F I 



of asbadConfequence as having too 

 few, for it will occafion their being 

 weak and unfruitful j and if it is 

 done in June or July, it will only 

 occalion the Buds to produce Tigs 

 in great Plenty, which will never 

 come to good fo late in the Year, 

 and will greatly weaken the tender 

 Fruit- Branches, and prevent their 

 bearing the next Spring. 



If the Winter fhould prove ex- 

 treme iharp, it will be nccelliry to 

 cover your choice!! Sorts of Big- 

 Trees, either with Straw, Reeds, 

 Peafe-Haulm, or fome other fuch 

 like Covering, which will preferve 

 the tender Fruit-branches from be- 

 ing injur'dj for want of which 

 Care, in the Winter Anno 1728, 

 the Fig-Trees fuffer'd very much in 

 raofl Parts of England. By this 

 Method your Fruit will be greatly 

 forwarded, but you Ihould be very 

 careful not to remove your Cover- 

 ing too early in the Spring, nor to 

 do it all at once, but open them 

 hrft in the Day-time, and cover 

 them again at Night, and fo by 

 degrees inure them to the open 

 Air. In fome Places where this 

 Method has been carefully oblerv'd, 

 I have feen ripe Figs almoft a 

 Month fooner than where they 

 were not cover'd, and the Fruit in 

 much greater Plenty. 



Thefc Trees do very well againfl: 

 the warm Side of an Houfe, or 

 other large Building, where they 

 have a great Compafs of Wallmg,- 

 and the higher thefc Trees are 

 train'd from the Ground, the better 

 the Fruit is tailed, efpccially if it 

 be againft a Chimney, where it 

 may enjoy fome Share of Warmth 

 thro* the Bricks : And Figs, tho' 

 the mod delicate of Fruits, being 

 very little efteem'd by vulgar Pa- 

 lates, are lefs liable to be ftoln by 

 Servants or common People, than 



F I 



fome of the more common Sorts 

 of Fruits. 



I am aware, tliat what I have 

 here advanc'd, in relation to the 

 pruning and drelT/ng of Tig- Trees, 

 will he condemned by great Num- 

 bers of People, who will not give 

 themfelves lime to coniider and 

 examine the Reafons upon which 

 I have founded this Practice, nor 

 to make one fmgle Experiment to 

 try the Truth ot it, as being vailiy 

 different from the general Practice 

 of mod Gardeners, who always 

 imagine, that Fig-Trees fhould never 

 have much pruning, or at Icall, 

 that they fliould a'ways be fuftef'd 

 to grow from the Wall to fome 

 Didance : That by this Manage- 

 ment, I have often leen great Qiian- 

 tities of Fruit, I cannot deny, but 

 then this has been only in mild 

 Winters, for it is very certain, that 

 in fharp Frofts few of thefe out- 

 fide Shoots efcape being greatly in- 

 jur 'd i whereas it rarely happens, 

 that thofc Shoots which are Ciofcly 

 nail'd to the Wall at Michaelmas do 

 fuffer the lead Damage, and the 

 Fruits are always produc'd a Fort- 

 night fooner upon thcie Branches 

 than they are upon thofe which 

 grow from the Wall. 



The Seafon alfo for Prun'ng, 

 which I have laid down, being 

 vaftly different from" the common 

 Practice and Opinion of moil Gar- 

 deners, will alfo be objected agai nil J 

 but this I am fure, if any one will 

 but make Trial of it, I doubt not 

 but his Experience will confirm 

 what I have here advanc'd 5 for as 

 one great Injury to this Tree, pro- 

 ceeds from the too great Effuiion 

 of Sap at the wounded Parts, fb 

 by this Autumn pruning this is 

 prevented j for at that Seaion, all 

 the Parts of European Trees which 

 caft their Leaves, are Icis replete 



with 



