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from cold winds, and prefcrve the tender fruit until 

 iliey are pad danger, when the Reeds may be taken 

 down, and put under a ftied to preferve them from 

 'the weather; and if the autumn fliould prove bad, 

 thefe R.eeds may be fixed up again, which will for- 

 ward the ripening of the fruit, and alfo prevent the 

 winds from blowing down, and bruifing it. Thefe 

 Keeds may be purchafed for one Ihilling per yard, 

 running meafure, at fix feet and a half high; and 

 if they are carefully laid up, and kept from the wea- 

 ther, thefe Reeds will laft feven or eight years, fo 

 that the expence will not be very great ; and when 

 tiie advantacres which thefe are of to the fruit are con- 

 lidered, I believe no perfon will objeft to the ufe of 



them. 



But after the fruit is fet and growing, there will be 

 farther care neceffary in order to have the fruit. good; 

 for it is not enough to have preferved a good crop 

 • of fruit on the trees, and then leave them entirely to 

 mature during the feafon of their growth, but there 

 will require feme Ikill and attendance on the tjees 

 to help nature, or fupply the deficiency of feafons ;^ 

 for befide^ the pruning and training trees in the 

 manner before direded, there will alfo be wanting 

 feme management of their roots, according to the 

 nature of the foil, and the 'difference of feafons. ' In 

 all ftrong land, where the ground is apt to bind very 

 hard in dry weather, the furface of the borders Ihould 

 ' be now and then forked over to loofen the earth, 

 'v which will admit the fliowe'rs and large dews to pe- 

 netrate and moiften the ground, and be of great ler- 

 t vice to the trees and fruit, and alfo prevent^ the growth 

 ' of weedsi - And if the foil is light and dry, and the 

 / feafon fhould proveho't and dry, there fhduld be large 

 ^•hollows made round the ftems of the trees to hold 



■ water ; and into each of thefe there fliould be poured 

 '^. ciglit or nine pots of water, which fliould be repeated 



once in a weeK or ten days during the months of June 

 V' and July, if the feafon fliould continue dry.. There 

 *- Ihould alfo be fome mulch laid over the furface of 



■ 



- "tliefe hollows, to prevent the fun and air from dryin 

 ^ the ground. Where this is praftifed, the fruit will 



■ be kept conftantly growing, and prove large and 

 ••■plump; whereas, if this is omitted, the fruit will of- 

 ten be fmall, grow crooked, crack, and fall off from 



. the trees.'; "For if the fruit is once fliintcd in their 



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growth, and" rain fliould fall plentifully after, it will 

 occalion a' great 'quantity "of fruk to fall off the. 

 trees, and rhofe which remain to ripen will not keep 

 fo lone as thofe which never receive any check in 

 their growth ; and it is from this caufe, that Tome 

 years the fruit in general decays before 'the ufual 

 time. For after it has been for fome time fl;inted in 

 its gro\vth, and then'^the feafon proves favourable, 

 whereby it receives a fudden growth, it becomes fo 

 replete with iuice, as p6 diftend the vefTels too fud- 

 denly, fo that they will not Ue firm, which occafions 

 their decay ; therefore it is always befl: to keep "the 

 .fruit cdnffantly'in'a" growing ftatei' whereby it will 

 acquire a proper fize, and be rendered better fla- 

 -voured. '■' " ■' -'■;./' " "" ■'' -'^^ "'-■ 





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.^ There will alfo be required fome drefling to the 

 ground near the fruit-trees ; but this fliould be laid 

 en in autumn, after the trees are^ pruned. ^ ^This 

 drefling fliould be different, according to the 'nature 

 of the foil ; if the land is warm and dry, theii the dreflT- 

 ing fliould be of very rotten duftg, mixed withjoam ; 

 and if this is mixed fix or eight months ^before ft is 

 laid upon the borders, anS'three orfour times' turned 

 over, it will be the better i as will alfo the mixture, 

 if it is tnade v/ith neat's or hog's dung, both ^yhich 

 are colder than horfe dung, fo more proper for hot 

 land. But in cold ftiff" land, rotten horfe dUng, 

 mixed v^ich light fandy earth, or fea-coal aflies, will 

 be the moll proper, as this will loofen the ground 

 and add a warmth to it. ■ " 



Thefe dreifings fliould be repeated every other year, 

 ctherwife the trees will not thrive fo well, nor will the 

 fruit be fo good. For, notwithftanding what^ many 

 perfons have advanced to tfie contrary, yet experience 



P Y 



is againfl ihem ; for the fineft fruit in England, borh 

 as to fize and flavour, is produced on land which is 

 the mofl: dunged and v/orked. Therefore I w6uld ad- 

 vife trenching the ground about the fruit-trees very 

 well every winter,^ for I am fure they will find it an- 

 fwer their expedtations who fliall praftife this method. 

 And where the ground in the quarters is well drefled 

 and trenched, the fruit-trees will partake of the be- 

 nefit ; for as the trees advance in their growth, fo 

 their roots are extended to a great diftance from their 

 ftems ; and it is chiefly from the difl:ant*roocs that the 

 trees are fupplied with their nourifliment; therefore 

 drefling the borders only, will not be fufiicient for 

 fruit-trees which are -old. - ■ * 



In gathering of Pears, great regard fliould be had to 

 the bud which is formed at the bottom of the foot- 

 ftalk, for the next year's bloflbms; which, by forcing 

 ofFthe Pear before it be mature, is many times ipoiled; 

 for while the fruit is growing, there is always a bud 

 formed by the fide of the foot-fl:alk upon the fame 

 fpur, for the next year's fruit ; fo that when the Pears 

 are ripe, if they are gently turned upward, the 

 foot-fl:alk will readily part from the ipur, without in- 

 juring the bud. '. ^ 

 The feafon forgathering all Summer Pears is jufl: as 

 they ripen, for none of thefe will remain good above 

 a day or two after they are taken from the tree ; nor 

 will many^ of the Aut^amn Pears keep good above 

 ten days or a fortnight after they are gathered. But 

 the winter fruits fliould hang as long upon the trees 

 as the feafon will permit ; for they mufl: not receive 

 the frofl:, 'which will caufe them to rot, and render 

 their juices fiat and ill taffed ; but if the weather con- 

 tinue mild until the end of 0£lober, it will then be 

 a good feafpn for gathering them in, which. mufl: al- 

 ways be done in dry weather,' and when the trees arc 



i<' » ■■ 



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perfedlly dry.' _ . . . 

 In the doing of this you ought carefully to avoid 

 bruifing them, therefore you fliould have a broad flat 

 baflcet to lay them in as they are gathered ; and when 

 they are carried into the fl:ore-room, they fliould be 

 taken out fingly, and each fort laid up in a clofe heap 

 on a dry place, in order to fweat, where they may re- 

 main for ten days or a fortnight ; during which time 

 the windows fliould be open to admit the air, in or- 

 der to carry off all the moifl:ure which is perfpired 

 from the fruit; after this, the Pears fliould be taken 

 •fingly, and wiped dry with a woollen cloth, and then 

 packed up m dole baflcets, oblerving to put fome 

 ^Wheat fl:raw in the bottoms, and round the fides of 

 ' the' ba^ets,"f6 prevent their bruifing againft the baf- 

 ;kets. An^^if fome thick foft paper is laid double or 

 treBIe all round the baflcet, between the fl:raw and 

 . the Pears, this will present the Pears' from imbibing 

 'the mufty tafte which is commumcated to them by the 

 ; ffraw, when they are Tohtiguous ; which taffe oftert 

 penetrates through theVflcin fo fl:rbngTy, that when 

 the fruit is pared, the tafl:e will renjain. /^ You fliould 

 ■ alfo obferye to put but one fort of friilt into a baflcet, 

 ' left: by their diff'erent fermentations, 'they fliould rot 

 .each other ; but if you have enough of one fort to 

 fill a bafliet which holds two or three bufliels, it will be 

 ftill better. After you have filled the baflcets, you mufl: 

 rover them over with Wheat -ftraW very clofe, firfl:" 



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_ of paper t\yp orjhree times double 

 oyer the fruit, andfaften them down ; then plac^jhcfe 



"'baflce'ts in a clofe room, where they may be kept 'dry 

 'and from frofl:"; but the lefs air is let into the roonTi, 

 the better the fruit will keep. " It will be very necef- 

 fary to fix a label to each baflcet, denoting the fort 



' of fruit therein contained, which will fave the trou- 

 ble of opening them, whenever you want to know 

 the forts of fruit ; befides, they ought not to be 

 opened before their feafon to be eaten, for the o^ 

 tener they are opened 'and expofed to the air, the 

 worfe they will keep. I do not doubt but this will 

 be objected to by many, who imagine fruit cannot 

 be laid too thin ; for Which reafon, they make flielvcs 

 to difpofe them fingly upon, and are very fond' of 



admitting frefli air, whenever the weather is mild, 



fuppofing 



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