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tender Sorts of Fruit from being 

 blighted in the Spring of the Year ; 

 and yet there has been little written 

 upon this Subject, which is worth 

 Notice. SomePerfons have p:opofed 

 MattrefTes of Straw or Reeds to be 

 placed before the Fruit-trees againft 

 Walls, to prevent their being blaft- 

 ed : others have directed the fixing 

 horizontal Shelters in their Walls, 

 to prevent the perpendicular Dew or 

 Rain from falling upon the Bloffoms 

 of the Fruit-trees, which they fup- 

 pofed to be the chief Caufe of their 

 Blighting : but both thefe Contri- 

 vances have been far from answer- 

 ing the Expectations of thofe Perfons 

 who have put them in Practice, as I 

 have elftwhere (hewn ; therefore it 

 may not be improper to repeat fome 

 Things in this Place, which I have 

 before mentioned, in relation to this 

 Matter. And, 



. Firit, I have already faid, that 

 the Blights, which are fo often com- 

 plained of, do not fo much proceed 

 from any external Caufe, or Incle- 

 mency in the Seafon, as from a Dif- 

 t^mper orWeaknefs in theTrees : for 

 if we obferve theTrees at that-eafon, 

 where they are the moll fubject to 

 what is called a Blight, we mall find 

 the Branches very fmall, weak, and 

 not half ripen'd, as alfo trained in 

 very dole to each other ; thefe 

 Branches are, for the moft part, full 

 of Blofibm-buds (which is chiefly 

 occafion'd by ^heirwant ofStrength). 

 Thefe Buds do indeed open ; and, to 

 Perfons not fkilTd in Fruit trees, (hew 

 a great Profpedt of a plentiful Crop 

 of Fruits ; whereas the whole 

 Strength of the Branches is fpenc in 

 nourishing the Flowers ; and, being 

 unable to do any more, the Blof- 

 foms fall off, and the fmall Efforts of 

 the Leaf- buds are check'd ; fo that, 

 many times, the greateft Part of the 

 Branches die away ; and this is call- 



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ed a great Blight : whereas at the 

 fame time it may be often obferv'd, 

 that fome Trees of a different Sort, 

 nay, even fome of the fame Sort, 

 which were ftronger, tho' placed in 

 the fame Soil, expofed to the fame 

 Afpect, and fubject to the fame In- 

 clemency of Air, have efcaped very 

 well, when the weak Trees have ap- 

 peared to be almoft dead ; which is a 

 plain Indication, that it proceeds 

 from fome Caufe within the Tree, 

 and not from any external Blight : 

 a'l this will therefore be remedied, 

 by obferving the foregoing Directi- 

 ons in the Pruning and Management 

 of the Trees, fo as never to over- 

 burden them with Branches, nor to 

 fuffer any Part of the Trees to ex- 

 hauft the wholeNourifhment from the 

 Root, fo as to caufe the other Parts 

 to be very weak ; but to distribute 

 the Nourishment equally to every 

 Shoot, that there may be none too 

 vigorous, at the fame time that 

 others are too weak ; and by conti- 

 nually rubbing off ufelefs or fore- 

 right Shoots, as they are produced, 

 the Strength of the Trees will not 

 be fpent, to nourifh fuch Branches as 

 muft be afterwards cut out, which is 

 too often feen in the Management of 

 thefe Trees. And, 



Secondly, It fometimes happens, 

 that the Roots of thefe Trees are 

 buried too deep in the Ground, 

 which, in a cold or moid Soil, is one 

 of the greateft Difadvantages that 

 can attend thefe tender Fruits ; for 

 the Sap which is contained in the 

 Branches, being by the Warmth of 

 the Sun put ftrongly into Motion 

 early in the Spring, is exhaufted in 

 nourishing the BlofToms ; and a Part 

 of it is perfpired thro* the Wood- 

 branches, fo that its Strength is loft 

 before theWarmth can reach to their 

 Roots, to put them into an equal 

 Motion 



