F I 



always be fuffered to grow very rude 

 from the Wall, to lome Diitance. 

 That by this Management I have 

 often feeh great Quantities of Fruit, 

 I cannot deny ; but then this has 

 been only in mild Weather ; for 

 it is very certain, that in {harp Frofts 

 few of thefe outfide Shoots efcape 

 being greatly injured where they 

 are not covered; whereas it rarely 

 happens, that thofe Shoots which are 

 clofely nailed to the Wall at Michael, 

 mis, or laid down and covered, do 

 fuffer the lead Damage ; and the 

 Fruits are always produced a Fort- 

 night fooner upon thefe Branches, 

 than they are upon thofe which grow 

 from the Wall. 



The Seafon alfo for Pruning, 

 which 1 have laid down, being vaftly 

 different from the common Practice 

 and Opinion of moil Gardeners, 

 will alfo be objected againft ; but I 

 am fure, if any one will but make 

 Trial of it, I doubt not but his 

 Experience will confirm what I have 

 here advanced ; for as one great In- 

 jury to this Tree proceeds from the 

 too great EfFufion of Sap at the 

 wounded Parts, fo by this Autum.-i- 

 pruning this is prevented ; for, at 

 that Seafon, all the Parts of European 

 Trees, which call their Leaves, are 

 lefs replete with Moitlure than at 

 any other time of the Year ; for by 

 the Ions; Continuance of the Sum- 

 mer's Heat, the Juices of Plants 

 having been exhautfed in the Nou- 

 rifhment and Augmentation of 

 Wood, Leaves, Fruits, &c. and alfo 

 great Quantities being evaporated 

 by Perfpiration, the P^oot not being 

 able to fend, up a Supply equivalent 

 to this great Confumption, the 

 Branches mull contain a much lefs 

 Quantity of Sap than in the Spring, 

 when it has'Kad feveral Months Sup- 

 ply from the Root; which tho' but 

 fmall in proportion to what is fent 



F I 



up when the Heat is greater, yet 

 there being little or no Watte, either 

 by Perfpiration or Augmentation, 

 there mull be a greater Quantity 

 contained in the Branches ; which 

 alfo is eafily to be oblerved, by 

 breaking or cutting off a vigorous 

 Branch of a Fig-tree at both Sea- 

 fons (the Sap, being milky, may be 

 readily difcerned) ; when that cut in 

 Autumn fhall be found to Hop its 

 bleeding in one Day's time, or lefs ; 

 whereas that cut in the Spring will 

 often flow a Week or more ; and 

 the Wound will be proportionably 

 longer before it heals. 



Tho' the Lift of Figs, which I 

 have here added, may be greater in 

 Number of Sorts than many People 

 at prefent know ; yet it is very 

 fmall, when compared with the great 

 Variety of Sorts which are known 

 in the more Southern Countries of 

 Europe ; from whence I have been 

 fupplied with a great Number of 

 Trees, of* very different Sorts, by 

 my honoured and learned Friend, 

 his Excellency the Chevalier Ratb- 

 gcb, his Imperial Majelly's Minifter 

 at Venice ; who has been fo good as 

 to procure me, from all the different 

 Parts of Italy, as great a Variety of 

 thefe Trees 'as poffible ; many of 

 which have already produced a great 

 Quantity of Fruit; which are much 

 fuperior in Flavour to the old Sorts, 

 which were before cultivated in Eng- 

 land. 



The twenty-firft Sort is by many 

 People fuppofed to be the true Sy- 

 comore-tree, mentioned in Scrip- 

 ture ; which is a Sort of Fig which 

 produces its Fruit out of the old 

 Wood of the Tree, and is very 

 fmall ; but as this Tree has not pro- 

 duced any Fruit with us, I cannot 

 decermine whether it be the right 

 Kind, or no:. 



The 



