180 



A DISCOURSE 



BOOK III. gooD timber, fruit mucl) anU gooll, anU pleasure : tigejal physical 



'""^^^^^^ tinha notl)mg a jjooti form : 



Ji3eit{)er let anp man mt go much ag tljinfe t^at it 10 iinpro* 

 fitatJle, mucb \m unpo00iftle, to reform anp tree of tofiat kinD 

 0oet)er : JFor, belieue me, 31 J)at3e tricD it : 31 can firing ang tree 

 (beginning fietime) to anj? form. Cfie Pear anD Holly map hz 



mane to spread, anD tbe Oak to close. 



Thus far the good man out of his eight and forty years' experience 

 concerning timber-trees : he descends, then, to the orchards, which, 

 because it may likewise be acceptable to our industrious planter, I thus 

 contract. 



" Such as stand for fruits should be parted from within two feet, or 

 thereabouts, of the earth ; so high, as to give liberty to dress the root, and 

 no higher ; because of exhausting the sap that should feed his fruit ; for 

 the bole will be first, and best served and fed, being next to the root, 

 and of greatest substance. These should be parted in two, three, or four 

 arms, as your graflfs yield twigs ; and every arm into two or more 

 branches, every branch into his several cions ; still spreading by equal 

 degrees, so as his lowest spray be hardly without the reach of a man's 

 hand, and his highest not past two yards higher: that no twig, 

 (especially in the midst,) touch his fellow ; let him spread as far as his 

 list, without any master-bough, or top, equally ; and when any fall lower 

 than his fellows, (as they will with weight of fruit,) ease him the next 

 spring of his superfluous twigs, and he will rise : when any mount 

 above the rest, top him with a nip between your fingers, or with a knife : 

 thus reform any cion ; and as your tree grows in stature and strength, 

 so let him rise with his tops but slowly and easily, especially in the 

 midst, and equally in breadth also, following him upward, with lop- 

 ping his under-growth, and water-boughs, keeping the same distance 

 of two yards, not above three in any wise, betwixt the lowest and 

 highest twigs. 



" Thus shall you have handsome, clear, healthful, great, and lasting 

 trees. 



