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elthet with evergreens, fiowering-fhrubi, or foreft- 

 trees : and in Holland their Nurlcrries are principally 

 for flowers j fome few of them, indeed, propagate 

 tender exotic plints. But ihofe Nurferies in the 

 neighbourhood of London do, feveral of them, in- 

 clude all thefe, and from hence moft of the curious 

 perfons abroad are fupplied with furniture for their 

 gardens. Bui; I do not propofe in this place, ro treat 



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the borders of the pleafure -garden, and for 

 many kinds of bulbous-rooted flowers from fecd^ 

 whereby a variety of new forts may be obtained annu- 

 ally, which will recompenfe for the trouble and 

 pence, and will moreover be an agreeable diverfion to 

 ail thole perfons who delight in the amufcmcnts of 

 gardening. 



Such a Nurfery as this fhould be conveniently fitu. 

 of thefe cxtenfive Nurfenes,* or to give'a dcfcription | ated for water •, for where that is wanting, rhere muft 

 of them, therefore (hall confine myfelf to treat of ' 

 fuch Nurferies only as are abfolutely neccfTary for all 

 lovers of planting, to have upon the fpot where they 

 dcfign to make their plantation. P'or if thefe are large, 

 theexpence of carrying a great number of trees, if the 

 diftance is great, will be no fmall article, befide the ha- 

 zard of their growing ; which, when the plants have 

 been trained up in good land, and removed to an in- 

 different one, is very great. Therefore it is of the 

 utmoft confequence to every planter, to begin by 



But in this article I mull 





making a Nurfery. 



beg 



leave to obferve, that a Nurfery fhould not be fixed 

 to any particular fpot : I m^ean by this, that it would 

 be wrong to continue the raifing of trees any num- 

 ber of years upon the fame fpot of ground, becaufe 

 hereby the ground will be fo much exhaufted by the 

 trees, as to render it unfit for the fame purpofe. 

 Therefore all good Nurfery gardeners fhift and change 

 their land from time to time, for when they have 

 drawn off the trees from a a fpot of ground, they 

 either plant kitchen herbs, or other things, upon the 

 ground for a year or two, by which time, as alfo by 

 dunging and trenching the land, it is recovered, and 

 made fit to receive other trees. But this they are 

 obliged to from neceffity, being confined to the 

 fame land ; which is not the caie with thofe gen- 

 tlemen, who have large extent of ground in the 

 country. Therefore all fuch p,erfons I would- ad- 

 viie to make Nurferies upon the ground which is in- 

 tended for planting, where a fufficient number of the 

 trees mav be left ftandinsr.' after the othersTiave* been 



be an expcnce attending the carriage of water in drv 

 weather. It fhould alfo be as near the houfc as it can 



with conveniency be admitted, in order to render it cafv 

 to vifit at all times of the year, becaufe it is abfolutdv 

 neceffary that it fhould be under the infpeflrion of the 

 mailer, for unlefs he delights in it, there will be little 

 hopes of fuccefs. The foil of this Nurfery fhould alf^ 

 be good, and not too heavy and fliff, for fuch land 

 will be very improper for fowing moll forts of feeds • 

 becaufe as this will detain the moifture in the fpring 

 and winter, the feeds of moll tender things, efpecially 

 of flowers, will rot in the ground, if Town eady- 

 therefore where perfons are confined to fuch land' 

 there fhould be a good quantity of fand, alhes, and 

 other light manures buried, in order to feparate the 

 parts, and pulverize the ground; and if it is thrown 

 up in ridges, to receive the froft in winter, it will be 

 of great ufe to it, as will alfo the frequent forkino-, 

 or ftirring of the ground, both before and after itis 

 planted. . . ^... ..;., 



The many advantages which attend the having fuch 

 a Nurfery, are fo obvious to every perfbn who has 

 turned his thoughts in the lead to this fubje<5t, that it 

 is needlefs for me to mention them here ; and there- 

 fore I ihall only beg leave to repeat here what I have 

 fo frequently recommended, which is, the carefully 

 keeping the ground always clean from weeds j for if 

 ..thefe are permitted to grow, they will rob the young 

 trees of their nourifhment. Another principal bufi- 

 nefs is, to dig tHc ground between the young plants 

 at leaft once every year, to loofen it for the rootVto 



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drawn "oiit to plant in other places ; which, for all I llrike out ; but if the ground is ftiff, it will be better if 



' large growing trees, but particularly fuch as are.cul- 

 -'' tivated for timber: will be found by much the mofl 



it is repeated twice a year, viz. inOftoberandMarch, 

 which will greatly promote the growth of the plants, 



advantageous method ; for' all thofe trees which come I and prepare their roots for tranfolanting. 



i- 



^''^up'frbm the feed, or which are tranfplanted very 

 r young into the places whei-e they are defigned to re- 

 ^ ' main, will make a^much greater progrefs,.and become I I would recommend to every one who is a lover of 



But as there may be fome perfons who may have t)ic 

 curiofity to raifc their own fruit-trees, which is what 



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larger trees, than any of thofe which are tranfplanted 

 at a greater age. Therefore the Nurferies fhould be 

 thinned early, by removing all thofe trees which are 



intended for odier plantations while they are young, 

 becaufe hereby the expence and trouble of ftaking, wa- 

 tering, &c. will be faved, and the trees will fucceed 

 much better. But in expofed fiituations, where there 

 are Nurferies made, it will be neceffary to permit the 



'trees to (land much longer; that, by growing clofe 

 together, they may fhelter each other, and draw them- 

 fclves up; and thefe fhould be thinned gradually, as 

 the trees advance ; for, by taking away too many at 

 firft, the cold will checlc the growth of the remaining 



' trees. But then thofe trees which are' taken out from 

 thefe Nurferies, after a certain age, fliould not be de- 



■ pended on for planting ; and it will be prudence ra- 

 ther to confign them for fuel, than by atternpting to 

 remove them large,. whereby, in endeavouring to get 



."them up with good roots, the "roots of the Handing 

 ' trees will be often much mjurcd. . _ 



7' [What has been here propofed, mufl be underftood 

 -- for all large plantations in parks, woods, &c. but 

 ^ thofe Nurferies which are only intended for the raifing 



■ of evergreens, flowering (hrubs, or plants which are 

 defigned to embellifli gardens, may be confined to one 



\fpot, be'caufe a fmall compafs of ground will be fuf- 

 ficient for this purpofe. Two or three acres of land 



^employed this way, will be fufficient for the moft ex- 

 tenuve defigns, and one acre will be full enough for 

 thofe of moderate extent. And fuch a fpot of ground 

 may Be always employed for fowing the feeds of fo- 

 reign trees and plants, as alfo for raifing many forts 

 of biennial and perennial flowers, to tranfplant into 



r 



good fruit, becaufe the uncertainty in procuring the 

 intended kinds of each fruit is very great, when taken 

 from common Nurfery-gardens, fo that moft gentle- 

 men who have planted many, have conftantly com- 

 plained of this difappointment •, but befide this, there 

 is another inconvenience, which, for want of fkill, is 

 fcarce taken notice of, which is, the taking the buds 

 or grafts from young trees in the Nurferie's which 

 have not borne fruit ; this having been frequendy re- , 

 peated, renders the trees fo raifed as luxuriant a 

 Willows, making fhoots to the top of the walls in 

 two or three years, and are rarely after fruitful with 

 the mofl fkilful management : I fhall therefore treat 

 of the proper rnethod to make a Nurfei^ of thefe 

 trees. ; . . • ... .v^ ^^.^ ..'' ' ■--' . 



In the doing of which you mufl obferve the follow- 



«, - . *, ■ ■■ t 



"-*-.-> 



ing rules: 



That the foil in which vou make the Nurfery be 



I. 





not better than that where 'the trees are'to be planted 

 out for good; the riot obfervin^' this is the reafon 

 that trees are often at a fland, or make but little pro- 

 grefs for three or four years after they come from the 

 Nurfery, as it commonly happens to fpch trees as are 

 raifed near London, and carried into the northern parts 

 of England, where, being planted in a poor foil and a 

 much colder fituation, the trees feldom fucceed welU 

 therefore it is by far the better method (when you nave 

 obtained the forts you would propagate) to raife a Nur- 

 fery of the feveral forts of flocks proper for the van- 

 ous kinds of fruit, upon which you may bud or 

 graft them ; and thofe trees which are thus raifed up- 

 onthe foil, and in the fame degree of warmth, where 

 they are to be planted, will fucceed much better than 





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