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But being willing to try this experiment again in 

 the month of October 1733, I made choice of two 

 ftandiird Almond-trees of equal ftrengrti and ag 

 thefe I took up as carefully as poflible, and having 

 prepared their roots as before direded, I pruned their 

 heads in the follov/ing manner, viz. from one. of 

 them I only cut off the fmall branches, and fuch as 

 T;ere bruifed or broken, but preferved all the ftrcng 

 ones entire ; of the other, I Shortened all the fbrong 

 branches, and pruned off the weak and broken -fhoots, 

 as is the common practice. , Thefe two trees I plant- 

 ed in the fame foil and to the fame fituation, gave 

 them both equal attendance, and managed them 

 both as nearly alike as poffible ; yet in the fpring, 

 when thefe trees began to fhoot, that, whofe branches 

 •were entirely preferved, came out early, continued 

 to Hioot ftronger, and is at prefent much larger, and 

 in better health than the other. And fince this I 

 have made feveral other experiments of the like nature, 

 -which have conftantly fucceeded in the fame manner, 

 from whence it is reafonable to conclude, that the 

 fliortening of the brarrches is a great injury to all new- 

 planted trees, but efpecially to Cherries and Horfe 

 Cheftnuts, which are frequently killed by Ihortening 

 their large branches when they are removed. 

 Having thus prepared the trees for Planting, we muft 

 now proceed to the placing them into the ground j 

 but before this, I would advife, if the trees have 

 been long out of the ground, fo that the roots are 

 dried, to place them in water eight or ten hours be- 

 fore they are planted, obferving to put them in fuch 

 manner, that their heads may remain ere£b, and 

 their roots only immerfed therein, which will fwcll 

 the dried vcffels of the roots, and prepare them to 

 \^- .imbibe nourifliment from the earth. In fixing of 

 * them, great regard fhould be had to the nature of 

 :the foil, which if cold and moift, the trees fhould 

 :.'ibc planted very fhallow •, as alfo, if it be a hard 



about iivc inches from the v/all, inclining tlicir h 

 thereto ; 



Ct4 



ds 



and the fpring following, juft before they 

 Ihcor, their heads fnould be cut down to five or h.xJ 

 buds, as is fully direfted under the feveral articles of 

 the different kinds of fruit. 



As to the watering of all new-planted trees, I Hiould 

 advife it to be done with great moderation, nothing 

 being more injurious to them tlian over-\rdtenng. 

 Examples enough of this kir.d m.ay have been i<;cn m 

 many parts of England, where there has been planta- 

 tions made, which have been over-watered, whereby 

 the greateft part of the trees have failed, or thoic 

 which have furvived, have made little progrefs, oc- 

 cafioned by the abundance of water given to them, 

 whereby the fibres were rotted off as foon as produced. 

 And how can any perfon imagine that a tree fhould 

 thrive, when the ground, in which it is planted, is 

 continually floated with water ? for by an experizriCnt 

 made by the Rev. Dr. Hales, in placing the roots of a 

 dwarf Pear-tree in water, the quantity of morfture im.- 

 bibed dccreafed very much daily, becaufc thefap-vef- 

 fels of the roots, like tiiofe of the cut-off boughs in 

 the fame experiment, were fo faturated and clogged 



that more of it 



could not be drawn up. 



with moifture, by ftanding in water. 



And this experiment was 

 tried upon a tree which was full of leaves, and there- 

 by more capable to difcharge a large quantity of moif- 

 ture than fuch trees as are entirely deftitute of leaves -, 

 fo that it is impoflible fuch trees can thrive, where 

 the moifture is too great about their roots. 

 The feafons for planting are various, according to the 

 different forti of trees, or the foil in which they are 

 planted; for fuch trees whofe leaves fall off in win- 

 ter, the beft time is in the middle or end of Odlober, 

 provided the foil be dry ; but for a very wet foil, it is 

 better to defer it until the latter end of February, ot 



the beginning of March ; and for'many kinds of Ever- 

 greens, the beginning of April is by far the beft feafon. 



-fock or gravel, it v/il] be much the better way to I though fome forts may be fafely removed at Midfum- 



. . raife a hill of earth whej-e each tree is to be plant- 



-.-cd, than to dig into the rock or gravel, and fill it up 



, with earth (as is too often praftifed), whereby' the 



., trees are planted, as it were in a tub, there be- 



. J ing but little room for their roots to extend •, fo that 



..after two or three years growth, when their roots 



_f-. have extended to the fides of the hole, they are 



. flopped by the rock or gra\^e], can get no farther, 



*' v/hcreby the trees will decline, and in a few years 



• ...die ; befides, thefe holes detain the moifture fo, that 



■ the fibres of the plants are often rotted thereby. But 



i when they are raifed above the furface of the ground, 



iheir roots will extend and find nourifhment, though 



. ."4-he earth upon the rock or gravel be not three inches 



•. - thick, as may be frequently obferved, where trees are 





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'■'growing upon fuch foils. 



^The next thing to be obferved is to place the tree in 



.^' -the hole in fuch manner, that the roots may be about 



-'-the fame depth. in the ground,' as they were growing 



-before they were taken up; then break the earth 



• fine with a Ipade, and fcatter it into the hole, fo that it 



^'^^fflty fall in bcCwedn every root, that there m.ay be no 



• 'hollovvnefs in the earth (but you fhould by no mdans 



fift or fcreen the mould, for reafons given in fome 



■ other places) ; then having filled in the earth, you 



'■ fhould gently tread it clofe with your feet, but do not 



• '- I'lnake it too hard, which is a very great fault, efpeci- 



' aily if the j^round is ftrono; and inclineable to bind. 



Having thus planted the trees, you fhould provide 



3. parcel of flakes, one of which fhould be driven 



. down by the fides of the trees, and faftened thereto to 



fupport them from being blown down or difblaced by 



the wind ; then lay fome mulch upon the furface of the 



. ground, about their roots, to prevent the earth from 

 drying, ' .... 



This is to be underftood of ftandard-trees which caft 

 their leaves ^ for fuch as are planted againft walls, 

 fliould have their branches faftened to the waH to 

 prevent the trees from being difplaced 6y the wind ^ 



• but there is no difference in their management, only 

 ' to prefervc their heads entire, and to place .their roots 



mer, provided they are not to be, carried very far ; 

 but you fhould always make choice of a cloudy feafon ; 

 if poffible, at that time of the year, when they will 

 take frefh root in a few days. And, on the contrary^ 

 when thefe trees are removed in winter, during which 

 time they are almoft in a ftate of reft, they do not 

 take root until the fpring advances, and fets the fap 

 in motion j fo that many times they die, efpecially if 

 the winter proves fevere. • - „■ - - 



^ As to the preparing the foil for Planting, that muft 

 alfo be done to fuit the different forts of trees, fome 

 requiring a light foil, others a flrong one, &C.' But 

 this is fully fet down in the feveral articles of trees, 



: uncfer their properheads, to which the reader is defired 

 to turn ; though for the fruit-trees irt general, a frefli 

 foil from a pafture ground, which is neither, too light 

 and dry, nor over-ftrong and moift, but rather a gen- 

 tle, foft, loamy earth is to be preferred, provided it be 

 "exjiofed Ibme time. And if it b^ for Wall trees, will 

 be the better if the borders are filled with this earth 



. fix or eight feet wide, but it need not be above two 

 feet and a half deep at moft ^ for when the borders 

 are made too deep, the roots of thefe trees are en- 



^^ 



ticed downward, which is of bad confequence to 

 fruit-trees, as hath been elfe where obferved. The 

 fame alfo muft be obferved for ftandard-trees (where 

 frefh earth is brought to the place's, itt'which they are 

 planted), not to make the holes too deep, but rather 

 let them have the fame quantity of earth in width, 

 which is much to' be preferred. :"^. - '" 

 There are feveral perfons who dtfeft the placing of 

 the fame fide of the tree to the fouth, v/hich before 

 removing had that pofition, as a material circum- 

 ftance to be ftriftly regarded •, but from feveral trials 

 which I have made, I could not obferve the leaft 

 difTefcnce in the growth of thofe trees which were fo 

 placed, and others which we're reverfed *, fo that I 

 conclude, it is not of any confequence to obferve this 



method. ■ - ■ . ^ ^ 



The diftance which trees fhould be planted at, muft 

 alfo be proportioned to their feveral kinds, and the 



10 O r jTcreral 



