ; for there is no country where this fruit 
 arrives to fuch perfection as in this. I have 
 eaten it in all the more fouthern parts, in the 
 very fartheft part of Italy, and in Sicily ; but 
 the heat of the fun is fo violent, that our be(t 
 Peaches do not fucceed there. 
 
 I think it the bril way to plant the fifteen 
 /forts, and the hard Peaches I have mentioned, 
 in the Irune order as they ftand in the lilt. This 
 is a point I have obferved nobody attends to, 
 but 1 have found it of great ufe , for as the 
 Peaches which ripen about the fame time, arc 
 planted all togeiher, they will be more eafily 
 gathered, without going backwards and for- 
 wards to feck them in different parts of the 
 wall : or, if they require any defence either 
 from men or bealts, you need only guard one 
 particular part of the wall ; and if there mould 
 be creation in a dry fealbn to water thole trees 
 which begin to ripen their fruit, you do noc 
 make fo many paths, nor trample the earth all 
 along the walls, (for I fuppofe there are crofs 
 walls). In fhort, as it is as eafy to plant them 
 in this regular order as otherwife, 1 Itrongly 
 recommend it ab the belt way. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 [ 9 1 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the choice of Trees, and the method of raifing 
 them in the Nurfiriss. 
 
 *T*Here are fuch a number of nurfery gardens 
 * in the country round Paris, that it is very 
 eafy to find young trees, when the frofts have 
 not deftroyed the buds, as it happened in the 
 winters of 1740 and 1742. Vitry, Fontenay 
 aux Role?, & le Pre St. Gervais, are more par- 
 ticularly let apart for this purpoie , buc as there 
 is the greateft choice at Vitry, they are pro- 
 cured better there than any where elfe, though 
 I have ibmetimes had them from Orleans, 
 which have iucceeded as well. The chief 
 point in moving a tree, is to take care that it 
 does not lay expofed to the injuries of weather 
 after it is taken out of the ground, that the 
 roots are prefer ved frefli by the help of good 
 packing and mofs, and that it has all the other 
 requifues of a good tree. The place where it 
 is raifed is of little confcquence, provided there 
 is no remarkable difference between the foil 
 it is taken cut of, and that into which it is 
 tranfplanted ; but this muft be well attended to. 
 They are fold, one year with another, if the 
 buds have grown well, for * 5 tols the dwarf, 
 jo Ibis the half ftandard, and 15 Ibis the fian- 
 * About z I </. 5 { d.-j I d. fUrling. 
 
 dard ;
 
 I 10 ] 
 
 dard ; thofc who pay dearer are always im- 
 pofcd upon, rt lying too much cither on the 
 fancied reputation of the nurfery-man, or on 
 the peifon entrufted to buy them j for nothing 
 is more erroneous than to imagine that they 
 are better, or that you are more certain of the 
 forts, becauie tliey coft three times as much, 
 which fome people will afk for them. In the 
 firft inftance, it is only neceflary to make ufe 
 of your eyes ; but in the fecond, I grant you 
 may be deceived. In this trade, as in all de- 
 grees of lire, there are people whofe words are 
 not to be relied on j but here there is this dif- 
 ference, that they can get but very little by 
 deceiving you : however I allow, that, as there 
 are fome forts, fuch as the Mignon and Ga- 
 lande, the buds of which take with great 
 difficulty, fome nuricry-men will not bud fo 
 many as they might, and often fubftitute other 
 forts that take more freely. But we ought 
 not therefore to look upon them all as cheats : 
 There are in this trade alfo, fome who are jea- 
 lous of their reputation, and who are fenfible 
 that it is their ir.terefb to be fo. It is our bu- 
 iinels to be acquainted with thcfe, for which 
 xve muft depend upon information. The ad- 
 vice I couid give upon a matter, the circum- 
 Jlances of which alter every day, would be but 
 a very uncertain help-, and therefore every one 
 mull purfue fuch meafures as he mail think 
 boil. I (hall only obferve, that thofe who are 
 r in their bufmffs, always have a cata- 
 logue
 
 t II ] 
 
 logueofall the plants in their nurferies, and 
 of thofe that are budded, entitled thus, " Such 
 a piece of ground bounded in fuch and fuch 
 manner, budded with Peaches, contains fo 
 many rows of fuch a fort, and fo many of fuch 
 another-," you examine this catalogue, which 
 there is no reafon to fuppofe fallacious, and 
 following the row, you chufe what you think 
 proper. 
 
 If your nurfery-man has no catalogue, you 
 will of courfe fufpect him, and go to fome 
 other. There is no neceffity to make ufe of 
 thefe precautions with regard to all the ker- 
 nelled fruits, which are known by their wood 
 and leaves, fo that a nurfery-man cannot cheat 
 any one who knows this; but except four or 
 five forts of Peaches, viz. the Great and Small 
 Mignon, the Magdalene, the Violets, and 
 fome hard Peaches, all the reft are fo much 
 alike, both in wood and leaves, that the nur- 
 fery-man himfelf cannot diftinguifh them, un- 
 iefs he obferves that regular method above- 
 mentioned. 
 
 Upon ail thefe accounts then, it is very ne- 
 ceflary to chufe them yourfelf, if you are a 
 judge, or that you fiiould be thoroughly fa^ 
 tisfiedofthe fkiil and honefty of the pc.ion 
 you entruft to buy them for you; for if you 
 leave it to your gardener, the bribe of a hajf 
 fol per tree, which he exacts of the nurfery- 
 rr.cn as his right, renders him very traclable to 
 whatever they pleafe. This is generally the
 
 r H i 
 
 that, they wear out fooner, and the fruit will 
 never come to perfection. You fhould take 
 particular care, that the bud has mot ftraight, 
 and that it cots not grow crooked ; for from 
 thrnce it fometimes happens, that notwith- 
 ftanding all your pains to divide the branches of 
 the tree equally, the fide on which the bud 
 twifts, will outgrow the other, and this renders 
 the tree very defective. 
 
 Be cautious in taking them up, that they 
 dig round the ftem at a proper diftance, that 
 the roots may not be injured, and reject thofe 
 which are badly taken up, or are cankered at 
 the root. 
 
 As foon as they are taken out of the ground, 
 let them be tied up in bundle?, with labels to 
 diftinguifli the forts, and a great deal of ftraw, 
 which you will have ready, to prevent either 
 the firings, or the faddles of the animals which 
 carry them, from rubbing off the bark. Let 
 thf roots at the fame time be packed in draw, 
 that the winds and fun may not dry them. 
 Thefe precautions, though very neceflary, 
 are fometimes neglected. 
 
 Notwithftanding all thefe directions, thofe 
 who have it not in their power to aft for them- 
 felves, will no doubt find it very difficult to 
 make choice of a perfon whom they can en- 
 truft ; but I would advife them to enquire out 
 a good nurfery-man, and put it upon his ho- 
 nefty to fupply them properly, upon condition 
 that he fends nothing but what will anfwer in 
 
 all -
 
 C '5] 
 
 all the particulars I have laid down. Oblige 
 him at the fame time to infure all the forts, 
 and keep back part of the price till you are 
 allured of it. The nurfery-man faving by this 
 means what he would other wife be obliged to 
 give to a third perfon, and being willing to 
 get your cuftom, will find it his intereft to 
 fupply you with none but what are good, and 
 thus your advantage becomes his own. 
 
 The Peach is budded upon three different 
 flocks, viz. upon that raifed from its own ker- 
 nel, upon the almond, and upon the plum. 
 They bud however but few upon the firft of 
 thefe, which is too fubjecl: to gum> and there- 
 fore generally make ufe of the two latter. Jn 
 the choice of thefe you muft be guided by the 
 quality of your foil ; if it is light and fandy, 
 you mould prefer the almond ftock, upon ac- 
 count of its tap root, which, by ieeking its 
 nourimment deeper in the earth than the plum r 
 is defended better in a time of drought. 
 
 If the foil is ftrong, and the bottom either 
 gravel or ftiffclay, you will chufe thofe upon 
 the plum ftock, becaufe the roots of thefe do 
 not run deep, and are fufficiently nourifhed in 
 2 moderate depth of foil. 
 
 The beft way is to purfue the fame method 
 that has been before praclifed in the place 
 where you are fituated ; for there are few 
 countries where this fruit has not been culti- 
 vated, and it is naturally to be fuppofed, that 
 that kind of ftock is the beft, which, after a 
 2 good
 
 [ 16 ] 
 
 good deal of experience, has been moft gene- 
 rally ufed. However, notwithftanding this 
 general rule, it fometimcs happens, that one of 
 the two forts will be lels fubjedt to gum than 
 the other, efpecially in land, which is of a 
 middling ftrength, neither too light nor too 
 ftiff. 
 
 The Peach may alfo be budded upon the 
 apricot, and will lucceed very well, but it is 
 feldom practifed except where there are too 
 many apricot tree*, or if, for want of other 
 flocks, you are defirous to propagate fome 
 particular curious fort of Peach in this man- 
 ner, in order to produce fruit fooner than in 
 the common method. 
 
 In cafe of neceflity the Peach may be bud- 
 ded upon its own flock ; and this is a very good 
 way, when a young tree happens to bear Ibme 
 bad fort of fruit. This mould be done in the 
 month of September, upon thefirft year's (hoot, 
 or at moft upon the fecond ; but to do it with 
 greater certainty, it will be proper, in the 
 month of March, to cut down the trees you 
 would bud, within twelve or fifteen inches of 
 the ground. Scon after this, they will make 
 feveral young moots from the ftem, which 
 you will take care to train, by rubbing off the 
 buds in fuch a manner as to leave only four 
 good fhoots at proper diflances, which will be 
 thrown out very vigorous, and upon thefe you 
 bud with eafe at the end of fummer. They 
 
 generally
 
 [ '7 J 
 
 generally fucceed very well, provided they do 
 not gum ; and to guard againll this, you muft 
 take care not to bud while the fap is up. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Of the Jituaticn and expofure of Peach 'Trees, 
 and the manner of preparing the ground for 
 them. 
 
 'TPHE tender Peaches, generally fpeaking, 
 do not thrive well in an open fituation in 
 every country ; even in our climate, the cut- 
 ting winds, which happen in the ipring, the 
 cold rains, and the white frofts, often deftroy 
 the bloffom, as well as the leaf, and the fruit 
 rarely fets. In the hot countries, the violent 
 heat of the fun deftroys them after they are fet, 
 and they adhere fo weakly to the flalk, that 
 the leall wind blows them down, and leaves 
 very few to ripen , thofe which do efcape are 
 taftelefs, and have neither the juice nor flavour 
 which they have in a more temperate climate. 
 There are fome common forts which grow a- 
 bout Fontainebleau and in all the fouthern 
 provinces, which being of a more hardy na- 
 ture, and of a middling fize, are not fubjecl to 
 thefe accidents, and moll generally refill the 
 injuries of the weather. Thefe grow as well 
 in vineyards as in gardens, without any ma- 
 nagement i but in comparifon with what we 
 C raife
 
 [ i8 ] 
 
 raife here, they hardly deferve the name of 
 Peach. Thefe are not defirable kinds, and 
 therefore I diftinguifh them from thofe hard 
 Peaches which are called Prefies, or in fome 
 provinces, Auberges, or Mirlicotions : This 
 fort fucceeds perfectly in the open air in 
 all the warm countries, and has a much higher 
 flavour than it has here, which is its chief me- 
 rit, for the flefh is very hard and dry - 9 howe- 
 ver, for want of better forts, they are well 
 contented with this, and raife it in great abun- 
 dance -, the cultivation is very eafy, and re- 
 quires no directions. 
 
 But to return to our tender Peaches. It is 
 certain from all experience, that they will not 
 thrive well but againll an efpalier and wall ; 
 and even in this climate, there are but two 
 expofures that fuit them, viz. the fouth and 
 eaft ; neverthelefs I know many people who 
 plant them to the weft, and in fome places 
 they fucceed, though it is not common. I once 
 planted two walls of this afpect of 150 fathoms 
 each, and had the patience to train and ma- 
 nage them during eight years, without receiving 
 any advantage. Weary at length of fuch an 
 unprofitable cultivation, I headed them down 
 ibme years ago, and budded them all with the 
 QueenClaudeplum, which in four years almoft 
 covered my wall, and produced very fine fruit. 
 I mould therefore advife all thofe who are in 
 the fame circumftances to purfue the fame me- 
 thod, if their trees are proper to receive the 
 
 buds j
 
 [ '9 I 
 
 buds ; but thofe who plant young trees fhould 
 never put any upon this afpeft, at lead not in 
 our climate, nor in a foil lo cold as mine ; 
 though, as I faid before, there are places 
 where they will fucceed pretty well in this ex- 
 pofure, efpecially in gardens that are well 
 flickered. In the more fouthern climates, they 
 may thrive even better in this than in either of 
 the others ; but every one muft judge of this 
 according to the country he lives in. 
 
 Another circumftance particularly to be at- 
 tended to, is never to plant thefe forts upon a 
 wall built againft a bank of earth, fuch as the 
 walls of a terrace , for though the trees will 
 bloflbm, the damp communicated to them 
 from the wall, generally kills the flower, 
 which, inftead of letting for fruit, drops off. 
 Befides, thefe fort of walls are commonly full 
 of ants, which deftroy the trees ; and the moi- 
 fture that foaks through, foon wafhes down 
 the mortar from the bricks. 
 
 To conclude : The fituation of your trees 
 being determined, relative to the circumftances 
 I have mentioned, nothing remains but to plant 
 them, a matter that requires equal attention. 
 
 If you make a new plantation, you fhould 
 have trenched up your ground in good weather 
 fix feet from the wall, and three feet, or at leaft 
 two feet and a half deep, if you do not Iboner 
 come to gravel or clay ; but if you find either 
 of them nearer the furface, you muft leave off; 
 for if once you break through the gravel, and 
 C 2 lay
 
 [ 20 ] 
 
 lay good earth in its (lead, you may be certain 
 ot lofing your trees. I am convinced of the 
 truth of this by experience, and the reafon is 
 this : The rain (landing fo long in this kind of 
 refervoir of clay or (lone which you have made, 
 in a few years rots the roots, and they will die 
 as often as you plant them , for the earth itfelf 
 becomes putrid, and no longer retains any 
 virtue : To that you will be obliged to defid 
 irom planting. However, you mull not be dif- 
 couraged, if you meet with thefe kinds of foils ; 
 if there is a foot and half, or two feet of good 
 earth, your trees budded upon the plum (lock 
 will (hoot very fad , efpecially if it is a frefli 
 foil, or has been planted with other forts of 
 fruits : for I mud obferve, that if it has been 
 long planted with Peaches, the falts proper for 
 the nourifhment of thefe trees will be exhaufl- 
 ed, and it feldom happens that a new planta- 
 tion of the fame will thrive. The remedy 
 in this cafe will be, to take away the old earth, 
 and replace it with frefh, if you have any near 
 enough, which mould be made about two feet 
 and half deep, and five or fix wide. If you 
 have none, or that you are obliged to fetch it 
 from a great diflance, at a confiderable ex- 
 pence, you may lay fome rotten dung, and let 
 it be well dug in with a fork, mixing it with 
 the old earth as equally as poffible, fo that 
 there may be an equal quantity from the top to 
 the bottom. The dung (hould alfo be kept 
 at fome diftance from the roots, otherwife it 
 
 may
 
 [ 21 ] 
 
 may heat and canker them. I have often ex- 
 perienced both thefe methods, and they have 
 fucceeded, at leaft for fome time. This kind 
 of preparation puts the trees in a good way for 
 five or fix years, though it is by no means 
 certain that they will continue in it. For in 
 this time the roots being often obliged to ex- 
 tend themfelves into the neighbouring earth, 
 which they find worn out, and exhaufted, the 
 tree makes very weak fhoots, and at length 
 dies. 
 
 The fame practice is to be obferved to re- 
 new an old plantation ; but the bed method 
 to make your foil moft profitable, is to change 
 the forts ; that is, to plant kernelled fruits in 
 the place of ftoned fruits, and the contrary : 
 but fince it rarely happens that you have a 
 great many good afpects, and as thofe you 
 have muft be made ule of for fuch forts of 
 fruit as require them, the directions before laid 
 down mult be purfued. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Of the manner of planting the 'Trees. 
 
 "VTOUR ground being prepared, you will 
 
 trim your trees ; that is, morten and tip 
 
 the roots in fuch a manner, that the part which 
 
 is cut refts upon the ground, and cut off all 
 
 the fibres. A hole is then to be dug, proper 
 
 C 3 to
 
 to receive the roots, and the loofe earth thrown 
 in upon them, which fhould be fettled between 
 them with the fingers. When they are entire- 
 ly covered with earth, you let the tree upright, 
 by clofing the earth gently all round with your 
 foot, taking care that the bud is quire even 
 with the furface of the earth. You fhould 
 chufe a good day for this operation, when the 
 ground is in good order, neither too dry nor 
 too wet i but if this cannot be avoided, you 
 may plant them as I have directed above, 
 only omitting to Head the earth round them, if 
 it is very wetj but, in either cafe, a pail of 
 water may be thrown down, to fettle the 
 ground, and make the trees take root the 
 fooncr. Care fhould be taken before they are 
 watered, to cut them down to fix or eight 
 inches above the bud, and turn the wound next 
 to the wall. When they are headed down, 
 they mould be held very fteady with one hand 
 while they are cut, that the force ufed in cut- 
 ting them may not difturb the root. I fup- 
 polc here, that the ground is foft, and well 
 foaked -, for if it is dry, it will be fufficient to 
 place the foot upon the root, fo that the point 
 of the (hoc may bear lightly upon the bud. 
 The fame precautions are to be obferved with 
 regard to ftandards or half ftandards, if you 
 plant any between the dwarfs , but as thefe are 
 budded at the top of the fierr.s, it is of no 
 coniequence whether they are planted a little 
 deeper or fhallower ; the moil cifential point 
 
 is
 
 [ 23 ] 
 
 is, to range their heads exactly upon the fame 
 level, that is, at the fame diftance from the 
 coping of the wall. 
 
 I muft now give fome directions for the di- 
 ftances at which they are to be planted. 
 
 If your walis are not above fix, feven, or 
 eight feet high, I mould advife the planting 
 none but dwarfs, and thofe at fifteen feet di- 
 ftance from each other, efpecially if your 
 ground is frefh ; for in feven or eight years, if 
 they are well trained, they will cover the wall 
 entirely. 
 
 If your ground is old, and your walls are 
 above nine feet high, fome half ftandards of 
 about four feet may be planted in the fpaces, 
 provided that as the dwarfs fpread, you cut 
 away every year the lower branches of the half 
 ftandards ; and at the end of fix years, or 
 thereabouts, when the dwarfs have reached 
 half way up the wall, you may entirely take 
 the others away, that thefe may have room 
 fufficient to extend themfelves. 
 
 In this laft cafe, that nothing may be loft, 
 you may follow a method I have practifed, 
 which is to flit-graft your half ftandards in the 
 month of March with plums or apricots ; if 
 they are upon plum flocks, they mould be 
 grafted below the old bud, and in the autumn 
 following they may be taken up, and removed 
 to another place. Thefe make good trees 
 planted in a half- flickered fituation, which bear 
 very foon, and having ftronger ftems, refift 
 C 4. the
 
 [ 22 ] 
 
 to receive the roots, and the loofe earth thrown 
 in upon them, which fhould be fettled between 
 them with the fingers. When they are entire- 
 ly covered with earth, you let the tree upright, 
 by clofing the earth gently all round with your 
 foot, taking care that the bud is quite even 
 with the furface of the earth. You fhould 
 chufe a good day for this operation, when the 
 ground is in good order, neither too dry nor 
 too wet i but if this cannot be avoided, you 
 may plant them as I have directed above, 
 only omitting to tiead the earth round them, if 
 it is very weti but, in either cafe, a pail of 
 water may be thrown down, to fettle the 
 ground, and make the trees take root the 
 fooner. Care fhould be taken before they are 
 watered, to cut them down to fix or eight 
 inches above the bud, and turn the wound next 
 to the wall. When they are headed down, 
 they mould be held very fteady with one hand 
 while they are cut, that the force ufed in cut- 
 ting them may not difturb the root. I fup- 
 pole here, that the ground is foft, and well 
 foaked ; for if it is dry, it will be fufficient to 
 place the foot upon the root, fo that the point 
 of the fhoe may bear lightly upon the bud. 
 The fame precautions are to be oblerved with 
 regard to ftandards or half ftandards, if you 
 plant any between the dwarfs ; but as thefe are 
 budded at the top of the fteins, it is of no 
 conlequence whether they are planted a little 
 deeper or fhallower - } the moft tirenrial point 
 
 is,
 
 is, to range their heads exactly upon the fame 
 level, that is, at the fame diftance from the 
 coping of the wall. 
 
 I muft now give fome directions for the di- 
 ftances at which they are to be planted. 
 
 If your walls are not above fix, feven, or 
 eight feet high, I mould advife the planting 
 none but dwarfs, and thofe at fifteen feet di- 
 ftance from each other, efpecially if your 
 ground is frefh ; for in feven or eight years, if 
 they are well trained, they will cover the wall 
 entirely. 
 
 If your ground is old, and your walls are 
 above nine feet high, fome half ftandards of 
 about four feet may be planted in the fpaces, 
 provided that as the dwarfs fpread, you cut 
 away every year the lower branches of the half 
 ftandards ; and at the end of fix years, or 
 thereabouts, when the dwarfs have reached 
 half way up the wall, you may entirely take 
 the others away, that thefe may have room 
 fufficient to extend themfelves. 
 
 In this laft cafe, that nothing may be loft, 
 you may follow a method I have pradlifed, 
 which is to flit-graft your half ftandards in the 
 month of March with plums or apricots ; if 
 they are upon plum flocks, they mould be 
 grafted below the old bud, and in the autumn 
 following they may be taken up, and removed 
 to another place. Thefe make good trees 
 planted in a half-fheltered fituation, which bear 
 very foon, and having ftronger ftems, refift 
 C 4 the
 
 [ 24 ] 
 
 the winds better than any others. I have 
 grafted a great number in this manner, which 
 fucceeded Ib well, that out of eighty which I 
 removed in one year, only one failed. Take 
 them up therefore, and replant them in the 
 manner I advife in the fixteenth chapter. 
 
 If you prefer grapes to half ftandards, you 
 may plant fome cuttings either of the Mufcat, 
 or Cbaffdas, which will produce you fruit for 
 fome years; and when your dwarfs want room, 
 they may be taken up in the fame manner as 
 the half ftandards : But remember to leave at 
 leaft a foot and half fpace between the extre- 
 mities of the dwarfs which were pruned in the 
 winter, and the loweft fhoots of the half ftan- 
 dards, or the ftem of the vine ; for as they 
 will grow away freely, they muft not be in- 
 commoded with the (hade of others ; and be- 
 fides, there muft be fufficient room to lay in 
 the new fhoots. 
 
 If your wall is ten or twelve feet, or more, 
 you will find it neccffary to plant ftandards of 
 fix feet between the dwarfs, otherwife you will 
 be a great while before you can expect to fee 
 the wall covered ; and perhaps it never will be 
 fo entirely, though the diftance is quite fufficitnt 
 for both ot them to grow, without interfering 
 with each other. 
 
 There are now but two things more, ne- 
 reflary for the fuccefs of your trees ; the firft is, 
 that the wall is in good repair , and the fecond, 
 that it is furnifhed with a treillage. 
 
 Firft,
 
 [ 25 ] 
 
 Firft, In order to have the walls in good re- 
 pair, it is neceflary that they be well coated 
 with plaifter * on the fide next the trees, and 
 with good mortar of lime and fand without- 
 fide, if you do not chufe to be at the expence 
 of the former. Particular care mould be taken 
 that they are well coped with plaifter, though 
 in places where this cannot be obtained, mortar 
 mud be made ufe of; but it mould be made 
 very ftrongj that is, two fifths of good lime, 
 newly burnt, to three fifths of fand, with as 
 little water as poffible; for if the mortar is 
 weak, the frofts will make it peal off, the rains 
 foak into it, and run it down, the ftorms fcat- 
 ter it about upon the trees and fruit, which is 
 foiled, and vermin of all forts, particularly the 
 wood and houfe mice, infeft all parts of the 
 wall, and deftroy the fruit about the time of 
 its ripening. Happy are they who have it in 
 their power to build them with brick, as they 
 are in great part of Italy. Thefe walls once 
 built want no repairing, and infects cannot get 
 into them ; inftead of that, our plaifter is but 
 of fhort duration, and requires every ten or 
 twelve years, to be new coped, and fometimes 
 new coated. In the feconcl place, your walls 
 mud be fupplied with a good treillage, which 
 requires a tuil explanation, for they are very 
 little known beyond the neighbourhood of 
 
 * The plaifter fpoken of here, means what we call 
 Planter of Paris, and is more expenfive than com- 
 mon mortar. 
 
 Paris,
 
 [ 26 ] 
 
 Paris, and even there, very few are apprifed of 
 the advantage of them ; befides, the expence 
 appears to be fo exorbitant, that thofe who are 
 inclined to it, do not know how to procure 
 them in the countries diftant from Paris. 
 
 Various methods are employed for obtaining 
 a treillage, all of which are very indifferent ; 
 fome make ufe of large wire, which they 
 ftretch five or fix times along the wall, one 
 above another, and faften it at distances with 
 large nails. Others form this wire into lattice 
 
 c? * 
 
 work, like thofe made of wood. Both thefe 
 methods are equally injurious to the young 
 fhoots of our Peach trees, for the wind work- 
 ing them againft the iron, rubs off the bark, 
 and the gum which comes out foon after, 
 kills a great number of them i befidts, thefe 
 wires are placed fo far apart, that the fhoots 
 cannot be laid at proper diflances, nor tied 
 firm ; and it is even impofiible to difpofe pro- 
 perly fome of the great branches, which lome- 
 times require to be altered, and placed higher 
 or lower, as there is occafion. There are alfo 
 other inconveniences, which I forbear to men- 
 tion. 
 
 The little flicks made ufe of by fome, are 
 no ftronger than the wires , for one blaft of 
 wind fometimes loofens a whole tree, the 
 branches are broken and bruifed on all fides, 
 and the fruit falls offj befides, the adjufting 
 this, will take up as much time as the placing 
 ail the twigs. They are alfo obliged to drive 
 
 in
 
 [ 27] 
 
 in pegs or nails to fatten the flicks upon, which 
 ruins the plaifter of the wall, and makes an in- 
 finite number o holes, which become fo many 
 harbours for all infects, and the walls wane 
 continual repairs ; fo that this is at all events 
 a poor expedient. 
 
 Others in building their walls, introduce 
 bones of fheep, at about fix inches diftance 
 from each other, which project about three 
 or four inches from the wall, and ferve to tie 
 their trees to , but in my opinion, this makes 
 a mod difagreeable appearance, and the con- 
 fequence of it is, that you are frequently o- 
 bliged to croud feveral fhoots cloie together, 
 which makes the tree lay very irregular. 
 
 The little pieces of wood ftuck full of nails, 
 which the people in and about Montreuil make 
 ufe of, are, in all refpecls, !efs dangerous ; and 
 I confefs, that upon thefe the moots may be 
 placed with fufficient ftrength and propriety , 
 perhaps too, they may have fome reafon to 
 think, that the fruit which grows clofe to the 
 wall, ripens fomewhat fooner, by means of the 
 fun's reflection, than when there is a treillage 
 behind it j but at the fame time, the driving 
 of three or four hundred nails in the extent of 
 a tree, when full grown, nd the putting fo 
 many bands round each (hoot, to keep them in 
 their places, is a work that requires great time 
 and pains j and by the obfervations and com- 
 parifons I have made of each merhod, even 
 thofe who are moil expert at it, cannot in two 
 
 hours
 
 [ 28 ] 
 
 hours and a half do Ib much work, as may be 
 done upon a treillage in an hour at mod. 
 This difference in the time is a very confider- 
 able objedt, not to mention the expence of 
 nails and wood, a great part of which muft be 
 renewed every year ; in fhort, what is pradtifed 
 at Montreuil, may not be done fo eafily elfe- 
 \vhere. Thefe people have their plaifter at 
 their doors, and it does not colt them above 
 * 4 livres the f load, while in all other places, 
 they pay 8, 10, 12, and even 15 livres. 
 Again, their earth is full of fmall ftones, which 
 they pick up themfelves, and mix with the 
 rubbilh from their old walls. Thefe arc the 
 materials they ufe, and the expence is trifling. 
 The walls fo built, being full of joints, and 
 coated with plaifter of a good inch thick, eafily 
 receive the nuls in every part ; but in the or- 
 dinary walls, which are built with hard (lone 
 and mortar, and often with earth, or at beft 
 only new-coated with plaifter and rough pieces 
 of ftone, the nails meet with nothing but ftone, 
 which they cannot take hold of, and the mortar 
 is too foft to hold them faft. This method 
 therefore of laying trees becomes impracticable, 
 and I know of no good one but the treiilage, 
 without which, I affirm, that a tree cannot be 
 welJ trained. Experience will convince every 
 
 * 4 livres is 3 j . 6 </. ftirling. 
 f 1 he muid is nearly thirty-three bufhcls Englifh. 
 8 livres is 7 s. 10 livres, 8 /. 9 i </. 12 livres, 
 10 j. 6/. 15 livres is 13 j. i f< ftirling. 
 
 one
 
 one of the truth of this, better than all I can 
 fay upon the lubjecl:, and it is by this alone, 
 that the great utility of it can be known as 
 well for training the tree properly, and keep- 
 ing it always full without confufion, as for the 
 expedition of working in the time of laying in 
 the fhoots, and for the prefervation of the 
 fruit. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 A defcriplion of a 'Treillage, and the manner of 
 making it. 
 
 great utility of the treillage is ac- 
 knowledged by every one, but the expence 
 is thought fo great, that many cannot afford it ; 
 I pity thofe who upon this account are de- 
 prived of it, but I allure them, whatever means 
 they ufe to fupply its place, they will never fee 
 their walls regularly furnifhed, nor their fruit, 
 generally fpeaking, in perfection : they muft 
 therefore confine themfelves to fewer trees; 20 
 fathoms in a ftouriming condition, will give 
 them more pleaiure as well as more profit, than 
 three times that quantity ill managed; and this 
 is all the advice I can give them. But that I 
 may be of fervice to every body, I fhall lay 
 down fome rules of ceconomy upon this head. 
 
 To this end then, a perfon who lays out 
 ground, and who always has a profit upon the 
 workmen employed, and thofe great treillage 
 
 makers
 
 [ 30 ] 
 
 makers who are always well payed for their 
 reputation, are not proper to be employed upon 
 fuch an occafion ; tor the making our treillage 
 does not require fo much ingenuity as the 
 planting an arbour, in which, beauty only is 
 expected. It is indeed a very fmiple operation, 
 fo that a pcrfon who has the lealt knowledge 
 of it, may learn the method in twenty-four 
 hours, as well as if he had practifed it all his 
 life-time -, and near Paris, there is fcarcc one 
 in twenty to be found who is not capable of 
 performing ir. 
 
 The bundles of wood fit for immediate ufe, 
 which the merchants of Paris generally fell for 
 *40 fo!s or more, are fold for about -j- 25 or 
 J 30 in the foreft where they are cut out, or 
 by the merchants in the country who make 
 them. Thefe bundles contain twenty-five 
 poles, which they call rods, of nine ft:et long, 
 and the fhorter thefe rods are, the greater num- 
 ber you have in proportion ; for in a bundle, 
 there fhould always be twohundredand twenty- 
 five feet : this is the rule ; but there is a double 
 advantage in having all the rods of nine feet 
 length, as well upon account of putting them 
 together, which takes up fix inches, as for the 
 greater ftrength of the work ; but this depends 
 upon the will of the merchant, who is not al- 
 ways very eafy to deal with. You fhould take 
 
 ' Two livres, or i /. 9 d, ftirling. 
 f I /. i d. half farthing. 
 \ i s. 5 I a\ llirling. 
 
 I care
 
 [ 3' 3 
 
 care that the wood has no Tap, which makes it 
 very brittle, and there is a good deal of lofs in 
 fhaving it. The fap is known by its colour, 
 which is yellowifh j but young poles are the 
 beft for this ufe, that are (trait, without 
 knots, or at leaft few, and the fap of thefc 
 is white. 
 
 A bundle of rods makes very near two fa- 
 thoms fquare of work, allowing the lattice 
 eight inches by feven, which it ought to be ; 
 fo that half a bundle makes a fathom, ,. /- , 
 which, at the price mentioned above, 
 
 is worth . o 15 
 
 A fathom requires four hooks, which 
 
 fell at 5 or 6 fols per dozen 02 
 
 For wire, at 10 fols per Ib. o 2 
 
 For the making each fathom o 5 
 
 For painting the treillage twice in oil, 
 
 of the colour of the wood o 10 
 
 i 14* 
 
 Thofe who chufe to paint it green, muft 
 reckon that article treble -, but that is of no 
 fervice to the trees, which is the point we 
 have in view. 
 
 This expence ought not, in my opinion, to 
 be thought fo extravagant, as to prevent any 
 one from making a treillage ; fmce from the 
 above computation, it follows, that it would 
 
 * I s. 5 d. ftirling. 
 
 coft
 
 [ 3* 1 
 
 coft but * 25 piftoles to make one of an hun- 
 dred fathoms long, and nine feet high ; it will 
 be allowed however, that gardens become every 
 day lefs expenfive. 
 
 Jt is proper now to give a defcription of the 
 treillage, for the fake of thofe who have not 
 feen it, that they may be able, wherever they 
 are fituated, to make one properly. 
 
 The wood I have been fpeaking of, mould 
 be cut out of young chefiiut poles, of ten or 
 twelve years growth , if thefe are not to be 
 procured, they may be made of heart of oak, 
 v/hich is as good ; but the former works more 
 freely, and is commonly to be procured every 
 where. You chufe in the wood, the longed 
 and ftraiteft poles, and thofe that are not 
 barked by deer or other cattle, which in fome 
 places, do them great damage. The larger!: 
 poles are beft, becaufe they may be cut into 
 two or four, if there mould be occafion. 
 Each rod, when planed and fquared, fliould be 
 an inch, or fourteen lines T broad, by nine or 
 ten thick, and it is the workman's bufinels to 
 mark off the thicknefs of the rod before he 
 planes it. 
 
 Notwithstanding all the care that may be 
 taken in chufing the ftraighteft poles, it lome- 
 times happens, that in fuch a length there will 
 be fome crooks j but this is corrected by a fe- 
 cond operation, when the wood is cut our, 
 
 * 20 / fUrling. 
 
 f About an inch and one eighth. 
 
 which
 
 [ 33 ] 
 
 which they call framing the treillage. The 
 workman holds the pole in his left hand, reft- 
 ing it upon a block, and with a bill makes a 
 notch obliquely under the crook ; he then leans 
 his hand carefully at fome diltance from the 
 notch, while the pole is held a little above, by 
 an iron hook, fixed in a treflel, and ftraitens 
 it , and as many crooks as there are in the 
 pole, fo many notches muft be made, till the 
 whole is made ftrait, and looks well to the 
 eye. 
 
 The wood being thus prepared, the next 
 thing is to put it together, and the method is 
 this. They meafure firfl how many horizontal 
 laths the wall will require, for making the lat- 
 tice work, which I fuppoie will be about nine 
 inches by eight, including the thicknefs of the 
 wood. From hence then it follows, that a wall 
 of nine feet high will require twelve , for 9 
 multiplied by 12, is 108 ; which is the height 
 of the wall in inches. 
 
 They mark off thefe fpaces upon the wall 
 with chalk, in lengths of about eight fathoms. 
 When this is done, they drive into the wall 
 two iron pins from one fpace to the other, upon 
 the lines where the hooks are to be placed, 
 and ftretch a firing from one pin to the other, 
 to take the exact level for the hooks. 
 
 To explain this clearer, I will fuppofe three 
 
 rows of hooks are required to hold the treillage 
 
 faft-, the firft, at the top lattice but one ; the 
 
 fecond, at the bottom lattice but one; and the 
 
 D thirdj
 
 [ 34] 
 
 third, in the middle between thefe two; that 
 is, about the fixth or leventh. This done, thefe 
 holdfafts are fixed checquer-wife, three feet 
 every way, with plaifter and Ibme pieces of tile ; 
 but the mortar, though very good, will be of 
 no ufe, unlefs it is quite dry before the work 
 is begun. In cafe of urgent necefiity, or if 
 you have no plaifter, large pegs of hard wood 
 may be made ufe of, which are driven very 
 tight in the joints between the ftones, and in 
 thefe pegs the holdfafts are driven, which muft 
 for this purpofe be made four or five inches 
 Jong in the fhank ; whereas thofe fixed with 
 plaifter mould be fix or feven inches, and di- 
 vided at the end fomething like a fwallow's 
 tail, tofaften them better in the wall. What- 
 ever way they are ufed, they mould be turned 
 up about an inch at the end, in order to hold 
 faft the rods. I have given this explana- 
 tion only for thofe who are entirely unac- 
 quainted with this method. 
 
 The holdfafts mould project from the plane 
 of the wall about an inch, to receive the rods 
 which fit into them, and which, in order to 
 ftrengthen them, are faftened in with a piece 
 of wire ; they mould alfo be flat, and about a 
 * line and half thick, by four or five broad. 
 Thofe that are defigned to be fixed in wood, 
 may either be round or fquarc, about the fize 
 
 " Not quite the eighth of an inch. 
 
 Of
 
 I 35 ] 
 
 of a large nail, but the bend or hook mult be 
 flat. 
 
 The holdfafts being fixed all along the wall, 
 the three rows of rods are then laid upon them, 
 (I ufe the terms, laths, rods, and treillage, in- 
 differently, as they are the fame thing). A 
 third operation which the rods demand, mult 
 not be omitted, which is to chop them off to 
 nothing, at about fix inches from each end ; fo 
 as the more eafily to fplice them together with 
 pieces of wire. 
 
 When thefe three rows of lattice are fixed, 
 the mod difficult part of the work is done. 
 The divifions for the flandards fhould now be 
 fet out, which muft be about eight inches 
 apart, including the thicknefs of the wood. 
 Thefe divifions are marked wich chalk, as be- 
 fore, upon the higheft and loweft row of lat- 
 tice, observing to level them by a line, that 
 they may all be quite upright and even, which 
 fhould be done at firft, 
 
 In order to place the remainder of the ho- 
 rizontal laths behind the flandards with more 
 convenience, they fet up only two ftandards 
 about fix feet apart, to which the nine laths are 
 faftened with wire, being the remaining ones 
 of the twelve which I have faid are to be fixed. 
 When they are all placed and faftened, the 
 reft of the ftandards are fixed, and the whole is 
 made faft with wire. 
 
 I believe no one can now be ignorant of the 
 
 manner of making a treillage : I {hall only 
 
 D 2 add.
 
 r 36] 
 
 add, that the wire fhould be made very faft 
 with pincers, which you hold in your right 
 hand, while with the left you twift the wire, 
 keeping it always rolled up in a hall, ancf 
 when you have turned it three or four times 
 round the laths, you cut it off with the pin- 
 cers. 
 
 It is to be obferved as to the wire, that the 
 finer it is, the quicker and better the work is 
 done, provided it is ftrong enough to bear 
 working. It fhould for this purpofc be pro- 
 perly nealed in a fire, neither too little or too 
 much ; for when ic is done too much, it 
 breaks, by holding in the pincers : It fhould 
 remain in the fire a full quarter of an hour. 
 
 But to return to the treillage; I muft not 
 forget to obferve, that whether the walls are 
 built upon level ground, or upon a (lope, the 
 ftandards muft be exactly upright, and the 
 laths fixed as I have before mentioned. If they 
 are upon a dope, the fixing them upright de- 1 
 pends upon making the lines for the holdfafts 
 nearer each other ; fo that the laths may fol- 
 low regularly the inclination of the wall. If it 
 happens, that one part of a wall is built upon 
 higher ground than another, fo that twelve 
 laths are required at one end, and ten only at 
 the other, the plan of the lattice fhould not be 
 altered at the top of the wall, but rather let 
 the laths be irregular at the bottom. 
 
 The treillage being finifhed, there remains 
 
 nothing more but to paint it ; and as it is ge- 
 
 5 nerally
 
 [ 37 3 
 
 nerally painted all over, I fhall only obferve, 
 that fine weather fhould be chofen for this pur- 
 pofe, and that you fhould not be fparing of 
 white lead or turpentine, which dries fail -, for 
 if the rain comes upon it before it is dry, it 
 will make it peal ofr. 
 
 By adhering ftrictly to thefe directions, eyery^ 
 one, in all countries, with a moderate degree 
 of knowledge, will be able to have the plea- 
 fure of furnifhing his walls with a treillage ; 
 for without that (I repeat it again) he can 
 never hope to have any fatisfaction in his trees ; 
 fo far from it, that very few gardeners are ca- 
 pable of making up by their induftry, the 
 want of this advantage. 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Of Pruning. 
 
 T is the general cuftom to prune Peach trees 
 when they are in blofibm, though feme 
 wait till the flower is dropt, and the fruit fet, 
 upon a fuppofition that what is left will be 
 more certain of coming to perfection. But 
 this laft method is fubject to many inconve- 
 niences. Suppofing your tree is in bioiTom 
 when you begin to prune, it is impofTible, not- 
 withftanding your utmoft care, to avoid rub- 
 bing off a great number of the flowers ; and 
 if you defer it longer, it will be ilill more 
 D 3 inju-
 
 [ 38 ] 
 
 injurious. The fap which fhould have nou- 
 rifhed the bottom part of the fhoots, (if they 
 had been fhortened at a proper time) will be 
 all carried to the extremities, and it is there 
 only the fruit will fet j the confequence of 
 which is, that in order to have any fruit, you 
 muft leave your fhoots of an exceffive length, 
 which ruins the tree ; or you muft give up the 
 fruit, to prefcrve the tree ; a cruel alternative ! 
 In the h'rft inftance, if the trees are only in 
 bloflbm, it requires great care to faften them 
 to the treillage after they are cut; you injure 
 the flower, and employ a great deal more 
 time than if you had pruned them fooner. 
 
 Moreover, the buds, which begin to (hoot 
 at the fame time the flower opens, in a great 
 meafure hide your work, and you can no 
 longer diftinguifh it clearly , befides that fo 
 many fhortened branches produce a great num- 
 ber of flumps, which will be to cut out the 
 next year i the quantity of blofibms too will 
 prevent you from placing the bands fo proper- 
 ly, or laying in the fhoots fo faft, as you 
 might otherwife do -, you cannot fee the de- 
 fects of the wood, or the old flumps that want 
 taking out ; and, in fhort, you muft work by 
 
 I experienced all thefe inconveniences the 
 few firft years I worked alone, by following 
 the general rule : but afterwards, upon trying 
 what effect an earlier pruning would have upon 
 forne trees, the fear I had, according to the 
 
 vulgar
 
 C 39 ] 
 
 vulgar opinion, of their being too forward, 
 and that the fpring frofts would deftroy the 
 blofibm, foon vanilhed. The trees I pruned 
 at the end of January, and in February, were 
 not forwarder than thofe 1 pruned in April ; 
 nor had the blofibm or wood fuffered any in- 
 jury. I continued in the fame manner to prune 
 a greater number the next year, and with the 
 fame fuccefe. In fhort, the third year I pruned 
 all my trees in the fame month, and have pur- 
 fued that method many years fince with entire 
 fatisfaction. I therefore advife every body to 
 follow my example, notwithftanding the com- 
 mon prejudice againft novelties ; for it will 
 ibon appear, that the work is done quicker, 
 and in all refpecls better ; you fee clearer at 
 lead what you do, and the good buds are eaft- 
 ly diftinguifhed in this month from the bad ; 
 for the fap will have begun to fwell the good 
 ones, if the winter has not been too long and 
 fevere ; but if that has been the cafe, it muft 
 be deferred a little longer. What I obferve of 
 diftinguiihing the good buds from the bad, is 
 of great confequence j and to enable you to do 
 it, the fap mult have rifen ; that is, they muft 
 be fwelled in fome degree. It will no doubt be 
 objected, that in January and February the 
 winter is not yet paft, that fuch buds may 
 then be good, and afterwards die ; and in that 
 cafe there would be no refource left, of laying 
 in (hoots for bearing. I grant this fact ; but I 
 anfwer, that if the (harp winds blaft the flower 
 D 4 in
 
 [ 40 ] 
 
 in March cr April, thofe trees that are not 
 pruned, are equally liable to the fame acci- 
 dent : Befides, there are four times as many 
 blofibms left, as can pofllbly let , and if they 
 all fuccceded, I might allow three quarters of 
 them to drop off, without fuftaining any real 
 lofs , fo that I do not run any great hazard ; 
 and if I did, I have found fo much greater ad- 
 vantage from my own method, that I fhould 
 overlook it. To what end then is fuch a quan- 
 tity of fruit to let, fince, in May or June, all 
 that exceeds the proper burden of the tree is to 
 be pulled off? In fhort, the lad, though by 
 fio means the leaft, advantage is, that when the 
 fruit is fairly let, it grows much fafter, than 
 when the trees are pruned in full blofibni , and 
 the reafon is plain -, the fap having been Ids 
 divided, becaufe i't has not had fuch a number 
 of (hoots to nourifh, is carried in greater abun- 
 dance to thofe that are left. 1 have experienced 
 the truth of this, and have never fullered 
 the lea It inconvenience fince I followed this 
 practice. I have always had a great quantity 
 of fruit, except in the year 1741, which was 
 generally fatal to all fruit. Such a continued 
 experience ought to be convincing againft the 
 theory of all thofe who are attached to their 
 opinions, and prejudiced againft all methods 
 of which they are ignorant. 
 
 I ought not to omit one caution, which is 
 of more importance than may at firft appear ; 
 that is, never to begin to prune a tree, with- 
 out
 
 out firft untying all the branches ; for then 
 you are not To liable to break off the fhoots, 
 and you can the more eafily clear the tree of all 
 dead leaves, old ofiers, fcfc. and deftroy the 
 harbours of infects, which will devour your 
 fruit, particularly the Violet Peaches, which 
 the flugs and fnails are very fond of. 
 
 I now proceed to the method of pruning. In 
 this you muft confider the ftate of the tree, 
 whether it be young or old, healthy or un- 
 healthy , the progrefs it has made will point 
 put to you what is neceflary to be done ; and 
 in fhort, you muft treat it in proportion to its 
 ftrength and condition. 
 
 To begin with the operation of the firft 
 year : If you find the tree has made only weak 
 moots, you muft reduce them to two or four, 
 well placed on each fide, and of equal ftrength, 
 which muft be fhortened to five or fix inches ; 
 if there is a fmall one in the middle that will 
 bear fruit, you may leave it ; but if it is as 
 ftrong as thofe on the fides, cut it clean out ; 
 for as the middle will always furnifh itfelf fuf- 
 ficiently, you mould attend wholly to the fides. 
 The future fuccefs of the tree depends entire- 
 ly upon the form that is given to it for the two 
 firft years. 
 
 If it has made two ftrong and vigorous 
 moots well-placed, one on the right, and the 
 other on the left, preferve them, and cut them 
 down to eight or ten inches. You may alfo 
 leave here and there a fmall one for bearing. 
 
 ' It
 
 [44] 
 
 Thus much For the firil year's management; 
 let us now confidcr it from the fecond to the 
 fixth. I have already fpoken of the method of 
 treating luch trees, as are inclined to fling out 
 too much wood, and which require a good 
 deal to be left, in order to check their luxuri- 
 ancy, and force them to bear. Thofe that 
 make but weak moots muft be treated accor- 
 ding to their particular circumftances ; but a- 
 bove all things obferve to keep the middle 
 fhort, and not to leave more wood on one fide, 
 than on the other. It very often happens, 
 that one of the two moots left on the fides is 
 ftronger than the other ; you muft not there- 
 fore be enticed by the hopes or profpect of 
 fruit , but cut every thing clean out, that ex- 
 s the ftrength of the other, and leave all 
 the moots equally ftfong. 
 
 One fundamental rule to be obferved, is, 
 that your v/hole tree mould depend upon two 
 or four good branches, of equal ftrength, 
 which ought to produce all the reft. Thefe 
 you muft take particular care to lay at equal 
 diftances from each other, and leave them as 
 long as they will admit of; you may leave 
 them twelve or fixteen inches when they are 
 ftrong enough. 
 
 The middle-fized moots muft be left in pro- 
 portion to the vigour of the tree, about fix or 
 eight inches, according to the fpace there is 
 to fill up, and the diftance from the bottom of 
 the moot to the fruit-buds, which is often pret- 
 ty
 
 t 45 1 
 
 ty long, efpecially in fome forts of peaches ; 
 and as the fruit is our chief object, rules may 
 be fometimes difpenfed with, and the (hoots 
 left a little longer. It muft be obfcrved that 
 the good fruit-buds are always double, and 
 have a leaf-bud between them ; thofe that are 
 lingle, though they have a leaf-bud, and blow- 
 pretty well, do not fet for fruit, at leaft but 
 feldom. 
 
 Take care that you are not fo covetous of 
 Fruit as to overload the tree with wood, which 
 immediately throws it into confufion, and ruins 
 the middle and bottom. Thofe old fcumps 
 and the weak moots, which moft gardeners 
 value for bearing, muft be cut out, if you 
 have enough that are better, I mean of the 
 middle-fizedones, for by a moot of fome fub- 
 ilance, the fruit will undoubtedly be better 
 nourilhed, and not be fo liable to fall off, (not- 
 withftanding the common opinion, that the 
 weak ones retain it better;) of which every 
 one will be convinced, if they attend to it. It 
 is only therefore for wan: ct better, that you 
 muft preferve any ofthefe weak Hiootsj never- 
 thelefs there are (bine exceptions. 
 
 Firft, if your tree is too vigorous, and re- 
 quires a great burden of fruit to check it, you 
 muft leave a good many of thcfe fmall moots; 
 Secondly, if your middle-fized moots have no 
 fruit- buds below the place where they fhould 
 be fliortened, and you are defirous of having 
 fruit, you muft leave fome of thofe that are 
 
 fhorteft
 
 [44] 
 
 Thus much for the fir I! year's management; 
 let us now confider it from the fecond to the 
 li.xth. I have already fpoken of the method of 
 treacing fuch trees, as are inclined to fling out 
 too much wood, and which require a good 
 deal to be left, in order to check their luxuri- 
 ancy, and force them to bear. Thofe that 
 make but weak (hoots rauft be treated accor- 
 ding to their particular circumftances ; but a- 
 bove all things obferve to keep the middle 
 Jhort, and not to leave more wood on one fide, 
 than on the other. It very often happens, 
 that one of the two moots left on the fides is 
 flronger than the other ; you mud not there- 
 fore be enticed by the hopes or profpect of 
 fruit ; but cut every thing clean out, that ex- 
 ceeds the flrength of the other, and leave all 
 the moots equally ftrong. 
 
 One fundamental rule to be obferved, is, 
 that your whole tree mould depend upon two 
 or four good branches, of equal ftrength, 
 which ought to produce all the reft. Thefe 
 you mud take particular care to lay at equal 
 diftances from each other, and leave them as 
 long as they will admit of; you may leave 
 them twelve or fixteen inches when they are 
 ftrong enough. 
 
 The middle-fized (hoots muft be left in pro- 
 portion to the vigour of the tree, about fix or 
 eight inches, according to the fpace there is 
 to (ill up, and the difbnce from the bottom of 
 the (hoot to the fruit-buds, which is often pret- 
 ty
 
 t 45 1 
 
 ty long, efpecially in Tome forts of peaches ; 
 and as the fruit is our chief object, rules may 
 be fometimes difpenfed with, and the fhoots 
 left a little longer. It muft be obfcrved thac 
 the good fruit-buds are always double, and 
 have a leaf-bud between them ; thofe that are 
 fingie, though they have a leaf-bud, and blow- 
 pretty well, do not fet for fruit, at lealt but 
 feldom. 
 
 Take care that you are not fo covetous of 
 Fruit as to overload the tree with wood, which 
 immediately throws it into confufion, and ruins 
 the middle and bottom. Thofe old fcumps 
 and the weak moots, which mod gardeners 
 value for bearing, muft be cut out, if you 
 have enough that are better, I mean of the 
 middle-fized one?, for by a moot of fome fub- 
 flance, the fruit will undoubtedly be better 
 nourished, and not be fo liable to fall off, (not- 
 withftanding the common opinion, that the 
 weak ones retain it better;) of which every 
 one will be convinced, if they attend to it. It 
 is only therefore for wan: ot better, thai: you 
 muft preferve any of thefe weak fhootsj never- 
 thelefs there are fome exceptions. 
 
 Firft, if your tree is too vigorous, and re- 
 quires a great burden of fruit to check it, you 
 muft leave a good many of thtrfe fmall (hoots. 
 Secondly, if your middie-fized moots have no 
 fruit- buds below the place where they fhould 
 be fliortened, and you are defirous of having 
 fruit, you muft leave fome of thofe that are 
 
 fhorteft
 
 [46] 
 
 Ihorteft and bed difpofed, for that purpofcr. 1 
 do not comprehend under the name of weak 
 {hoots, thofe fhort ones of one or two inches 
 long, which have generally a duller of fruit- 
 buds upon them. Thefe are very valuable and 
 always produce the beft fruit, and for that rea- 
 fon, I never take them out. 
 
 The ufe I fometimes make of thefe weak 
 Jhoots, is to cut them down to the firft eye, 
 to furnim wood where a vacancy is likely ta 
 happen -, one of thefe weak (hoots, fo pruned, 
 may produce a better for the next year ; if it 
 is not wanted then, you may cut it down a fe- 
 cond time, in the fame manner, till it is. Thefe 
 kinds of moots mould be carefully attended to, 
 as they are very necefiary, in order to keep the 
 tree full, and to fupply the place of the moot* 
 that are exhaufted with bearing , and this me- 
 thod muft be obferved, as well in the middle- 
 fized moots, as in the weak ones I here fpeak 
 of. 
 
 If your tree makes but weak moots, you 
 muft examine whether the difeafe is in the root j 
 if it is, pull it up ; if not, preferve it and lay 
 fome rotten dung to it, as I have directed in 
 the eighteenth chapter. Dung often renews 
 thefe fort of trees, but as they decline, they 
 muft be pruned very fhort, even upon the beft 
 Ihoots. 
 
 This is my method of managing Peach 
 trees for the firft few years, but I muft not 
 omit to mention, that it requires great care and 
 
 attention
 
 t 47 ] 
 
 attention to lay and fallen them properly to the 
 treillage after pruning. 
 
 Firfl, As they are naturally inclined to run 
 up in height, you fhould be particularly watch- 
 ful to keep the bottom well furniihed with 
 bearing wood ; and there are two methods of 
 performing this, one by pruning them we]], 
 upon which I have fufficiently enlarged j the 
 other, by bringing the moots well down to the 
 fides, and laying them flrait, and at equal 
 diftances ; you muft be attentive too, that the 
 fhoots do not take a bad direction , but if they 
 have, it muft be remedied by feparating thofe 
 that grow together, as well as thofe that are 
 crofled and crooked. This is effected by the 
 help of ofiers and little flicks, which bring 
 them flrait. In fhort, it is your own dexterity 
 alone that muft direct you in thefe little ope- 
 rations. But to proceed 
 
 Second, Another circumftance to be attended 
 to in laying in the moots, is, that the bud at 
 the end of the moot be fo turned, that it may 
 take its direction along the front of the treillage, 
 and not behind it. This is eafily feen, and 
 if it gets behind, it may be brought back 
 again, and fupported by a little flick, or tied 
 to the treillage, if there is occafion. 
 
 I mall add to thefe obfervations, that the 
 bands mould not be tied too tight, which often 
 cut the moots as they fwell, nor mould they 
 be placed under the buds in tying them ; a 
 little dexterity will prevent thefe defects, which, 
 
 though
 
 Us ] 
 
 though they are not of very great confequence, 
 are neverthelefs attended with inconvenience. 
 
 It often happens that fome of the fhortened 
 ihoots cannot reach the treillage ; in which 
 cafe, little flicks muft be wove in between it, 
 An ofier twig is tied to the end of the (hoot 
 in a flip knot, and the other end being fattened 
 to the treillage, thus confines the fhoot ; this 
 is more necefiary it there fhould be any fruit 
 upon it, which would weigh it down, unlefs 
 it is fupported. 
 
 Thefe laft obfervations regard Peach trees of 
 all ages: let us now return to the pruning. I 
 have remarked all that is neceflary for trees in 
 their firft ftate, and fhall now fpeak of thofe of 
 the fecond and third. I fuppole a Peach tree 
 to be in its fecond ftate, when it is in full vi- 
 gour and perfection ; and in the third, when it 
 begins a little to decline. Thefe cannot be 
 too much cherifhed, they fhould be pruned 
 very fhort, and upon the beft fhoots only ; the 
 weak ones fhould not be preferved at all, be- 
 caufe in an old tree they produce but very 
 fickly fruit. 
 
 If by chance any of your old trees fhould 
 have put out a pretty, ftrong fhoot from the 
 bottom, you muft preferve it carefully, to fuc- 
 ceed the old branches, which are cut away by 
 degrees -, but if it comes out of an old branch, 
 cut it clean cut. I have nothing more to fay 
 of thefe old trees ; except that you ought to 
 be very careful of them, fo long as ? in fpite of 
 
 old
 
 [ 49 1 
 
 old age, they continue to bear good fruit ; but 
 the moment they fail in that, they fhould 
 be pulled up. 
 
 As trees of the fecond flate, that are in 
 full vigour and bearing, are what our pro- 
 fit depends upon, they demand a more par- 
 ticular regard. 
 
 The generality of gardeners, who work 
 
 without principles or judgment, and without 
 
 troubling themfelves about confequences, are 
 
 very foon ruined by their bad conduct. This 
 
 it is that gives rife to the general notion, that 
 
 a Peach tree never lives above twelve or fifteen 
 
 years , but this is a grofs miftake, for I have 
 
 myfelf fome that are above forty years old, 
 
 and flill thrive pretty well. I had not the 
 
 training them for the firil twenty years, but 
 
 they had been well managed, and fince they 
 
 fell into my hands, I have taken fuch pains 
 
 with them, that they flill bear very fine and 
 
 good fruit. I have a great number more that 
 
 I planted fifteen or eighteen years fince, which 
 
 are indeed very beautiful, and which 1 flill 
 
 look upon to be in their infant flate-, fo that if 
 
 I had a profpect of living thirty years longer, 
 
 and managing them myfelf, I am clear they 
 
 would endure fo long. To be convinced of 
 
 this, you need only vifit the plantations at 
 
 Montreuil, where you will fee trees of the age 
 
 I mention in the gardens of fome, who no 
 
 doubt have managed them better than they 
 
 do even here in general; where they force 
 
 them
 
 them to bear, without troubling themfelves 
 about their duration, becaule the occupiers ofr 
 the ground are obliged to make the moft of it, 
 I have feen a plantation of eight fathoms in 
 Jength, which were all equally healthy and 
 vigorous throughout, and which I judged to 
 be about fifty years old. This opinion there- 
 fore of their not lafting long mull be given 
 up, for it is owing only to bad management, 
 that they do not live as long as any other fruit 
 trees. I fuppofe, when 1 fay this, that they are 
 planted in a good foil, and that no particular 
 accidents happen to them ; for if the foil is 
 bad, if they are tainted with gum, or if the 
 bugs or ants attack them violently, they will 
 die in fpite of all the care and pains you can 
 pofllbly beltow upon them. I have this ad- 
 vantage among many others, of being exempt 
 from all thefe evils, which are not to be looked 
 upon as peculiar to this fort of fruit, and 
 therefore all means mould be ufed to continue 
 them in health. 
 
 The duration of a tree depends chiefly upon 
 good pruning, and the whole art of this con- 
 iiils in keeping it well filled with bearing wood 
 in every part equally, and not leaving too 
 much. This at firft fight appears eafy, but it 
 has its difficulties -, fuch as the proper choice 
 of moots, the progrefs the tree has made, the 
 fituation of the fruit-buds, the fort of fruit, and 
 many other circumftances, for which forne 
 rules may be laid down ; but there are par- 
 ticular
 
 [51 ] 
 
 ticular inftances which cannot be judged of 
 but upon the fpot, and depend chiefly upon 
 practice. 
 
 Every one has a method of his own, and 
 prunes according to his own ideas. Some 
 fhorten all the fhoots, while others leave thofe 
 longer that are defigned to bear fruit, and de- 
 pend upon fpurs for fupplying wood for the 
 next year. My method is quite different, 
 and after a great deal of ftudy and obfervation, 
 I itill adhere to it as much the beft. 
 
 I will fuppofe that the tree I am to prune, 
 has been trained while it was young nearly 
 upon my principles, and that it is regularly 
 and well filled with wood ; for if it is defective 
 in any particular part, it muft be treated ac- 
 cording to the circumftances it is in. 
 
 When I find a tree in good order, I firft 
 loofen it from the treillage, and then look for 
 all the branches that are worn out, which it is 
 eafy to diftinguifh by their weaknefs and the 
 bad moots they have made. I cut thefe down 
 to the great branch from whence they proceed, 
 unlefs they have put out fome good fhoor, 
 above which I fhorten it, if there is no other 
 near to fupply its place. From thefe I pafs to 
 the moots of the year, and cut out all the 
 rank ones, that is, fuch as exceed the middling 
 fize. I cut out alfo all the weak moots, un- 
 lefs it be neceflary to keep fome one to fupply 
 a vacant place, or as a refource for the next 
 year ; in which cafe I fhorten it nearly to the 
 E 2 thicknefi
 
 C 5* ] 
 
 thicknefs of a * crown-piece, as I before ob- 
 ferved ; except always the little clufters men- 
 tioned above. 
 Having thinned the tree in this manner, there 
 
 O 
 
 is nothing left but fiioots of equal ftrength, and 
 I fee my work clear. I have now nothing to 
 do but to leave a proper quantity of wood, 
 for which the following is the rule. I leave 
 but one of all thole which have pulhed out 
 from the moot I fhortened laft winter, and 
 that the lowed, which will be a good one, by 
 means of the fummer pruning. If that has 
 been neglected, the beft of the loweft muft be 
 chofen. After this fecond reform, I proceed 
 to the third, which is to fhorten the moots. 
 I examine firft whether my tree was loaded the 
 laft fommer, and what fort of fruit it is; ac- 
 cordingly I leave the moots longer or fhorter. 
 If, for inftance, it is a Magdalen or Violet, 
 as thefe trees are always more vigorous than 
 the other forts, I leave a little more bearing 
 wood , but if it is a different fort, and has not 
 been too much loaded, I leave the moots eight 
 inches, if I have room ; if I am ftraitened, and 
 have nothing below to fupply the place of the 
 worn-out moots, I cut them very fhort, leaving 
 them only three or four inches ; I generally 
 leave one half of the fhoots long, and the other 
 half mort, by which means I keep the tree 
 always full, and do not exhauft it. 
 
 * Or to the loweft eye.
 
 [ 53 ] 
 
 I have faid that I never leave but one of 
 thofe fhoots which have been produced from 
 that which was Ihortened laft winter; but 
 there are fome exceptions ; fuch as when a 
 neighbouring moot has been deftroyed by the 
 gum ; in that cafe, if I find two good ones of 
 eaual ftrength, come out of the bottom of the 
 fhortened branch, or have a large vacancy to 
 fill, I cut both of them down to five or fix 
 inches. If there is no immediate want of them 
 both, and that I only forefee a vacancy is 
 likely to happen after the firft fhoot is worn 
 out, I fhorten the uppermoft, and cut down 
 the loweft to the firft eye, that I may be 
 certain of a good one for the next year. 
 
 As to the extremities, I am governed by the 
 room I have left upon the wall. If the tree 
 covers it entirely, I prune fo as to leave it a 
 good foot from the coping, that I may have 
 room to lay in the young moots ; for which 
 purpofe, I take out all the moots that bare 
 fruit the laft year, and replace them with the 
 new ones, which the bottom ought to fupply. 
 
 Mr. De la Quintinie in treating of this, par- 
 ticularly recommends them to be left three feet 
 from the coping of the wall. But I confefs 
 this appears to me to be more than is necefiary, 
 for walls are too valuable to have fuch a fpace 
 left unemployed and ufelefs. 
 
 It may perhaps be objected to my method 
 
 of pruning only upon one moot, which is to 
 
 bear fruit, and not to produce wood, that I run 
 
 E 3 great
 
 [ 54] 
 
 great hazard of not having a fufficient quantity 
 of good wood for the following years. It 
 will be faid that tliefe fhoots which fpend 
 themfelves in bearing fruit, will throw out 
 nothing but weak fhoots between the fruit 
 not capable cf bearing, that they will at laft 
 die, and confequently the tree will become 
 bare of wood. 
 
 This objection is plaufible, becaufe in fact, 
 in the common method of pruning, the greater 
 part of the bearing moots are deftroyed by 
 being overloaded, and become incapable either 
 of producing fruit or wood, fo that they are 
 obliged to cut fome of them out the firft year, 
 and the reft the fecond or third ; but this does 
 not happen with me, and they die very late, 
 as I mail make it appear. 
 
 When two moots are left, one defigned only 
 for bearing fruit, and the other for producing 
 wood , it naturally follows that the fap is 
 obliged to divide itfelf between them, and that 
 the moot defigned for wood, which has no 
 fruit to nourifh, will flourifh better than the 
 other ; but it is plain, that the fap being carried 
 only to my fingle fhoot, will have the fame 
 effecT: upon that as it would have had upon 
 both the others , that is, it will both nourifh 
 the fruit, and produce wood : befides, one 
 part of my fhcots are cut fhort, as I have 
 before obferved, and I am provided with more 
 refources, whenever I perceive the leaft danger 
 of a vacancy. I do not therefore run the 
 
 hazard
 
 [ 55 1 
 
 hazard fo much to be dreaded ; but I have 
 moreover fufficient experience of it, to con- 
 vince any one who will make trial of this 
 method. 
 
 The people of Montreuil in fome refpects 
 follow my method, in leaving few moots, and 
 cutting out all little twigs ; but they differ 
 from me in loading their trees extremely, par- 
 ticularly the few firft years. They leave the 
 mother branches two feet, and two feet and 
 half long, and prune at the fame time upon a 
 good part of the fmall ones that have pufhed 
 out between the leaves. It is true, the quality 
 of their foil, in fome meafure, authorifes fuch 
 a practice ; befides that, they do not concern 
 themlelves about the duration of their tree?, 
 nor the beautiful fhape of them : the only 
 point they attend to, is, to reap a quick and 
 confiderable advantage j fo that, after the firft 
 four years, the bottoms of their walls generally 
 become bare of wood : this is a defect which 
 a curious perfon ought not to fuffer j but if 
 any one, tempted by their example, fhould 
 chufe to overlook it, that he may gather fruit 
 very foon, he will mod certainly mifcarry ; 
 unlefs he ihould meet with a vein of earth 
 exactly like theirs : this may happen, but it is 
 fo uncommon, that, of all my acquaintance 
 who have tried this method, not one has fuc- 
 ceeded. Jn fhort, it may be faid in genera!, 
 that it is a practice more to be admired than 
 imitated. 
 
 E 4 CHAP.
 
 [5*] 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 Of rubbing off the Buds. 
 
 *~pHere is no operation in the cultivation of 
 A Peach trees, (except the winter pruning, 
 which cannot be dii'penied with,) of ib much 
 importance, as the rubbing off the buds; and 
 at the lame time, none lefs attended to. The 
 certainty of fruit, its beauty and flavour, are 
 three great advantages arifing from it ; and it 
 facilitates every other work. Mr. De la Quin- 
 tinie has given fome very judicious rules upon 
 this head, but he has not fufficiently digefted 
 them, and he is fometimes prolix. I ought 
 however to do him the juftice to acknowledge, 
 that the light he has thrown upon the fubject, 
 has been of great fervice to me, and has enabled 
 me to carry my obfervations ftill farther, 
 which may be ufeful to others hereafter. I 
 fhall now mention in order, all the important 
 points that depend upon this operation. 
 
 The term, rubbing off the buds, demands 
 no farther explanation, as it carries its own 
 meaning with it; and though nothing can ap- 
 pear at firft fight more eafy, yet the executing 
 it with proper judgment and precifion is a mat- 
 ter that requires a thorough knowledge and 
 fome experience. 
 
 The beft time to perform this, is in the 
 
 month
 
 [ 57] 
 
 month of May, as they are by that time fuffi- 
 ciently formed to enable you to make a proper 
 choice, and tender enough not to require any 
 other inftrument than the thumb. 
 
 This rubbing off the buds is generally 
 confounded with a fecond operation, called 
 pinching, and a third, called flopping , be- 
 caufe they are performed all at the fame time. 
 Every one knows, that in the fpring, a Peach 
 tree abounds with a great number of moots, 
 which require to be thinned, and the rubbing 
 off the buds, is only clearing thefe moots, 
 which if not done fooner, ought to be done at 
 the firft time of laying them in ; but it makes 
 an infinite difference if it is done fooner. 
 
 As I before obferved that the beautiful fi- 
 gure of the tree, and a reafonable quantity of 
 good fruit, are the two principal objects of 
 pruning, all your operations mould be direcled 
 to thefe ends. You muft therefore eafe the 
 tree of every thing that is either uielefs or 
 hurtful. I call that ufelefs, which though 
 good, is badly placed, and that hurtful, which 
 is bad in itfelf. Thefe are two evils, which 
 muft be corrected ; and the fhoots that were 
 fhortened the laft winter, are more particularly 
 fubject to them. Or as the moots are, according 
 to my method, generally left feven or eight in- 
 ches long, and fometimes more ; you will find 
 in that extent eight or ten buds, which are fo 
 many fhoots. Such a number cannot poffibly 
 receive equal nourishment, and will of courfe 
 
 caufe
 
 [ 58 ] 
 
 caufe muchconfufion; you muft thin them there- 
 fore, and leave only two or three, in propor- 
 tion to the room you have, chufing one or two 
 of the loweft, oppofite .each other, together 
 with that at the end, if there is any fruit upon 
 it, and there is none lower. 
 
 If there is no fruit fet but at the bottom, or 
 if it is fet all along the whole fhoot, where the 
 number of eyes may be eight or ten-, in both ca- 
 fes you muft fhorten it pretty near half, and 
 keep only three or four peaches at as equal 
 diftance as poflible, obferving always to leave 
 one good new (hoot at the end. You fhould 
 at the fame time pinch all the (hoots, that 
 grow to the fruit, to the thicknefs of a quarter 
 of an inch, (which is called flopping-,) and if 
 there are any more (hoots that have no fruit 
 next them, break them quite off, always con- 
 fining yourfelf to two or three. 
 
 When a (hoot has got no fruit upon it, prune 
 it down to the fecond of the new /hoots-, that 
 is, leave only the two loweft, unlefs the too 
 great vigour of the tree requires more wood 
 to wade and divide the fap. 
 
 AS to thole {hoots which were pruned very 
 fhort in the winter, you mould leave but two 
 new ones upon them, the higheft and the low- 
 eft on the oppofite fide, and rub off all the reft 
 that have no fruit upon them, or if there is, 
 pinch them down ; fometimes however it will 
 be fufficient to leave only one new moot, and 
 that the-loweft. 
 
 If
 
 [ 59] 
 
 If any flrong (hoot comes out, either from 
 thofe which were pruned in the winter, or 
 from the body of the tree, you muft obferve its 
 ftren;th and confider whether it is wanted. If 
 
 g 
 
 it is likely to prove hurtful to the neighbouring 
 fhoots, or that it is ufelefs, cut it quite out, 
 but if it be ufeful, either to fill a vacant fpace, 
 or to prevent one, or to exhauft the too abun- 
 dant fap, pinch it to four or five leaves, and as 
 a new Ihoot will come out from every leaf, you 
 will have four or five middling-fized ones to 
 chufe out of at the firft time of laying them in. 
 
 All weak fhoots that come out of the old 
 wood, muft be cut out, unlefs any of them are 
 wanted to fill a vacancy, or are likely to be of 
 fervice hereafter ; but all the little clufters be- 
 fore-mentioned muft be preferved from what- 
 ever part they come. 
 
 You muft be very attentive to the foot of 
 your tree, for fhoots are often thrown out which 
 may ferve to replace thofe that are decayed, 
 and if any fuch pufh out very ftrong, they 
 fhould be pinched to five or fix eyes. 
 
 All thofe rank moots, which are diftinguifh- 
 
 O 
 
 ed by their green colour, fize, and rednefs at 
 the tips, muft be carefully taken out from all 
 parts, unlefs you want them to fill up a place, 
 and you have no other refource ; in that cafe 
 you muft pinch them off, which mould be re- 
 peated in June. 
 
 It oltens happens, that two or three moots 
 come out together from one eye, efpecially at 
 
 the
 
 [ 60 ] 
 
 the end of a (hortened fhoot ; you mould leave 
 but one of thofe, and chufe that which is bed 
 placed. Whenever you meet with twin peaches 
 one bigger than the other, which is generally 
 the cafe, you muft with great care take off the 
 lead -without loofening the other ; but if they 
 are of equal fize, either pull them off, or leave 
 them, for neither of them will come to perfec- 
 tion. 
 
 Thefe are nearly all the directions to be fol- 
 lowed in rubbing off the buds, and I (hall now 
 ftiew the utility of it. It will be eafily imagi- 
 ned that this operation performed in proper 
 time muft greatly ftrengthen both the fruit and 
 fhoots that remain, for as they receive much 
 more nourifhment than they could before, 
 they muft of courfe thrive better. 
 
 Moreover, thofe ill-placed one?, that you 
 have now removed, and which otherwife muft 
 have been cut out at the firft time of laying in 
 the fhoots, would perhaps have grown fo vi- 
 gorous as to have injured the moot that is well 
 placed, which being now difincumbered and 
 left to itfelf, will receive more nourifhment and 
 become a good branch. 
 
 Another advantage is, that you take off the 
 fhoots cleaner than could be done with the knife ; 
 for if you wait till the time of laying them in, 
 the confufion caufed by fo much wood, pre- 
 vents you from cutting clofe enough, and the 
 fhoots become full of difagreeable ftumps, 
 which take up a great deal of time to cut out 
 
 in
 
 [ 61 ] 
 
 m the winter; and if they are fufferedto remain, 
 they make a very bad appearance. Beiides the 
 flumps that are left at the fummer pruning, 
 generally put out two or three bad (hoots, which 
 cxhauft the fap to no purpofe, caufe great con- 
 fufion, and damage the fruit. 
 
 It will happen too that the force necefTary to 
 be ufed in cutting out all thefe fuperfiuous and 
 ill-placed fhoots, and the impoQibility of feeing 
 what you are about, will fhake off a good deal 
 of the fruit, which at this time would be re- 
 gretted, fince it has in great meafure got over 
 all hazards. 
 
 Upon the whole you may be certain of fruit, 
 if you have not neglected to rub off the buds, 
 but otherwife the confequence will be, that the 
 fruit being hidden, choaked up, and as it were 
 buried behind fuch a thicket of leaves and wood, 
 becomes tender, as is evident from the colour, 
 which is rather white than green, and when it 
 is fuddenly laid open to the air, joined to a 
 fcorching fun, great part of it withers and 
 drops off j for it is to be obferved, that as the 
 fap is carried to the extremities of the moots, 
 and as the tips of them only enjoy the benefit of 
 fun and air, all thofe that are buried behind the 
 others, will fhed their leaves, which dry up to 
 a certain diftance, and therefore cannot cover 
 the fruit, or but very imperfectly. But this 
 will never happen when the air has been admit- 
 ted to the wholeextentof the moot, and when the 
 fruit while young, has been inured to the inju- 
 ries
 
 [62 J 
 
 ries of the weather and fun -, they will grow 
 hardy by this means, and when once they have 
 attained the fize of a nut, they feldom drop, 
 unlel's there are more than the tree is able 
 to nourifh. 
 
 The fruit too has this further advantge, 
 that the infects, efpecialiy fnails, do not ib 
 readily faften upon it when it is a little open, 
 as they do when it is tied under the leaves, 
 which make it tender. 
 
 Again, It is much eafier to fet at liberty 
 fuch fruit as is confined between the treillage 
 and ofiers, or between the treillage and the 
 wall. In the firft inftance, you untie the 
 band, and in the other, you have only to 
 bring it back to its place ; but if you wait 
 till the time of laying them in, the fruit will 
 by that time have got half its growth, and be 
 deformed paft all remedy. 
 
 It will be aifo too late to replace the fhoots 
 that have run behind the treillage, which are 
 fometimes very valuable ; as they will have 
 grown too ftrong and hard to be brought 
 back without breaking, though it might have 
 been done looner with great eafe. 
 
 I (hall here fpeak of the blight, which term 
 I mail explain, as it may not be underflood by 
 every body. This diforder is very common in 
 our climate, and is the effedt of noxious winds, 
 that curl up the leaves, which become thick, 
 yellow, red, and fcabby. This is very dif- 
 agreeable to the eye, as well as injurious to 
 
 the
 
 the fruit, for the blighte-d leaves exhauft all 
 the fap at the expence of the fruit. When 
 your trees are ftruck with this blight, you muft 
 not only take off ail the curled leaves, but alfo 
 cut off, below the difordcr, all the infected 
 fhoots which form a rough and difagreeable 
 thicket. This enables the lap to pufh ouc 
 new fhoots lower down, which will be equally 
 good for the next year. Obferve however, 
 that if the tree is infected all over, which is 
 fometimes the cafe, and there remain no 
 healthy leaves to cover the fruit, fome of 
 the blighted ones muft be left for that pur- 
 pofe, till it has put out fome new ones. If 
 this is neglected, all thefe infected leaves wafte 
 the fap, and prevent it from producing others ; 
 they will foon dry up and fail off, and your 
 fruit, which is yet tender, being uncovered, 
 is fcorched by the fun, withers, and drops; 
 fo that there will not be the leafl appearance 
 of fruit remaining. 
 
 The ants and vine-fretters fometimes caufe 
 the fame diforder, and the fame remedy mufi 
 be applied ; but thefe infects are generally 
 more eager to deftroy the eyes, and the fap 
 cannot make any farther progrefs. The remedy 
 for this may be feen in the twelfth chapter. 
 
 If the gum has attacked a moot, it muft be 
 cut off an inch below, by which you flop the 
 communication, and prevent it killing the 
 whole moot. It will foon pufh out one or 
 two more, and have no bad confequences. 
 
 The
 
 [ 64 ] 
 
 The laft advantage that refults from rub- 
 bing off the buds, is, that the time employed 
 in it is fumciently compeniated when you come 
 to lay them in, for you will then have very 
 little to cut out, or any thing material to at- 
 tend to; every fhoot that was left, points out 
 the place it is to occupy ; it directs itfelf as 
 it were, and there is nothing to do but to tie 
 it. This forwards the work fo much, as I 
 have experienced more than once, that it does 
 not take more time to tie three of thefe trees, 
 than is required for one when the buds have 
 not been rubbed off. 
 
 In the mean time, though this may have 
 been done with the greatell nicety, you muft 
 not forget to review them every eight or ten 
 days, in order both to bring back the moots 
 which have fince flipt behind the treillage, and 
 to deftroy infects, efpecially fnails, which are 
 always at work after rain, and in the dew of 
 the morning. At the fame time, you will fee 
 what damage the gum has done, and remedy 
 it. This takes up fome hours, but they will 
 be well employed. 
 
 When you are matter of your own time, 
 it is better to divide this work into two ; in 
 the following manner. In the beginning of 
 April I rub off all the ill-placed buds, that is, 
 the foreright ones, and thofe behind the ftioots^ 
 and at the end of May, when the fruit is fet, 
 1 finifh the reft. Every one will do in this 
 refpect as his time permits. 
 
 There
 
 [ 65 ] 
 
 There is however fome variation to be made 
 from the rules I have here laid down, accord- 
 ing to the different ages of the trees. Thofe 
 of the firft year's planting I go over, for the 
 firft time, about the latter end of April. I rub 
 off all the buds that have pufhed out before 
 and behind the ftem, and leave none but thofe 
 on the fides ; and when it happens, that one 
 fide has pufhed out more than the other, I pull 
 off the buds from this, to throw the fap to the 
 other. At the end of May I look them over 
 the fecond time, and if I find one moot much 
 ftronger than the others, I either cut or pinch 
 it. 
 
 I praflife nearly the fame thing for the firft 
 three or four years, but with this difference, 
 that if the tree is very vigorous, I do not un- 
 load it near fo much as one that is weaker j for 
 I only take out from the ftrong fhoots that were 
 left at the firft rubbing off, all the ill-placed 
 ones, preferving all that come out from the 
 fides, at leaft as many as I have room to lay 
 in. 
 
 As to the old trees, I not only take off all 
 that are ill- placed, but even all thofe that are of a 
 certain degree of weaknefs, in order to ftrength- 
 en the reft. I confine myfelf to a fmall num- 
 ber of the beft moots, and leave but little fruit. 
 Thefe mould always be done after the others, 
 as they fhoot later. 
 
 F I (hall
 
 [ 66 ] 
 
 I mall not fay any thing of trees that are in 
 their prime, as all the directions neceflary for 
 them will be found in the beginning of this 
 chapter. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Of tlit Firft Time of laying in the Shoots. 
 
 operation on Peach trees mould be 
 begun in June, either fooner or later, as 
 the feafon is more or lefs forward, and confifts 
 in laying in, and fattening in a regular manner, 
 the new moots to the treillage. 
 
 When the rubbing off the buds has not been 
 neglected, this is the mod fimple and eafy of 
 all the operations in pruning. You have fcarce 
 any thing to cut out, no choice of moots to 
 make, no fruit to thin, or very little i and in 
 Ihort, nothing to do, but to faften the ihoots. 
 The whole art of this confifts in laying them 
 at proper diftances from each other, in extend- 
 ing them well, and making them fill up their 
 proper places, that the tree may be full through- 
 out. Befides this, you muft obferve to cover 
 the fruit with leaves as much as poffible, which 
 contributes to incrcafe both its flavour and 
 fize. 
 
 You muft be careful never to crofs the moots 
 
 without an abfolute neceflity , a vacancy being 
 
 the greateft defect in a Peach tree, the filling 
 
 2 that
 
 [67] 
 
 that up is the only excufe for it, and the lesft 
 of two evils mould be chofen. 
 
 You Ihould preferve one or two of the fmall 
 moots that come out between the leaves of this 
 year's branch, and chufe the lowed, becaufe it 
 is often better to prune upon thefe fmall ones 
 the next year, than upon that which produces 
 them , for, on account of its too great ftrength, 
 or for want of fruit- buds, it is often neceflary 
 to cut this out ; and when the tree grows too 
 high, thefe ftronger ones fhould be cut down 
 to the fmall ones, to ftrengthen the reft. 
 
 The fmall green rum trom the marfhes is 
 the moft proper for tying the Ihoots ; that of 
 Marfeilles, though it be foaked in warm water, 
 is too hard, and bruifes the young ihoots. Be- 
 fides, as it is not fo pliant as the other, it does 
 not tie fo faft, the work cannot be done fo 
 quick; and moreover, it fpoils the knives. 
 Straw, or fedge, which fome make ufe of, has 
 an unpleafing appearance, and ties the fhoots 
 very ill. 
 
 Thefe are all the particulars I had to offer, 
 relating to this operation, upon a fuppofition 
 that the buds have been rubbed off. If they 
 had not, I mould have every thing to fay. In 
 that cafe, it will now coft you a great deal of 
 time, pains, and precaution, to do all that 
 might have been done a month fooner with 
 great eafe. You muft in fome meafure pene- 
 trate into this confufion, and break through 
 the obfcurity, to determine what is necefiary to 
 F 2 be
 
 [ 68 ] 
 
 be taken our, as well with regard to the wood 
 as the fruit. I cannot even think of fuch an 
 undertaking without trembling, and therefore 
 refer the reader to the preceding chapter. He 
 will judge of what fhould be done by what has 
 been omitted. He fhould always be guided 
 by the fame principles ; he will meet with the 
 fame caufcs, the fame objects, the fame incon- 
 veniences. Whoever finds himfelf in this ftatc 
 of perplexity, muft do as little rr.ifchicf as he 
 can. 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 Of the Second Time of laying in tie Shoots. 
 
 f 
 
 A S the fap is continually in motion from the 
 **' month of February to the month of 
 tember, it is neceflary, a month or fix weeks 
 after the firft laying in the fhoots, to repeat that 
 operation, which is now much eafier. 
 
 If the buds have been rubbed off, there will 
 have been very few new fhoots made ; becaufc 
 thofe that were taken out, having been nipped 
 in their birth, the fap has not been able to pulh 
 out any more at the fame places, and is all car- 
 ried either into the fhoots that were laid in, or 
 into the fruit. If the buds have not been rub- 
 bed off, it is common to find falle fhoots put 
 out from the bottom of thole that were cut at 
 the firlt time of laying them in. You muft 
 therefore break them off with your thumb, if 
 
 they
 
 they are tender enough not to require the 
 knife. 
 
 If new (hoots are puflied out, in any other 
 part of the tree, that are ufelefs or badly placed, 
 (which they generally are) you muft take them 
 out"; but oblerve, not to take out any with 
 the thumb, but what will break offeafily , for 
 if the wood has begun to harden, you will da- 
 mage the mother branch, and the gum which 
 will iflbe from the wound will kill it. Cut 
 them out therefore as clofe as you can. 
 
 If any of thofe which were laid in the firft 
 time near to a vigorous moot that was fhorten- 
 ed, is alfo itfelf become too luxuriant, by the 
 abundance of fap thrown to it, (and this often 
 happens in vigorous trees,) you muft take out 
 fuch moot entirely, or at lead fhorten it down 
 to the Joweft of thofe it has produced. You 
 have now nothing more to do, than to faften 
 the (hoots that have grown longer fince the firft 
 operation, and to cut down thofe rather below 
 the top of the wall, that have run above it. 
 
 There are trees fo luxuriant fometimes as to 
 require this work to be repeated a third time, 
 in the month of September. If it is thought 
 necefTary, it fhould be done, and in the man- 
 ner I have defcribed. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 Of uncovering tbe Fruit, end the proper time 
 to gather it. 
 
 A Lthough it has hitherto been neceflary to 
 ^ keep the fruit covered with leaves, till the 
 time of its ripening, that it might not be ex- 
 pofed to the violent heat of the fun ; it now 
 becomes neceflary to lay it open, in order to 
 perfect its flavour, and to give it that beautiful 
 colour, which is its chief ornament. But as it 
 would be dangerous to expofe it too fuddenly, 
 it mould be accuftomed to it by degrees, that 
 is, at three feveral times. 
 
 You mould begin to uncover your fuiit 
 when it is juft turning, or changing colour. A 
 few leaves mould be taken off, either to the 
 weft or to the north, according to the afpecl: 
 of your wall. Three or four days after, a few 
 more may be taken off from the oppofite fide, 
 and in about the lame time again, thofe in 
 front ; fo that at laft they will be quite unco- 
 vered, and lofe nothing of the fun. Soon af- 
 ter this, they change colour, ripen, and you 
 gather them when they are turn'd yellow, on 
 the fide next the wall, where the fun cannot 
 penetrate. 
 
 You *will fee at a glance when they are in 
 this flate. Thole that are not, fhould be 
 
 taken
 
 taken off without violence, by taking them 
 full in the hand, and pulling them gently to 
 you. If they are quite ripe, they will come off 
 in the hand ; but you muft avoid fqueezing 
 them with the thumbs, to try if they are ripe, 
 as is praclifed fometimes ; for this wounds and 
 bruifes them very much. This is the time to 
 be obferved, if you would eat them in per- 
 fection ; but if they are gathered for fale, or 
 to be carried fome ditlance, they fhould be ra- 
 ther harder, when they do not come off the 
 tree fo eafily. 
 
 One material point to be attended to, when 
 the fruit is uncovered, in the manner I have 
 fpoken of, is, that the leaves mud. not be torn 
 off, but pinched with the nail near the foot- 
 ilalk ; for the violence ufed in tearing them, 
 fpoils and mangles the eyes of the moot, and 
 prevents the fruit-buds from forming them- 
 felves for the next year. 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 Of the different Infers that damage the Wood 
 and Fruit of Peach Trees, and the remedy 
 to be applied. 
 
 nrHere is a fort of green caterpillar, which 
 
 eats the flower-buds before they open. 
 
 As foon as you perceive this, you muft look 
 
 F 4 for,
 
 for, and deftroy them, for they will certainly 
 be found behind fome of the moots. 
 
 The wood and field mice, the rats and houfe- 
 mice, and the lefier dormice, animals of near- 
 ly the fame fur and fliape, are the greateft nuU 
 fances to Peach trees. They fometimes do 
 great damage to a whole plantation, by begin- 
 ning every peach, before you can gather one. 
 If they would keep only to thofe they begin, it 
 would be more fufferable ; but they try them 
 all on the fide next the fun, as faft as they ripen, 
 and they are confequently all fpoiled. There 
 are two methods of deftroy ing thefe animals. 
 The firft, by traps of different forts, with 
 which the wall fhould be furnifhed, at certain 
 diftances from each other, efpecially next the 
 trees, which begin to ripen their fruit, taking 
 care to look them over every day, and now and 
 then to change the baits. But it is beft not to 
 wait till the fruit ripens , for they are much lefs 
 greedy of the baits when they have fruit to ear, 
 than when they have none. 
 
 Thefecond method, which need not preclude 
 the ufe of the firft, is to ftop up well all the 
 holes in the walls, as well without-fide, as 
 within ; for when they are driven out of their 
 harbours, they do not increafe, at leaft not in 
 the fame place, but are forced to fetk fome 
 other habitations, and if the breed is not to* 
 tally deftroyed, it is at leaft very much thinned. 
 You may alfo lay fome arfenic, mixed up with 
 flour or minced meat, along the coping of 
 
 the
 
 [ 73 1 
 
 the wall, but great care fhould be taken, that 
 no accidents happen from it. 
 
 It would be happy could we but find as eafy 
 remedies againll the ants. Thefe little infects 
 entirely ruin all the trees they attack with vi- 
 gour, and it is not poffible to guard againft 
 them. The number of them may eafily be 
 leflened, of which there are many methods, but 
 I believe it is impoffible wholly to deftroy 
 them , and if it was true, as it is pretended, 
 that they are to be driven away by means of 
 fome drug, to which they have a great anti- 
 pathy, I am clear, from my own experience, 
 that the evil would only change its object, for 
 they will go further off, and fix upon ibme 
 other tree. This I have feen happen fome- 
 times, though without being able to account 
 for it. We muft therefore purfue fuch me- 
 thods as are practicable, and be fatisfied with 
 thinning them as much as poffible, in order to 
 leflen the evil. Of all the methods I ever ex- 
 perienced, the following fucceeded bed. I 
 procure the foot ot an ox frefh killed, and flay 
 the fkin half off, without dripping it entirely. 
 One of thefe I lay at the foot of every tree 
 that is infefted with the ants, placing befide it 
 half a pail of water. The imellcf this draws 
 the ants from all parts, fo that in a little time 
 it will be quite covered with them. I then 
 take it up gently, and drown them, by fling- 
 ing it into the water. It fhould be taken out 
 again immediately, and replaced as before, and 
 
 in
 
 f 74 } 
 
 in a few hours the fame effect will follow ; fo 
 that this may be done five or fix times in a 
 day, and will deftroy a great number of them. 
 In a few days the foot may be changed, when 
 the fun has dried it up, and it has no longer 
 any fmell. But I muft obferve, this method 
 does not anfwer, unlefs the weather is a little 
 warm; for upon trying it in the fpring, the 
 ants would not fallen to it. 
 
 It is neceflary to make fome allowance for 
 what I have laid, of the impoflibility of guard- 
 ing Peach trees from theie wretched animals. 
 This is not to be taken in its utmoft extent 
 with regard to any but dwarfs, for it is poffible 
 to defend the ftandards and half ftandards, and 
 my method is as follows. You immediately 
 unnail the tree that is attacked, and if the 
 item will bend a little, you make it feveral 
 times, till you fee no more of thefe infects re- 
 maining upon it, and brufh them off the 
 leaves with your hand. You muft then have 
 the patience to pull off all the leaves that are 
 infected with their eggs, and with the vine- 
 fretter, which is infeparable from them. This 
 being done, you keep the tree about a foot from 
 the wall with a forked flick, which will hold 
 it fleady in any pofidon , above this ftick you 
 make a little bafon with foft wax, all round the 
 ftem of the tree, and fill it with water, which 
 muft be replenimed as faft as it evaporates : 
 By this method, the ants, who cannot fwim, 
 fetire at the fight of the water, and the tree 
 
 may
 
 [ 75 ] 
 
 may be replaced. In doing this, you mould 
 be careful to put behind the tree two or three 
 laths, to keep the branches in their places, 
 which the wind and the load of fruit will 
 otherwife break down, obferving to tie the 
 moots to the laths as fecure as'poffible. 
 
 Another expedient is fometimes ufed, in- 
 ftead of the bafon of foft wax, which is, to 
 tie fome cotton or tow, dipped in oil, round 
 the ftem of the tree ; oil of fpikenard is the 
 beft, but for want of that, olive oil will do, 
 though neither of thefe are a certain defence 
 againft thefe infects, yet it often drives them 
 away. The tow muft fometimes be refreshed 
 with oil. 
 
 The ants are alfo very deftruflive to the 
 orange trees ; and in Italy, where the greateft 
 part of their walls is covered with them, 
 this fruit being more agreeable to their cli- 
 mate than any other, they practife the fol- 
 lowing method, which I took notice of in the 
 garden of a curious perfon at Naples. The 
 trees were planted a good foot from the wall, 
 each tree being upon a fingle ftem about a fooc 
 and a half high. Upon the lame line with the 
 trees, oak polls, of about four inches fquare, 
 were fixed in the ground, at ten feet apart ; 
 thefe were made of the fame height as the 
 wall, in order to receive a treillage, in the fa- 
 fhion of that country, which, though it differs 
 from our's, is intended for the fame ufe. The 
 trees were planted between the pofts, and kept 
 
 low,
 
 low, in the fame manner as we train them up- 
 on our crofs or dwarf walls. Upon the ftem 
 of every tree, and upon every poft, this cot- 
 ton dipped in oil was tied, as I have before 
 defcribed. The good effect of this remedy 
 appeared from the beauty of the trees ; and the 
 owner of them afiiired me, that the ants had 
 never touched them fince they were firlt 
 planted, though I faw others fome few yards 
 diftant, planted againft the wall, that were in- 
 fected with them. 
 
 Nothing would be more eafy than to train up 
 our Peach trees in the fame manner ; but in 
 defending them from one evil, I am afraid they 
 would be expofed to fome other, and perhaps 
 a worfe. Our climate is very different from 
 that of Italy ; the cold winds that would draw 
 in between the tree and the wall, might be very 
 injurious to them : befides, that the fruit be- 
 ing deprived of the reflection from the wall, 
 might ripen later, and therefore have lefs fla- 
 vour. Whoever finds his trees very much 
 peftered with thefe infects, might try this me- 
 thod upon a few fathoms ot wall ; at all 
 events, the hazard or expence cannot be great. 
 
 The bugs often attract the ants, and there- 
 fore you mutt take care in the winter, to fcrape 
 clean all the moots, when they lay their eggs, 
 with a wooden knife. This is abfolutely ne- 
 ceffrry to be attended to. 
 
 The flugs and {hails likewife eat our Peaches, 
 and efpecially the Violet, of which they are
 
 r 77 1 
 
 very greedy ; but they may be deftroyed, if 
 the trees are looked over very early in the 
 morning dew, or after a gentle mower. 
 
 The birds too are curious enough to tafte 
 them, particularly when any infect has begun 
 them. Thefe are eafily driven away with 
 fcare-crows, and when they fail to have a pro- 
 per effect, a boy may keep them off, by walk- 
 ing along the wall. If that does not anfwer,, 
 the following is a method I have lately feen 
 practifed by a curious perfon, though I have 
 not tried it myfelf. This is, to ftretch all 
 over the tree, about fix inches apart, lines of 
 red worfted, which it is confidently faid, keeps 
 them off, by fome unaccountable antipathy 
 they have to it. This method is alfo faid to 
 preferve grapes ; it is eafily tried, and will 
 coft little. 
 
 It is" much more difficult to guard them 
 from earwigs and wafps, than from other in- 
 fects. Thefe are two enemies that fometimes 
 do great injury to this fruit, efpecially to the 
 Little and Grofs Mignon, which is one of the 
 firft that ripens. There is no better method of 
 defending them from the firft, than keeping 
 the wall well plaiftered, that they may not find 
 harbour; but if, notwithstanding this, they 
 are troublefome, you muft fix behind the 
 branches fome fheeps horns or pigs hoofs, in- 
 to which they retire, and you {hake them 
 out, and deftroy them every morning. As to 
 wafps, they may be deftroyed with bottles half 
 
 full
 
 [ 78 ] 
 
 full of water, fwcetened with honey, in which 
 they will drown themfelves ; but this is a tri- 
 fling relief, and there are many other expedi- 
 ents equally ineffectual. What has always ap- 
 peared to me to be moft ufeful is, to place here 
 and there in full view upon the treillage fome 
 Peaches that are partly eaten, or fome other 
 fruit of a fweet kind, either plums, figs, or 
 pears ; they will ttick to thofe that are within 
 their fight, and never attack the whole fruit. 
 It will of courfe be underftood, that as faft as 
 thefe are eaten, they muft be fupplied with 
 others. A great many might be deftroyed at 
 feveral times in the hta: of the day, if you 
 have courage enough, by feizing them a hand- 
 ful at a time, when a great number of them 
 are got together upon the half-eaten fruit, and 
 fqueezing them to death, for which you muft 
 be defended with an ordinary glove, if you 
 would avoid being ftung. 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 Of the Precautions to be taken during the Heats 
 of the Summer. 
 
 T N good foils, more particularly where the 
 * bottoms are wet, if your borders have been 
 kept clean, and there has been no extraordi- 
 nary drought, there is nothing to fear, and 
 very little to be guarded againit ; but in hot 
 
 and
 
 [ 79 1 
 
 and fandy foils, the drought often kills the 
 trees, or at leaft renders them very fickly, and 
 the fruit they bear has neither fize nor flavour. 
 I advife thofe who are fo unhappy as to be fi- 
 tuated in thefe kinds of foils, to throw down 
 three pails of water every fortnight at the foot 
 of each tree, and to rake the ground over a 
 few hours after ; at the fame time, a good arm- 
 ful of long litter may be thrown upon it, to 
 keep in the moiflure. I alfo advife ftraw to 
 be wrapped round the ftems of the trees, and 
 tied with ofier ; this will preferve the trees, 
 and the good effedt of it will appear in the 
 fruit. In the fouthern countries the tree mould 
 be covered with mats during the greater heat 
 of the day, otherwife the fun fcorches th 
 fruit, and foon kills the trees. 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 Of covering the Trees. 
 
 delicacy of our Peaches, or more pro- 
 * perly fpeaking, the great fear we have of 
 lofing what is fo very valuable, has obliged us 
 to have recourfe to all pomble means of de- 
 fending them from the injuries of weather ; 
 but after having, like other people, tried every 
 one, I affirm that I have found them all defi- 
 cient. However, that which I fliall mention is 
 
 a good
 
 [ So ] 
 
 a good one, but is fo expsnfive, it will fait but 
 very few. 
 
 There are fome who, when the trees are in 
 bloflbm, which is the critical time, cover them 
 with Peafe~baulm ; but this is a very bad expe- 
 dient, for it is generally put either too thin or 
 too thick. If ic is too thin, it neither defends 
 them from the frofts, nor from the fun, which 
 does mod damage after a froft , if it is put 
 thick, it may indeed keep them from the froft 
 or the fun, but it is attended with a great many 
 inconveniences. The dangerous time lafls 
 about fix weeks, during which your tree, fmo- 
 thcred under this covering, but ilili giving way 
 to the force of nature, puts out fhoots as well 
 as bloflbms, and the fruit fcts. But how docs 
 it moot ? Like endive in a trench , that is, the 
 leaves and fruit are more white than green ; 
 and when you uncover them, at the end of 
 April or beginning of May, half the young 
 fhoots, which are twifted in between the Peafe- 
 haulm, will be torn off along with it ; the fruit 
 too being tender, and not capable in this coun- 
 try of bearing the lead cold air, or the lead 
 degree of fun, dies, and falls off. Thus end 
 in general all the pains you have taken. 
 
 Others make ufe of a kind of covering, 
 which is made two different ways j one with 
 packthread, or gut; the other with the fame 
 wood as is made ufe of for the treillage. 
 
 The firft are very bad, as I can fay from my 
 own experience. Firft, they are hung too 
 
 near
 
 [ 8i ] 
 
 near the tree, and when (hook by the wind, 
 they rub off half the blofToms and buds, with- 
 out reckoning thofe that are deftroyed every 
 time they are taken off and put on again. Se- 
 condly, the fruit becomes too tender under 
 thefe coverings, and has not air enough ; fo 
 that after having been accuftomed to this, 
 when they are firft expofed to the leaft air, (if the 
 coverings are neglected to be put on) they die; 
 and this requires a conftant attendance. But 
 even fuppofing this method would have the 
 defired effecl:, if it was put in execution with 
 the greateft nicety, who could depend upon 
 the care of his gardener, fo as to be fure, that 
 during the hazardous feafon, he will not once 
 forget to cover and uncover the trees at the 
 proper time ? This consideration alone ought to 
 undeceive every body ; for it is very clear, 
 that one hour too foon or too late will kill 
 all the fruit. 
 
 The coverings made with lattices and wire, 
 are of a better fort, fince they do not touch 
 the tree, and the bloffom has air underneath ; 
 but they have alfo their inconveniences. You 
 muft have them of the height of your wall, 
 and they muft extend from one end of it to 
 the other ; for if you only put one here and 
 there, it will anfwer no end. 
 
 The trees will receive as much injury from 
 
 the draught of wind along the fides, as they 
 
 would by being expofed to the frofts ; and to 
 
 cover a long wall from one end to the other, 
 
 G requires
 
 [ 82 ] 
 
 requires a great number, which is indeed very 
 expenfive. A covering of nine feet long by 
 four broad, which is the common fize, reckon- 
 ing every thing, comes to near 20 fols, and 
 lafts fcarcely more than two years ; the damage 
 it fuftains, by being carried to and fro every 
 (Jay, the injuries of weather, and the fpoil 
 made in it by the mice, whilft it lays by, all 
 help to deftroy it. Befides, it is a great deal 
 of trouble for a gardener to put up and take 
 down, twice in a day, or fometimes oftener, 
 fuch a quantity of coverings, which are not 
 eafy to remove, when they are foakcd with 
 rain, or covered with (how. It caufes top a 
 great deal of wet and mud at the toot of the 
 tree, and you can hardly make ufe of your 
 borders to raife early peafe, Ipring lettuces, or 
 any other legumes. Moreover, they require 
 the fame attendance as the others, to put them 
 up and take them down at the proper times. 
 All things confidered, it is an expenfive me- 
 thod, and certainly does more harm than good ; 
 fo that I do not recommend this more than the 
 other. 
 
 I think curtains of coarfe cloth, or glafs 
 frames, are more ufeful, and very different 
 from the others-, fince little time is required to 
 open and fhut them, they are managed with 
 lefs trouble, and without any of the inconve- 
 niences to which the coverings are fuhjeJl ; in 
 facl, the fruit has air, it is not battered, and 
 is meltered from all injuries of weather. If 
 
 glafs
 
 [ 83 ] 
 
 glafs frames are ufed, the fruit ripens three 
 weeks fooner than common , but thefe me- 
 thods are very expenfive. The curtains may 
 be carried off in one night, if they are not 
 watched ; the glafs frames are often very much 
 broken by wind and hail, and it requires a 
 great deal of labour and expence for a carpen- 
 ter to put them up and take them down every 
 year. They are not proper therefore for any 
 but thofe who are able to bear the expence, 
 and who will fpare nothing to gratify them- 
 felves. 
 
 Somebody endeavoured to perfuade me fome 
 years fince, that by laying litter at certain di- 
 ftances all along my walls, and fetting fire to 
 it early in the morning, during the froft, the 
 fmoke that it made would prevent the cold 
 from nipping the bloffom, and the fruit when 
 fet, and that it would at the fame time take of? 
 the violent heat of the fun, v.hich fcorches 
 after a froft, and certainly preferve my trees. 
 I thought the advice was rather plaufible, and 
 made trial of it ; but I fuffered for want of 
 confidering it ; for we fliould always proceed 
 upon fome principles. Now, as it is well 
 known, that the froft never takes hold when 
 the wind blows, the danger is only when there 
 is none, and therefore the fmoke cannot have 
 the effect intended, which is to fpread itfelf 
 like a curtain all over the trees ; inftead of this, 
 it afcends as in a chimney, and is of no ufe. 
 This was exactly what happened with me. 
 
 G 2 From
 
 From all I have faid, the reader will un- 
 doubtedly conclude, that I have not informed 
 him of any means to defend his trees from the 
 injuries of weather. 1 allow that I am not 
 capable of doing this ; but as my defign is on- 
 ly to undeceive him with regard to the bad 
 methods by which he may fuffer, my obferva- 
 tions may claim fome merit. For want of a 
 certain expedient, (for I know of none,) I (hall 
 mention one that I conflantly make uie of. 
 The firft idea of it was not mine, but I think 
 I have in fome particulars very much improved 
 upon it. 
 
 Mr. Girardor, a'mufketeer of long (land- 
 ing in the fervice, fo well known for his beau- 
 tiful plantations at Bagnolet, and by the im- 
 menfe profit he macje ot them, is the inventor 
 of this method, fince ufed by many of the in- 
 habitants of that neighbourhood. He fixed 
 pieces of wi'od, which projected about two 
 feet all along the wall under the coping, at the 
 diftance of a toife apart. Upon thefe he layed 
 planks when the hazardous time came on, pre- 
 tending that the fpring frofts came in a perpen- 
 dicular direction, and that, by covering his 
 fruit at the top, it was in no danger, either 
 from the frofts or the cold rains, which are 
 equally injurious to it. This he constantly 
 practiied, and others after him have proved the 
 fuccefs of it. The fame way he has chalked 
 out may be boldly followed, and this I have 
 done, though with fome difference. Inftcad 
 
 of
 
 E*5 J 
 
 of thefe pieces of wood, which remain fixed in 
 the wall, and make a very difagreeable ap- 
 pearance all the fummer, I ufe little crutches 
 of light wood, the tops of which are made 
 Hoping, to drain the water from the coverings 
 that are laid upon them ; thefe are tied with 
 ofiers to the top-piece of the treillage, fix feet 
 apart ; and inftead of planks, I made, in imi- 
 tation of the people of Montreuil, fmall mats, 
 about two feet broad by twelve and half long, 
 bound together by two laths. In the month 
 of February I place my mats upon the crutches, 
 and tie them with ofier. Here they remain 
 till the month of May, when they are all taken 
 down, and carried into my garden-houfe. 
 This takes up but two whole days, and the 
 expence is very little -, thefe coverings are cer- 
 tainly good defences to the fruit, though not 
 fo as abfolutely to infure it. This is all I can 
 advife, and for the reft we muft truft to Pro- 
 vidence. The Peach however is not fo very 
 tender as it is thought. I have twice feen the 
 buds of pears, plums, apricots, and cherries, 
 killed witty froft, when the bloffom of Peaches 
 fuffered but very little, which may be depend- 
 ed upon fyr truth. 
 
 This laft expedient that I have juft men- 
 tioned, cannot be ufed but where there is a 
 treillage, another inducement to learn the ftilJ 
 greater advantages of it. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 [ 86 ] 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 Of the Dijlempers of Trees. 
 
 *TPHE chief diftemper that Peach trees a^e 
 fubjeft to, and which is without remedy, 
 as it has no name at prefent, is known by all 
 the fhoots, the leaves, and even the fruir, 
 turning black and clammy. This is a kind of 
 leprofy, which is contagious, and communi- 
 cates itfelf to all that (unround it ; and if care 
 is not taken, as foon as the tree is attacked, to 
 have it pulled up, and the wall warned with 
 Jime, which itfelf contracts the evil, and turns 
 black, your whole .plantation will die, one 
 after another. I cannot account for the caufe 
 of this diftemper, but the common opinion of 
 its being the bug, does not appear to me pro- 
 bable -, or if it is partly owing to that, there 
 is fome other co-operating caufe. It may be 
 caufed by unwholefome blails, which ftrike 
 more in one place than another, or a ftream of 
 corrupted air, the bad habit of the tree, or the 
 violent gleams of heat after a fog ; in fhort, 
 whatever be the caufe, the evil is certain, and 
 we mud be contented to flop the progrefs of 
 it, by rooting out the tree immediately. 
 
 The fecond diftemper that moft affects our 
 Peaches, is the gum ; for which neither is 
 there any remedy. If it only injures fome 
 
 3 few
 
 few branches, and the reft are worth preferving, 
 you muft endeavour to keep in thofe that are 
 good, but if it extends to all parts of the tree, 
 you muft pull it up, and plant one of a dif- 
 ferent fort in its place. The Red Magdalene 
 and the Violet fufFer moft ; and if you find 
 you cannot raife them, they muft be given 
 up. 
 
 The mifchief done by ants is alfo one of the 
 greateft evils incident to Peach trees. I men- 
 tioned every thing I know upon this head in 
 the ninth and twelfth chapter. I mall only 
 add, that if they continue upon the fame tree 
 two or three years fucceffively, the fhorteft 
 way is to pull it up ; for they will never leave 
 it till they have killed it ; and a new fcheme of 
 deftroying them may not always fucceed, efpe- 
 cially if the tree is a different fort. 
 
 If a tree grows fickly, and you cannot ac- 
 count for it, lay the earth open, and examine 
 the roots. They are fometimes eaten by the 
 May bugs, which is common to young trees ; 
 and in this cafe, you muft feek them out 
 wherever you find the roots eaten. Some- 
 times the red ants attack and canker them ; 
 the only remedy for which is, to dellroy as 
 many as you can. Scrape the roots well, and 
 throw away the infected earth, replacing it with 
 frejfh. If the mifchief proceeds from fome 
 roots that are damaged and rotten, they muft 
 be cut off to the quick, and filled up at the 
 fame time with frefti earth. By this care the 
 G 4 tree
 
 [88 ] 
 
 tree is reftored ; but before you make up the 
 ground, try whether fome pails of water will 
 not revive it, if it happens to grow fickly in 
 the height of fummer. 
 
 In the months of June and July honey-dews 
 fometimes fall, which greatly injure the trees 
 as well as the fruit. There is no other remedy 
 for this accident, which cannot be prevented, 
 than to fhorten the moots, and they will pufh 
 out others, from the loweft eye, which are 
 fometimes healthy, but fometimes inherit the 
 difeafe , however there i$ no danger in making 
 the experiment. 
 
 The laft diforder common to all trees is old- 
 age. This is known by the yellownefs of the 
 leaves, by the weaknefs of the moots, and by 
 their throwing out the fruit very fmall. If 
 you could renew the tree, by means of fome 
 good moots that it may have pufhed out from 
 the bottom, you fhould head it down to thefe 
 young moots, or you may foon reflore it by 
 thole that are come out of the fides, if you do 
 what I mall advife in the next chapter. 
 
 If it is cut down to the large branches, which 
 is praftifed by fome, it feldom puts out new 
 wood. The fap forces itfelf with difficulty 
 through the bark, which is harder than that of 
 any other tree. Manuring and changing the 
 ill! will aniwer no end j the tree has done its 
 bufinefs. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 Of the method of new planting an old Efpalier. 
 
 T Recommend it ftrongly to thofe, who 
 would make new plantations, to referve a 
 few plants, for a fupply upon occafion. The 
 gum, or fome other unforefeen accident, kills 
 a tree fometimes, when it is leaft expected. 
 Nothing is more difagreeable, than to fee a gap 
 in a plantation, which muft therefore be pre- 
 vented, by planting in any expofure, about a 
 dozen trees of the fame fort of fruit, as you 
 have planted againft your treillage. Thefe 
 fhould be labelled with pieces of flate, tied to 
 each tree, or to the treillage ; and when any 
 one fails, you take one of the fame fort, to 
 fupply the vacancy. If they are carefully ta- 
 ken up, they will ftrike root perfectly well, 
 though they be four, fix, or even eight years 
 old, which I have very often experienced. The 
 caution to be ufed in this, is to make a little 
 trench all round the tree you intend taking up, 
 at about two feet and a half diftance from the 
 ftem, and three feet deep, by twelve or fifteen 
 inches wide. When the trench is made, you 
 uncover the roots by degrees, and that they 
 may not be injured, you ule a pronged fork, 
 iuch as is ufed in the vineyards. You then 
 gently take away the earth from the right 
 
 and
 
 and left, till the roots are loofened, and you 
 find the tree comes up eafily. If it hangs by 
 any large root, you muftcut it off as deep as 
 you can. As foon as it is taken up, you carry 
 it to the place where it is to be planted, and 
 hav ing tipped the roots, and pruned the (hoots 
 Vv-ry Ihort, you let it to the height of the others, 
 or rather fix inches higher, becaule the ground 
 that has been juft moved, will fink fo much in 
 a few months after. The roots muft all be well 
 extended to the right and left, and whilfl one 
 man throws in the loofe earth, another fliould 
 be in the hole to fettle it to the roots with his 
 hands, and take care that they are not entan- 
 gled with each other. You then fill up the 
 hole, and throw over it three pails of water, 
 which fettles and binds the earth to the roots. 
 If you obferve all thefe particulars, you may 
 depend upon it, by the fpring it will make as 
 good a figure as the others, and you may even 
 gather fruit, from it, though it mould not be 
 luffcred to bear too much. Take care during 
 the hot weather, in the following fummer, to 
 water it from time to time, and move the 
 ground about it afterwards. You may alfo for 
 better fecurity, throw an armfull of long litter 
 round the ftem. 
 
 This tranfplanting mould be performed a- 
 bout the beginning of November, and it is ge- 
 nerally thought right, to cut out a good deal 
 of the wood. 
 
 If
 
 [ 9* ] 
 
 If you have not had the precaution to make 
 this little referve of trees, and are obliged to 
 replace your old trees with young ones from a 
 nurfery garden, you mould purfue the method 
 of planting I have laid down in the third 
 chapter. 
 
 All that I have here faid, mould be under- 
 ftood to relate to young trees only, for old 
 ones muft be treated entirely in a different 
 manner. You muft make the moft of thefe 
 old trees as long as they laft, and have others 
 ready to fucceed them, when you fee they ap- 
 proach near their end. For this purpofe, young 
 trees mould be planted in the fpaces between the 
 old ones, obferving when they moot, to lop off 
 all the branches of the old trees that may made 
 them, and prevent them from fpreading. 
 When they begin in four or five years to make 
 a fhew, you pull up the old ones, and you find 
 a new wall of trees. It is by this means the 
 trees at Montreuil fucceed each other without 
 intermiffion, and are formed perfectly well. 
 However it is not to be expected that they 
 mould fucceed as well every where; for the foil 
 of this village feems to have been created on 
 purpofe for this fruit. Bat the experiment mould 
 be made, and the rather that if they fhould not 
 fucceed in this method, you would have very 
 little rcafon to flatter yourfelf that afcer having 
 pulled up your old trees, and trenched up your 
 ground, a new plantation would fucceed better. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 [ 92 J 
 
 CHAP. XVII. 
 Of Tillage. 
 
 "pVery one knows that weeds exhauft the 
 ground, and impoverifh it. They cannot 
 therefore be too carefully deftroyed ; and that 
 is the firft reafon for digging round all forts of 
 trees. Secondly, they are difagreeablc to the 
 fight. Thirdly, they harbour infects which 
 are communicated to the trees and fruit. 
 Fourthly, they dry up the ground. Fifthly, 
 they prevent the gentle fhowers, from penetra- 
 ting eafily and ufefully : In fhort, all ground 
 that is not moved, cracks in dry weather; and 
 the heat of the fun, penetrating through thefe 
 clefts to the roots of the trees, injures them 
 greatly. 
 
 For all thefe reafons wall-trees cannot be 
 too much cultivated. They mould be well 
 dug in the autumn, and again in April ; and 
 in the fummer, the ground about them mould 
 be moved with an hoe or rake, as often as is 
 necefiary. This mould be done in fine wea- 
 ther, that the weeds may foon wither and die. 
 The digging at this time of year is not fo pro- 
 per, as it difturbs the roots and gives them too 
 much air. 
 
 CHAP
 
 C 93 ] 
 
 CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 Of the propriety of laying Dung to Peach Trees. 
 
 /^Pinions are much divided upon this head, 
 ^^ and every one has reafons, which appear 
 to him fufficient to confirm his opinion. Mr. 
 De la Quintinie, exprefsly forbids all fort of 
 dung ; and after endeavouring to prove by fpe- 
 cious arguments, and fubtile comparifons, 
 that it can be of no fervice to the trees, he 
 gives you reafon to fear that it may injure them. 
 I have the higheft refpect for this great judge; 
 but whether he was liable to prejudice, as eve- 
 ry one is, or whether the foil of Verfailles, 
 where he exercifed his genius, has the peculiar 
 quality of not requiring any foreign affiftance, 
 yet his opinion cannot prevail againft the expe- 
 rience of a thoufand people, who always make 
 ufe of dung, and entirely approve of it. The 
 fentiments of a few particular perfons are not 
 to be relied on, fmce opinions are fo various, 
 and there are a great many, who pronounce 
 rafhly on the contrary fide, and that rather from 
 their prejudices, than from any fettled princi- 
 ple ; but I maintain that the practice of a whole 
 country, the inhabitants of which, from father 
 to fon, for a long time paft, have made the 
 management of wall-trees their fole employ- 
 ment and trade, is fufficient to determine it, 
 
 and
 
 [ 94] 
 
 and eftablifh a rule for us. The general cuf- 
 tom of the inhabitants of Montreuil, Bagnolet, 
 and other neighbouring places, is to lay hot 
 dung to their trees every three years, that is, 
 to thole of a certain age, which begin to be ex- 
 haufted with bearing ; for the young ones which 
 fhoot vigoroufly, do not require it. The dung 
 might damage them, and prevent their fet- 
 ting for fruit. Thole that have had no dung 
 fliew an apparent difference; and they them- 
 felves own, that their iruit lofes a great deal of 
 its quality and fize. It would beabiurd there- 
 fore to conteft a fact, that has been proved by 
 fo long experience ; and a fuppofition that their 
 ground may want afllflance, which other land 
 does not, would be dill more idle. They have 
 in their diftrict, which is very extenfive, fome 
 foils very ftrong, others light, and others 
 gravelly, fome meltered by hills all round, 
 others fituated in a plain. The dung has 
 the fame effect upon all ; and it mull be 
 fuppofed that they are well apprized of the ne- 
 ceility of it, for if they had the leaft doubt a- 
 bout it, they would not be at the expence, 
 which is a principal object. 
 
 Certain perfons who are pi.judiced in their 
 opinions upon this head, but who arc obliged 
 to allow the good effect of dung, fince it is fo 
 apparent, retract (as I have fometimes done,) 
 their opinions in part, and iniift, that though 
 dung increafes the vigour of the trees, and fize 
 of the fruit, yet it takes from the flavour, as 
 
 it
 
 [ 95 1 
 
 it does from that of wine ; but this reafoning 
 is erroneous, as I am clear from experience. 
 I have found on the contrary, that the fruit 
 which had been dunged, had more juice, (I 
 don't fay more flavour) and more delicacy 
 than that which had not, and it was becaufe it 
 was better nourimed. 
 
 As to the fort of dung, you mould procure, 
 if you can, that of horfes, mules, or afies, 
 both becaufe it warms the ground at the fame 
 time as it imparts its falts, and becaufe it makes 
 it lighter and eafier to work. On the contrary, 
 cows dung is much the beft for hot and dry 
 foils ; it enriches them, and keeps them frefh 
 and cool. It mould be turned in, in the month 
 of November , for, in the following months, 
 the frofts often fet in, and it is then too late. 
 In the fpring following, when the trees are dug 
 the fecond time, the dung which the fpade 
 brings up to the top of the ground, mould be 
 buried again at the bottom of the trench. 
 
 I mould mention here, that if your borders 
 are only three or four feet broad, as they too 
 often are, your trees will receive very little be- 
 nefit from the dung ; for it does not act u pon 
 the great roots, but upon the fibres, at their 
 extremities. It mould therefore be laid at 
 fome diftance from the body of the trees, in 
 proportion to their fize. All that is laid clofe 
 to the body is entirely loft, and may fometimes 
 injure the tree, either by cankering the roots, 
 if it lays upon them, or by attracting different
 
 infects, which will kill them. It appears by 
 this, how abfurd it is, to lay open the ground 
 about the trees, to dung them at the foot j for 
 befides the inconveniences I have mentioned, 
 the dung fo laid forms a fort of bed, which 
 growing hard, prevents the rain from pene- 
 trating. It would therefore be much better, 
 not to dung them at all. 
 
 Thofe whofe borders are fo narrow, ought 
 not to hefitate about enlarging them to fix reet 
 at leaft, if they intend their trees mall reap any 
 benefit, either from the dung or cultivation. 
 They are fometimes with-held from this, upon 
 account of a row of grapes, which ferves as an 
 edging for the border, and which they are un- 
 willing to deftroy. Bat in this cafe they need 
 only leave one long moot to each vine, and lay 
 it the next year two or three feet farther into 
 the walk. In the autumn it is feparated from 
 the vine, and the old one pulled up, by which 
 no profit is loft, a new plantation is formed, 
 and the detecl I fpeak of remedied. 
 
 It now remains that I mould make the ad- 
 vantage of dung appear, from the experience 
 I have had of it thefe twenty years. I practife 
 it, not only for my wall-trees, but for all other 
 forts, except fome few, and thofe that are 
 grafted upon free (locks, which (hoot ftrong 
 enough without it. This method has always 
 fucceeded fo well with me, that I do not con- 
 ceive how the utility of it can be difputed. 
 The fruit I gather in the years I dung, is in- 
 
 creafed
 
 f 97] 
 
 creafed one third in fize, and that is fufHdent 
 proof. Moreover, they fhould be dunged 
 more or lefs often, according to the quality of 
 the foil, and the burden of fruit the trees have 
 produced. It is fufficient for fome plantations 
 once in about fix years, while others require it 
 every three, four, or five years. 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 Of tie Carriage of 'Trees into diftant Countries. 
 
 life of a Peach tree, like all other 
 plants, depends upon the moifture that is 
 difperfed through all parts of it, and fo long as 
 the moifture remains, the tree is alive. The 
 point then is to preferve it, by preventing the 
 air and fun from drying it ; for when a tree is 
 pulled up, it has no longer the fame refources 
 as a rooted one, which is continually fucking 
 up the juices of the earth, in order to repair 
 the lofles that the outward parts fuftain from 
 the fun and air. It muft now fubfift by itfelf, 
 and you muft take care that it lofes nothing ; 
 the following precautions for this are therefor* 
 to be obferved. 
 
 As foon as the trees are taken up, morteri 
 the roots a little as well as the head, form them 
 into bundles of twenty, or at moft twenty-five 
 trees each, if they are dwarfs ; or of twelve, 
 rf they are ftandards 5 lay the roots carefully 
 H upon
 
 upon each other, fprcad ftraw between the bo- 
 dies, that the bark may not be rubbed off, 
 and tie the whole with ofier ; you then put 
 frelh mofs between the roots, crowding in as 
 much as you can, till they are all entirely co- 
 vered. Over that you fhould put feme long 
 itraw, which is bound faft all round with cords, 
 and the bodies of the trees muft be wrapped up 
 in a good thicknefsof draw, tied faft with the 
 fame firings. The laft thing is, to put round 
 the whole body of roots a piece of packing- 
 cloth, well tied all round. Being properly 
 packed up in this manner, you may fend them 
 into any country you pleale, and be afiured, 
 that if they are upon the road from the end of 
 October till March, they will not die. I have 
 lent fome to Mufcovy, and the farthefl part 
 of Italy, which have fucceeded perfectly well. 
 There is one farther precaution to be obferved, 
 when they travel a great way by land, and 
 there is a great deal ot fun and drying wind, 
 which happens fometimes in the months of 
 October and November ; this is, to order the 
 carrier to throw fome pots of water upon the 
 body of the roots from time to time ; and on 
 the contrary, if they are upon their journey 
 during the hard frofts, to cover them with a 
 good deal of ftraw, and even with rugs, if he 
 can. When they are to go by lea, thefc 
 things need not be attended to, becaufe they 
 will be then (heltered both from the drying 
 winds and frofts. 
 
 There
 
 [99 ] 
 
 There is another and better method of pack- 
 ing dwarfs, which is, to cut them off a foot 
 from the bud, and to place them very tight in 
 a hatter's balket, obferving before-hand to line 
 the bafket well with draw all round, and at 
 the fame time to cover the roots with mofs, 
 placing them one upon the other ; and for 
 greater certainty, you may cover the bafket all 
 over with draw, that you may be better fatif- 
 fied as to the fate of them. 
 
 When the trees are fafely arrived at their 
 deftined place, I mould recommend the roots 
 to be foaked in water two days before they are 
 planted. 
 
 CHAP. XX. 
 
 Of the Manner of raifmg and budding Peach 
 'Trees. 
 
 T Have already obferved, that there is a great 
 * deal of trouble, and little advantage, in 
 raifmg young trees in the neighbourhood of 
 Paris, where a great number are at all times to 
 be found, and at a cheap rate. But as every 
 body is not within reach of Paris, and the trees 
 being often packed in a carelefs manner, when 
 they are to be fent to any confiderable diftance, 
 notwithftanding all the directions that can be 
 given, and as it cofts at leaft a great deal of 
 iufpence and uncertainty, it is a good way to 
 raife them yourfelf, that you may have them 
 H 2
 
 when they are wanted, and that you may be 
 more- certain of the forts. I therefore advife 
 ail thofe who live at a diftance from nurfery- 
 gardens, to make a fmall one of their own, 
 proportioned to their necefTities. 
 
 You mould begin by preparing your ground, 
 which mould be in a good foil, and trenched 
 Op about two feet deep : It would be proper, 
 if you can, to let it lay a year before you con- 
 vert it to a nurfery, and give it fome hoeings 
 during the fummer. 
 
 The Peach is budded upon three forts of 
 flocks, as I have mentioned in the third chap- 
 ter; upon its own flock, upon the almond, 
 and the plum. The firft is now feldom ufed, 
 (though the bodies of thefe trees are much 
 finer than thofe of the others, and the tree 
 more vigorous,) becaufe it is too fubject to the 
 gum. The two laft mould be chofen ; and 
 every one will prefer that which beft luits his 
 Own foil. 
 
 The almond is the beft for light and gravel- 
 ly foils, and the plum for all others ; but I 
 fhall not repeat the reafons I have before given. 
 
 The following is the method of raifmg the 
 almond. You mould carry into a vault, or 
 good cellar, a fmall cafk or tub, proportioned 
 to the number of plants you would raife. In 
 this veffel you put two inches of frefh and rich 
 fand, and upon that a laying of almonds, at 
 an inch diftant from each other, with the points 
 downwards j upon thcfe a fecond laying of fand 
 
 of
 
 of two inches, and upon that another of al- 
 monds, till your vefifel is full. This is done in 
 November, and in this fituation they continue 
 all the winter. In the fpring following you take 
 the almonds out of the fand, and put them in 
 the ground that you have prepared, at eighteen 
 or twenty inches apart, and about four deep, 
 which having begun to fhoot in the fand, very 
 foon come up out of the ground. 
 
 This however is not the general praflice ; 
 many do not put their almonds in the ground 
 till the month of January, not defirous of their 
 being fo forward, and inftead of covering them 
 up, they leave them in the open air in tubs, 
 expofed to the fun, with the caution only of 
 covering them in the hard frofts. Others put 
 them in later, and deep them two days in 
 warm water before they plant them, in order 
 to difpofe them to moot. Others again fow 
 them in their gardens along a border, in a 
 good afpect, and cover them in the frofts ; but 
 they run great hazard of the mice and crows 
 deftroying numbers of them, if they are at all 
 troubled with thefe animals. Every one fol- 
 lows his own opinion in what regards his own 
 bufmefs, but great allowances mould be made 
 for the foil and climate. The efiential point is 
 the certainty of the almonds growing, and 
 that they are not too far advanced when they 
 are to be put out in the month of March ; for 
 notwithstanding all the care polfible, a great 
 many of the young fprouts, which are very 
 H 3 tender,
 
 [ 102 ] 
 
 tender, will be broken, in taking them out of 
 the ground, when they have fliot too long ; 
 and though they are not broken, they arc very 
 fubject to die after being planted our. 
 
 In mort, when they are to be put out, you 
 fhould plant them by a line, fo as to leave two 
 feet and half, or three feet, between the rows, 
 for the convenience of going between them, 
 and the eafe of hoeing the ground in the fum- 
 mer, for all weeds (hould be carefully de- 
 ihoyed. 
 
 I faid in the firft edition of this work, that 
 the tender almond of Provence would fucceed 
 better than any other, having really obferved, 
 that the Peach bud took upon it perfectly well, 
 and made very fine moots-, bur, fmce that, 1 
 have remarked, that this fort is more fubjecl: to 
 the gum, and therefore I retract my former 
 opinion. 
 
 At the end of Auguft following, the moots 
 are ftrong enough to receive the bud, and you 
 bud them at two inches from the ground, ob- 
 ferving that the eyes of the branch, from 
 which the bud is taken, are double, and ac- 
 companied with two or three good leaves ; 
 the fingle eyes that have only one leaf are never 
 good fubje<fts to bud from. The method of 
 budding is fo well known to every one, that I 
 fhall fay no more upon that head, but only re- 
 commend, that the band is a little loofened the 
 next month, if it is found to bind too tight 
 upon the bud. I fay, the band ; but I ought 
 
 to
 
 to explain, that it is better to ufe twitted tow , 
 which does not cut the bud, like cord or firing, 
 becaufe it gives way, as the bud fweils. 
 
 The following fpring, when the buds begin 
 to open, the binding muft be quite loofened, 
 though not taken o,f^ and the ftock cut down 
 flan ting, exactly above the bud ; the eye ibon 
 after pufhes, and throws out its (hoots. - 
 
 The next October the Peach tree will be 
 quite formed, and it may be taken up and 
 planted in the place you defign ; for it fhould 
 not remain longer in the nurlery, that is, not 
 a fecond year, though it might remain all the 
 winter till March. 
 
 What I have faid, relates only to dwarfs. 
 When ftandards or half ftandards are to be 
 raifed, the almonds fhould be fuffered to moot 
 during three or four years, and their ftems 
 trained up ftrait, by tying them to (lakes for 
 that purpofe. Care mould be taken at the 
 fame time, from year to year, to cut off the 
 lower branches ; but they mould not at firft be 
 cut clofe to the ftem. The firft time you fhould 
 cut them at lome inches diftance, and the year 
 after quite clofe. The reaion of this is, that 
 flumps which are left may draw the fap, and 
 make the root grow fafter ; for the more it 
 throws out roots, the more nourifhment is 
 drawn to the body, and the ftronger it grows. 
 But the fap muft not be diverted too much, left 
 the leading flioot fhould not thrive, and grow 
 away, which is the object in view. You fhould 
 H 4 therefore
 
 [ 104 ] 
 
 therefore keep it of a moderate ftrength, that 
 when it is arrived to a proper fize, you may 
 bud it at the fame time and in the fame man- 
 ner as the dwarfs, four, five, or fix feet from 
 the ground, if the Item will permit it, and 
 you judge it convenient. 
 
 Thofe that feem mod inclined to (hoot 
 ilrait, are generally chofen for ftandards and 
 half ftandards, and the crooked ones for 
 dwarfs. 
 
 As to the plum (lock, they generally get 
 fuckers or cuttings from fome old ftump of 
 the damafine, which is very common every 
 where , fo that there is no difficulty in pro- 
 curing them -, and the cuttings of the top 
 Ihoots of a tree that bears well, are as good as 
 the fuckers from * old flools that have been 
 undermined and dug round for that purpofe. 
 They are pulled up in November, and imme- 
 diately planted in the nurfery, in rows, like 
 the almonds, and at the fame diftances. They 
 Ihould be cut down directly to five or fix 
 inches, and remain two years, that is, till 
 Auguft in the year following, and then budded 
 in the fame manner as the almond, and plant- 
 ed out at the end of the year. 
 
 * It is a cuftom with many gardeners to dig round 
 an old plum tree, and partly to undermine it, in order 
 to force out fruit, and the cutting the roots afunder 
 makes it throw out fuckers. 
 
 If
 
 [ 105 ] 
 
 If ftandards and half ftandards are to be 
 the fame directions muft be obferved 
 as for the almond. 
 
 I advife you to chufe the fuckers of a plum 
 called the St. Julien, to bud the Violet and 
 Chevreufe Peaches upon. This is the only 
 plum which fuits thefe two forts, the reafon of 
 which I mall not examine ; it is fufficient that 
 experience has convinced all thofe whofe trade 
 it is to raife trees about Paris, of the fact 
 
 From what I have faid upon this fubject, it 
 will eafily be inferred, that all thofe who would 
 raife Peach trees every year, fhould have a 
 fmall fpot of ground prepared one year under 
 another, and obferve, that the land in which 
 they have been once raifed, muft not be applied 
 to the fame purpofe again in lefs than three or 
 four years, though it will be very good for 
 grain or legumes. 
 
 To fave thofe the trouble of calculating, who 
 are defirous of knowing what quantity of 
 ground any number of plants requires, fixing 
 the diftance of the rows at three feet, and that 
 of the plants at eighteen inches , the perch of 
 land of eighteen ftatute feet fquare contains 
 feventy-two plants , thefe multiplied by-ioo, 
 which makes an acre, gives 7200 plants per 
 acre. In fome provinces the perch is twenty 
 and twenty-two feet, but this is of no confe- 
 quence , it is enough to know how many a 
 perch of eighteen feet will contain, and it is 
 
 eafy
 
 [ io6 ] 
 
 fy afterwards to know how to increafe the 
 number of plants in proportion to the increafc 
 of the perch. 
 
 C H A 1\ XXI. 
 
 Of tbe Method of making a new Plantation. 
 
 TN the courfe of this little work, I have 
 * mentioned every thing that may be moft 
 ufeful for the plantation of Peach trees ; but 
 in this I have only conformed to the ufual 
 cuftoms. Since my firfl edition of this, the 
 event has proved to me the good effect of a 
 method which I had conceived a great while 
 fmce, but of which I had not had fufficient 
 trial to offer it to the public. My experience 
 now gives me a right earneftly to advife it, and 
 I dare affirm, that thofe who are willing to 
 purfue it, will reap all the fatisfaclion from 
 their plantation that the nature of the thing 
 can admit of; but before I come to the point, 
 it will be proper to make fome obfervations 
 relative to this practice, that the utility of it 
 may be better underftood. 
 
 The making a plantation muft always beat- 
 tended with fome hazard, notwithftanding ail 
 the care that may be taken. The doubt as to 
 the forts, the uncertainty cf the ftocks they 
 have been budded upon, the quality of the 
 buds that are made ule of, and in fliort, t ; ic 
 
 fear
 
 t 107 ] 
 
 fear of the trees taking root, are four particu- 
 lar objects of attention. 
 
 The certainty of the forts explains itfelf, anr 
 confifts in having them true, and fuch as you 
 require. It is in that you muft depend upon 
 the word of the nurfery-man, and the order he 
 has preferved in his garden, which may have 
 been confufed by various means. Few forts 
 can be known by the wood and leaf, as I before 
 obferved, and therefore nothing certain can be 
 -expected from the niceft precaution. 
 
 The uncertainty of the ftocks upon which 
 they are budded, is a fecond point, the im- 
 portance of which is known to few people, 
 though it is neverthelefs a capital object. 
 
 With regard to the almond, I mall obferve, 
 that many nurfery-men make no fcruple of 
 budding upon the bitter almond, becaufe it 
 Ihoots ftronger from the bud than the fweet 
 ones, and therefore anfwers better for fale, 
 though to the buyer it makes a confiderablc 
 difference ; for this tree bears but very indif- 
 ferently, and the fap is fpent in producing 
 wood ; what fruit it does bear retains the bit- 
 ternefs, and is very fmall. This is an irrepa- 
 rable evil, which nothing can remedy. 
 
 Other nurfery-men procure the fmallefl: 
 almond they can, and as this fruit is bought 
 by meafure, the lets it is, the more there are in 
 the * meafure, and. of courfe the Jefs the feed 
 
 * BeiJ/eau Near a peck and half Engli/h. 
 
 cofls
 
 cofh them. But the confequence is, that the 
 fhoots they make are much weaker than thofe 
 of an almond well grown, and the tree raifed 
 from it feels the weaknefs as long as it lives. 
 It often happens too, that when the crops of 
 almonds fail about Paris, thenurfery-men have 
 recourfe to thofe of Provence ; but I have ex- 
 perienced, that the Peach trees budded upon 
 them throw out much more gum than the 
 others, as I obferved in the lall chapter ; and 
 this no one can difcover when the trees are 
 taken out of the nurieries. Thus much with 
 regard to almonds. 
 
 The fame inconveniences attend the plum 
 (lock. There are a great many forts of plums 
 that produce fuckers equally fit for receiving 
 the Peach bud, but the quality of the fruit 
 they produce is very different. You fhould be 
 acquainted wkh thofe that are beft adapted to 
 each fort of Peach, though the nurfery-mcn 
 often bud indifferently upon all forts of fuckers, 
 and fometimes without knowing them them- 
 felves ; for they buy them whertver they can 
 find them. From hence it fometimes hap- 
 pens, that the trees do not bear, or that the 
 fruic is bad ; and this defecl: is often attributed 
 to the foil, which arifes from the kind of ftock 
 it is budded upon. This is a rock againft which 
 it is almoft impofiible to avoid fplitting ; for 
 there is no mark by which you can know them 
 when they an; taken up. There are befides 
 other things to be mentioned concerning the 
 
 quality
 
 [ 109 I 
 
 quality and age of the fuckers, which I (hall 
 fpeak of foon. 
 
 The choice of branches from which the buds 
 are to be taken, is another point of great con- 
 fequence in railing good trees ; and this is the 
 third inconvenience I have to fpeak to, in 
 which you may be equally deceived. The 
 nurfery-men, who have nothing more in view 
 than to make their trees appear as beautiful as 
 poffible for fale, chufe the largeft fhoots they 
 can of the trees from whence they are taken, 
 becaufe the buds are ftronger, take eafier, and 
 grow more vigorous ; but thefe large fhoots 
 are generally rank ones, the buds of which un- 
 doubtedly throw out fine fhoots. This how- 
 ever is their only merit ; for the trees they form 
 fpend themfelves in wood, and produce fruit 
 very late and in fmall quantities, for they al- 
 ways inherit the defects of the original moots, 
 Befides, thefe nurfery-men do not take pahs to 
 procure the true forts, though there is a great 
 difference in the quality of two fruits even of 
 the fame fort : For inftance, the Grofs Mignon, 
 if it is the true fort, is known by being almoft 
 round, by having an infinite number of little 
 red fpots on the fide next the fun, and the op- 
 pofite fide being of a yellowim white. On the 
 contrary, the falfe Mignon, which is never- 
 thelefs the moll common, is more long than 
 round ; it has no little fpots, and is entirely 
 gretn on the fide next the wall. This differ- 
 ence in the outfide would be of no confequence, 
 
 if
 
 [ no ] 
 
 if the quality of it was as good as the other; 
 but it is to far othcrwife, that it is nothing 
 near lo fine, To melting, nor fo high-flavoured j 
 yet they are both generally called Mignons, 
 though it is impofiible to diftinguifii them in 
 the nurfery, nor can the nurfery-man be de- 
 pended up'.>n, for having procured the former 
 inftead of the latter. He moft commonly 
 takes the (hoots from his own trees as they 
 come, or as he rinds them el fe where, and does 
 not think himfelf obliged to attend particularly 
 to thefe niceties. This accounts for the dif- 
 ference in the quality of fruit, which you find 
 better or worle in your neighbour's garden than 
 in your own, without perceiving the reafon of 
 it -, and the cafe is much the fame with regard 
 to all the other forts of fruit, by which it may 
 be judged, how little thole that are bought 
 can be relied upon. 
 
 In fiiort, no one can promife himfelf that his 
 trees will be adapted to the foil he plants them 
 in, when he feldom knows whether that in 
 which they were railed is nearly of the fame 
 kind or not. This is abfolutely neceflary for 
 their fucceeding well, though it is a point very 
 few ever attend to. Every one however muft 
 be fenfible, that in tranfplantuig a tree from a 
 ftrong foil to a light pne, or from a light 
 one to a ftrong one, fuch a change often 
 caufes them to be fickly, and fometimes to die, 
 in fpite of all the precautions in planting Be- 
 fides, no one can tell whether the body is not 
 
 diftempered,
 
 [ tn ] 
 
 cTiftempered, which cannot be difcovered by the 
 eye, or whether the root may not have fuffercd 
 fome change fmce it was taken out of the nur- 
 fery. It often happens, that the ends of the 
 great moots, which are obliged to be fhorten- 
 ed, become cancerous -, and it is very common 
 in all plantations, to find a great part of them 
 fail, which can only proceed from fuch un- 
 known caufes and unforefeen accidents, fmce 
 none are planted but what appear fair to the 
 eye. 
 
 It muft appear from all thefe confederations 
 how hazardous it is to plant trees already 
 formed, and I think every one will be ready to 
 prevent thefe inconveniences, by following the 
 advice which I mall give, which is, to bud the 
 forts he chufes himfelf; and the method of 
 doing it is as follows : -You begin by fetting 
 out the plan for your plantation as I have ex- 
 plained it in the fourth chapter, and according 
 to the quality of the foil, you fix upon the 
 almond or plum ftock. You mark out at the 
 fame time the diftances of your trees, in pro- 
 portion to the height of the wails, of which I 
 have faid all that is neceffary in the fifth chap- 
 ter. Suppofe then that you determine upon 
 the almond, you muft plant in the month of 
 November three almonds in, the places you 
 have marked, at eight or nine inches diflant 
 from each other, and at fix inches from the 
 wall. You bury them only four inches in the 
 ground, with the points downwards, and clofe 
 2 {he
 
 r M2 j 
 
 the earth to them with your foot ; they mufl: 
 be covered during the hard frofts with a little 
 fhort litter, and uncovered as foon as the hard 
 weather is over. In the following fpring the 
 kernel will fprout, and they muft be managed 
 as I directed in the preceding chapter. At 
 the end of Auguft, or the middle of Septem- 
 ber, when the Tap is not in motion, you will 
 bud them at two inches above the ground, in 
 the manner before mentioned. The fpring 
 following the bud wil) moot, and you muft 
 obferve to pinch it at the fourth or fifth leaf, 
 fo as to leave it feven or eight inches long, the 
 reafon of which I mail foon explain j but be- 
 fore that is done, (viz. when the buds begin to 
 pufh,) you muft cut off the ftock flaming, 
 clofe to the bud, covering the wound with a 
 Jittle foft wax ; or for want of that, with a 
 little tempered clay. 
 
 If your foil requires the plum ftock, you 
 will plant at the fame time of year above men- 
 tioned, three plum fuckers, of a proper fort, 
 at the fame diftances as the almonds. Thefe 
 you cut down in March to two inches above 
 ground, turning the wound next the wall ; the 
 lap will rife foon after, and if it throws out 
 more than one moot, you will chufe the beft, 
 and break off all the reft. This will ftrengthen 
 it, and in Auguft or September you bud it, 
 (provided it is ftrong enough ; if not, you de- 
 fer it till the next year,) and in the fucceeding 
 fpring, that is when the hard frofts are over, 
 
 you
 
 you cut off the flocks clofe to the budj as be- 
 fore mentioned, and loofen the bandage ; the 
 bud will foon pufli out, and you pinch it to 
 the fame length and in the fame manner as I 
 directed for the almonds. 
 
 In cafe you mould not bud it the firft year, 
 you muft obferve in March 'to cut down the 
 young moot to the thicknefs of about half a 
 crown, that you may have a- new fhoot to bud 
 upon in Auguft j for the bud always takes 
 better upon the firft year's wood than upon the 
 old, though they bud indifferently upon both. 
 
 I have adviied the planting three almonds 
 or three plum fuckers, which I do only that 
 you may be fure of having one good one at 
 leaft to bud upon ; for many accidents might 
 happen to them, though but one mould re- 
 main. This is a neceffary precaution, becaufe 
 either the mice and large birds, fuch as mag- 
 pies and crows, which are very fond of al- 
 monds, always deftroy fome ; or all the buds 
 may not take : but as two-thirds are allowed 
 for lofs, you may be very eafy as to the fuc- 
 cefs. If the ground you plant them in is over- 
 run with mice, it will be proper not to plant 
 the almonds till March, after they have mot 
 in the fand, as I obferved in the laft chapter. 
 
 At the fame time as you pinch the young 
 moots, you muft reduce the ftocks to one on- 
 ly, if they have all grown, and pull up all the 
 reft, for they will injure each other if they re- 
 main longer together ; but in pulling them up, 
 I you
 
 [ H4 ] 
 
 you muft take care not to difturb that which 
 is left. 
 
 When the (lock that remains has put out 
 three or four good fhoots, which will be pro- 
 duced by the pinching, you muft be careful in 
 laying them in, and dividing them, according 
 to the directions given. 
 
 I have hitherto fpoken only of thofe ftocks 
 that are to make dwarf trees ; but when your 
 walls require ftandards or half ftandards, it 
 will caufe you fome anxiety ; for you cannot 
 bud thefe till the fecond or third year, and I 
 know how difagreeable the fufpence of waiting 
 two or three years is, to thofe who wifh to en- 
 joy their fruit j but there is no avoiding it. In 
 this cafe the ftocks muft be managed different- 
 ly, and trained in fuch a manner, that they 
 may be budded at the height of four, five, or 
 fix feet from the ground. To this end, as 
 foon as the ftocks, whether almonds or plums, 
 have begun to throw out moots, you muft 
 reduce them all to one, and that the ftrongeft 
 and beft placed, which mould be fupported by 
 a ftake, to keep it quite upright. It will be 
 underftood by this, that it is not to be headed 
 down the next year, as I directed for the 
 dwarfs. You let it run up then as high as it 
 will for two or three years, till you think the 
 ftem is large enough to bud upon, which 
 fhould be a good inch in the place where it is 
 budded : when it has attained this fize, you 
 bud it in the fame manner, and obferve all the 
 3 fame
 
 [ H5 1 
 
 fame directions, as I gave for the dwarfs, only 
 with this difference, that you leave two of the 
 three ftocks you planted, fuppofing they all 
 took well, and take out the middle one, to 
 give the other two more room j for as they 
 ftand longer in the ground than the dwarfs, 
 the roots will interfere with each other. It 
 will therefore be fufficient if two of them are 
 left ; and fome art muft be ufed in taking up 
 the fecond after they are budded, that the re- ' 
 maining one may not be damaged. In order 
 to be more fure of the buds taking, you may 
 put two buds in each flock four inches apart, 
 oppofite to each other, that if one fails, the 
 other may fucceed ; and when you find them 
 ready to moot, you may cut down the flock to 
 the bed of the two, and the lowed fhould al- 
 ways be preferred. 
 
 I muft now explain the care that is requi- 
 fite, as well for the flocks that are to be bud- 
 ded, as for the buds themfelves. 
 
 If you plant almonds, you mould chufe the 
 finefl that are to be had, the whitefl, and of 
 the fweet kind, which ihould be of the fame 
 year's growth. You will alfo take care, when 
 the (hoot begins to mew itfelf above ground, 
 (which is the critical time,) to preferve it in 
 the beft manner you can from deftruclive ani- 
 mals, particularly the mice, which fcratch and 
 break up the earth all round to find the al- 
 mond. You may deflroy a good many of 
 them with bell-glafTes, placed in the ground 
 I 2 at
 
 at the foot of the wall half filled with water, 
 in which they will drown themfclves as they 
 run to and fro. For want of thele glafles 
 earthen pots may be ufed, or pieces of tile 
 placed on each fide the fhoot, which remain 
 till it is grown to a certain ftrength, and pre- 
 vent their injuring it. 
 
 If you plant fuckers of the plum, you mud 
 take the fame year's (hoot, of a proper ftrength, 
 that is, about the fize of your little finger, with 
 good roots and the wood clear, and plant them 
 about eight inches deep. 
 
 With regard to the buds, they fhould be 
 taken from found and vigorous trees, in full 
 bearing, which are free from gum and canker, 
 and of which you have feen the fruit. Be- 
 fides, every one who is a lover of the fruit, 
 fhould cut off the branch himfelf ; for a gar- 
 dener, who is entrufted to do ir, might make 
 many miftakes, for want of fufficient judg- 
 ment, and there are very few who have any 
 fenfe of their matter's imereft ; fo that they 
 would cut them off by guefs, to fave fome 
 trouble, or a few fteps. Nothing is eafier in 
 the fruit feafon, than to take a walk in the 
 gardens of Montreuil, or fome neighbouring 
 ones, and to mark the trees whofe fruit pleafes 
 you, by putting labels to them \ you return 
 again when it is time to bud your flocks, and 
 obferve, in chufingthe branches, that they are 
 of a middling ftrength, and furnifhed with 
 good double buds ; the largeft are generally 
 
 rank,
 
 [ "7 1 
 
 rank, which muft be avoided, as I have be- 
 fore obferved, and the weak ones have not eyes 
 proper for budding. If you are not within 
 diftance of performing this yourfelf, and that 
 you are under an abfolute neceffity of leaving 
 it to fomebody elfe, take all the precaution 
 your prudence will fuggeft to you, that the 
 branches may be well chofen, and the forts 
 marked with certainty. To this end you 
 might fend fome one with your gardener, for 
 a proverbial reafon, 'viz. that four eyes are 
 better than two. Thole who live at a diltance 
 in the provinces, and have nothing in their 
 neighbourhood that would anfwer their wiflies, 
 muft recommend it to the perfon whom they 
 intruft with their orders, to range the branches 
 they fend properly in boxes, diftinguifhed in 
 bundles, and numbered, and to flick the ends 
 of them in little cucumbers to preferve them 
 frefh : With this precaution they may remain 
 in fuch a fituation for a month, without fpoil- 
 ing. Another circumflance of the fame kind 
 muft be attended to, when you bud, which is, 
 to fet the branches in a veflel that has two 
 inches of water in it, during the operation, 
 that the fun and air may not dry them. 
 
 I fay nothing particular of the operation it- 
 felf, now known in all countries ; but I muft 
 remark, that there is a nicety in doing it well, 
 which is not obferved by all thofe who pretend 
 to it ; fo that you muft procure as intelligent a 
 workman as poflible ; thefe are to be found 
 I 3 about
 
 about Paris -, but in the more diftant countries, 
 every one muft get fuch an one as he can. 
 
 It remains that I fpeak of the fuckers , that 
 is, of the forts of plums proper for budding 
 Peach trees. We have but three forts that 
 require a particular ftock, the two Violets, 
 Early and Late, and the Chevreufe. This lafl 
 is found by repeated experience to take very 
 well upon the St. Julien ; of which there are 
 two forts, the Common and the Jorc ; the 
 firft may do, for want of the latter ; but 
 this is much the mcft certain, and mould al- 
 ways be preferred. All the other forts of 
 Peaches require the damafine, cither the great 
 or fmall, which are well known, though the 
 former is the beft. They are diftinguiflied 
 from each other thus , the wood of the great 
 damafine is of a grey colour, a little mealy, 
 and the heart of the moot whitifh ; the little 
 damafine is all over of a deep brown, and the 
 heart of the fhoot reddilh. Thefe forts are 
 fometimes raifed from the flones, by which 
 you are perfectly fure ; but in general, flips 
 taken from the foot of an old tree that bears 
 well, or fuckers from fome old (tool that has 
 been dug round, are efteemed equally good, 
 provided they have good roots, and have no 
 knots of old wood taken up with them. The 
 fhoots of the year mould be chofen, if pof- 
 fible, though the two years wood is good. 
 Thofe that have not any of their own, or in 
 the neighbourhood, may be lupplied at La 
 
 Vallee,
 
 [ 9 1 
 
 Vallee, where they are generally fold from All 
 Saints to March. This mould be well under- 
 ftood, and is all the direction in my power 
 
 to give. 
 
 It will no doubt be thought, that it re- 
 quires no more care and trouble to lay out a 
 wall of trees in the manner I have mentioned, 
 than to plant thofe already budded. I grant 
 this ; but let any one reflect at the fame time, 
 how many and various the hazards are in plant- 
 ing in this laft manner, and how mortifying it 
 would be, to have trained up a tree for fome 
 years, and when it is juft arrived at perfection, 
 to find yourfelf deceived, that is, to find the 
 fruit quite different from what you expected, 
 either in flavour or fruitfulnefs. There are 
 however too many who experience this morti- 
 fication, which is a very cruel one, and whofe 
 example may teach others to avoid it. Now 
 the method that I advife removes all inconve- 
 niences, prevents any that might be feared, 
 and there will be nothing difficult in the prac- 
 tice. I add further, that if you have none 
 but dwarfs, you will enjoy the fruit full as foon 
 as by planting budded trees ; for it is notorious, 
 that this tree, by being tranfplanted, befides 
 the particular hazards it runs, lofes the firft 
 year in taking new root, which is not the cafe 
 with that budded in the place where it is to re- 
 main ; for the fame year that the bud pufhes, 
 the tree begins to form its head, by means of 
 the young (hoots being pinched j and it is 
 
 much
 
 [ 120 ] 
 
 much more eafy to train it properly, becaufe 
 there is a moral certainty that the fecond moots 
 pufhed out from the firft will be of an equal 
 fize, by which it is plain the fap is equally di- 
 vided : Befides, it is certain, that a ftock that 
 remains in the place where it was firft raifed, 
 always fucceeds better throughout all theftages 
 of its life, than one that has been tranfplanted. 
 The check this laft meets with, and the change 
 of foil, muft neceffarily have fuch an effecl; 
 upon it, as not only to reftore its growth, but 
 alter its whole fyftem. The faft is, that the 
 (tern being fuddenly deprived of the nourifli- 
 ment that keeps it alive, falls into a kind of 
 lethargy, and remains in that ftate, till the root 
 has formed fome new (hoots, to give it a frefli 
 fupply of nourifhment , and though it does 
 not die, yet it is certain that the external parts 
 of it fuffer fuch an alteration by the fun and 
 air, that they never recover, fo as to return to 
 their original ftate. From whence it follows, 
 that it never becomes fo vigorous as before, 
 and thar, in the courfe of nature, it cannot 
 laft fo long. I go (till further, and affirm, that 
 whoever will make trial of the different effects 
 of each, may perceive, that the fruit produced 
 by trees planted in the firft- method will after- 
 wards lofe fomething of its flavour. My opi- 
 nion is founded upon the acknowledgment 
 even of feveral nuifery-men themfelves, who 
 have often afTured me, that the fruit they fome- 
 times gathered by chance from ftandard trees 
 
 that
 
 [ 1*1 ] 
 
 that were at firft defigned to be tranfplanted, 
 was much fuperior in flavour to all they had 
 in their gardens , and I once .riled it myfelf, 
 and could not help being of ^ fame opinion. 
 But I return to fpeak of the ftrength and du- 
 ration of the trees ; and to confirm my opi- 
 nion, I mail make fome obfervations upon that 
 head. It has been very often obferved, that 
 a ftone remaining where it is firft planted, 
 throws out its ftem and head much fafter, and 
 more regularly too, than one that is tranf- 
 planted. It is well known, that an oak re- 
 moved never makes a fine tree, and that it 
 mould be produced from the acorn. It is ob- 
 ferved alfo, that cherries, and the wild cherry, 
 which grow from (tones, moot away in a very 
 different manner from thofe planted out in 
 fields. I could reafon from trees to plants in 
 a garden, and remark an infinite number that 
 thrive much better where they were firft fowed, 
 than when they are planted out , (fuch for in- 
 ftances as lettuces, endive, onions, all kinds of 
 artichokes, legumes, and all forts of roots.) 
 This is too evident to be difputed ; but it 
 may be faid, that the conftitutions of all plants, 
 no more than of all trees, are alike, which I 
 grant ; but I fay, that the general order of 
 vegetation is always the fame, and that nature 
 is much better pleafed with her free and unin- 
 terrupted productions, than when fhe is con- 
 ftrained, and put out of her courfe. I mail 
 
 give
 
 [ 122 1 
 
 give fome proofs of the fad I have here ad- 
 vanced. 
 
 A particular acquaintance of mine, fome 
 years fince, ordered a bad piece of wood, of 
 ten or twelve acres, to be deftroyed, where 
 finding amongft the fmall wood, of which it 
 was full, a great many plants of wild pears 
 and apples newly mot from the kernels, he or- 
 dered them all to be preferved that were fit for 
 grafting, and in the fpring following grafted 
 them, fome by flit-grafting, and others by 
 rind-grafting, according to their fize. The 
 grafts took perfectly well, and in three years 
 he gathered mod excellent fruit ; but I mould 
 fay at the fame time, that in deftroying the 
 trees he had them grubbed up as deep as pof- 
 fible, which gave the whole ground a kind of 
 trenching, that was of great advantage to the 
 young grafted trees ; fo that in ten years they 
 formed heads as large as a tranfplanted tree 
 does in twenty-five ; and this plantation, made 
 by chance, became an orchard of great profit, 
 which I have often looked at with great afto- 
 nifhment. 
 
 I have one more obfervation to make, re- 
 lating to the method of making plantations in 
 the neighbourhood of Paris, which produce 
 the cyder. Skilful people come here annually, 
 to take up all the wild (locks they can find in 
 the nurferies of a proper fize ; th'efe they 
 carry home, and flit-graft them at the end of 
 
 two
 
 r 123 3 
 
 two years, when they have taken good root. 
 I have often met them in the nurferies, and 
 upon talking with them, they all agreed in 
 alluring me, that their fruits, grafted upon 
 flocks as they grow in their proper places, 
 fucceeded much better in all refpefts, than 
 ready grafted trees. I am quite of this opi- 
 nion, without reafoning any farther upon the 
 caufes ; and I hope this little digrefiion isfuffi- 
 cient to convince every one, that my opinion 
 at leaft is not founded upon trifling conjectures, 
 and to make them ftill more fenfible of the 
 utility of the method I advife. 
 
 FINIS.
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
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