22 
A COM PUMA TT BoD Y 
Sept. 
_ Trees, let him ae oa his others. 
fpect of thefe, the Bufing& turns upon two Points, — 
the gathering fuch of their Fruits as are ripe, and — 
the preferving of the reft; for the Devourers and : 
| laid it handfomely in the Bafket, let it be plac’d 
| ina cool but not damp Room, till it is wanted. 
When the ripeft are gathered, the reft are to be. 
C HOA P. 
I]. 
Of the Care and Management of Fruit-Trees. 
HE Time for planting, in this Article, ap- 
proaches as in the others, and our Gardener 
mutt prepare for it in the fame Manner. Where- 
ever he intends to fet new Trees, let him now dig 
the Ground. Let him cut it to a good Depth, and — 
break the Clods well, and then lava it even. 
We 
have given the Reafon of this Practice before. 
The Earth will be improv’d by the Air, Rain and 
Dews, as much as by Manure. } 
This Preparation being made in order for new 
Deftroyers of them are at this Time innumerable. 
The Birds, Commoners of Nature, peck at what 
they pleafe; they tafte and leave, and tafte again of | 
others; and what they wound, Myriads of leffer 
Creatures follow to deftroy. The leaft Fly will at- 
tack the largeft Fruit when thefe have broke the 
Skin. The firft Care is therefore to defend from 
them. They attack the ripe Fruit moft; and there- 
fore the firft Way of guarding againft them, is by 
gathering what is ready for Ufe and mott in 
Danger. 
The chief Merit of the Gandehés, in thts Re- 
-fpect, is the fupplying the Table with them in the 
utmoft Perfection, and the Art of Gathering, 
: which is very little underftood or thought of, is 
a very effential and material Article. 
I have feen one common Cuftom among Gar- 
deners, which is to go out for Fruit an Hour be- 
fore it is to be ferved at Table; and this they 
think very meritorious, becaufe it will be freth. 
“ways in the Fruit: 
I have feen alfo a contrary Practice, which I 
fhall explain, together with its Reafons; but firft, 
in order to fhew its real Ufe, this FaGt muft be 
inferted. 
Two Gentlemen, Relations and Neighbours, 
who had the fame Soil and the fame kind of Trees, 
and thofe, to all Appearance, manag’d in the 
very fame Manner, found a vaft Difference al- 
it was fo great, that their 
Company never fail’d to perceive it as well as 
themfelves ; and when it came at laft'to be ex- 
plain’d, the whole Caufe was, that the Gardener 
of him whofe Fruit was worft, gather’d it juft 
_ before it was wanted, and the other much earlier. 
This feems to contradict Reafon, Frefhnefs gi 
efteem’d the great Article in the Nicety of F ruit : 
but it is only a feeming Contradition. 
~ Let any one examine the State of Plants in oe- 
neral, in Summer, and he will find it this; as the 
sreat Heat of the Day comes on, their Leaves 
begin to flac 
the Cool of the Evening. ‘The Reafon is, the 
ereat Evaporation of thei? Juices by the Sun’s 
Heat: they grow flaccid from toward Noon till 
near Sun-fet: then the Heat is over, and the Dews 
refrefh them: they continue recruiting and reco- 
vering during the whole Night, and ehey are firm 
and lively in the Morning, 
3 
Time for gathering them : 
With Re- 
tions. 
; and they droop more and more till 
The Cafe is the fame in Fruits, only it is not 
fo eafily perceived. At Noon they are exhaufted 
and flattened, and they are heated to the Heart - 
all this renders them dead and unpleafing. They 
begin to recruit toward Evening, as the Leaves ; 
and in the fame Manner are in their full Perfection 
at early Morning. One Hour after Sun-rife is the 
this was the Secret’ of 
the fuccefsful Gardener, and this ion one fhould 
practife. 
Let him take fome Fruit-Bafkets of open- 
work, cover them with large Leaves, and at Se- 
ven in the Morning go out to gather his Fruit. — 
When he has carefully chofen what is ripe, and 
preferved: and with Refpe& of Birds, fome 
Lime-twigs and Trap-cages fhould be placed, and 
Lines of Feathers hung about the Place. — 
This, with frequent frightning them away with — 
a Piftol charg’d with Poweler, will be a good ge- 
neral Method of guarding them; but more Care is 
to be taken of fome particular fit ones. Grapes 
and Peaches are now moft in Danger, and the 
fame Method fhould be us’d for both. 
Let the Gardener get fome fine thin white Crape, 
and cut it out in Pieces of proper Size: let him 
obferve which are the fineft and moft perfect 
Bunches of Grapes, and cover them up with Pieces 
(of the Crape, tying it lightly round the Stalk, 
jut over the Top of the Berries: thus there will 
be feveral Bunches of the fineft Grapes preferved 
in fo many Bags, and they will ripen to Perfection, 
without being expofed to Infeéts. The Gardener 
who hall follow this Praétice, will be able to fend 
up fuch perfect Bunches as can be feen at no 
other Table. — 
The fame Care is to be taken with the Peaches, 
the Places muft be mark’d where the beft grow, and 
' Pieces of the Crape nail’d over them; not fingly, 
for that would be endlefs ; but a large Piece to 
preferve ten or a dozen. , | 
The common Praétice of hanging Nets over 
Fruit-Trees, Has its Ufe; but in a limited Way. 
They keep off Birds ;’and are fo far ferviceable P 
but Flies are. not prevented from their Depreda- 
Among thefe the Walps are the worft, and 
too much Girt cannot be taken in guarding again{t 
them. The Crape will prefarye™ fuch watticitar 
Parcels as are covered with it; but as a great deal 
is left open, all Care muft be taken to deftroy this 
Enemy. Bottles of Sugar-water, hung in various 
‘Parts of the Trees, aré of great Sttviee apaintt 
this Species, and many others; but they give 
very imperfect Direétions who content themfelves 
with advifing this. 
Ww Heo a Wafp is feen, it fhould be de- 
ftroy’d with Care’; for one Wafp that efcapes at 
this. Time, and furvives the Winter, will lay the 
Foundation for a Swarm. 
The Deftruction ‘of them fingly at this Period, 
, | and 
Sept.” 
