A GUIDE TO THE LITERATURE OF POMOLOGY. 



419 



et fruitiers " was published in 1690, two years after his death, and 

 was the most detailed work at that time upon fruit trees and their 

 culture. Every aspect was treated with great minuteness, and in 

 fact some five hundred pages are occupied with fruits. Cultural 

 information occupies the greater part of the work, and there are a few 

 points upon which he shows evidence of originaHty. His disregard 

 of the influence of the moon, so long an important factor in all garden 

 operations, was remarkable ; but a zealous and conservative editor, 

 fearing that this innovation might not be well received, added a 

 chapter which reinstated the moon to its hegemonic position. In 

 the pruning of the roots when transplanting, Ouintinye anticipated 

 the moderns by insisting that all fibres and roots smaller than a quill 

 are valueless and should be entirely removed, as new fibres must be 

 produced before the plant could absorb water from the soil. 



The descriptions of fruits given are not very full, but more so than 

 those given by his predecessors, and a new feature was added by the 

 very full notes of the cultural needs and special preferences of the 

 various fruits. Another useful item is a definition of various gardening 

 terms. In pruning Quintinye was a firm believer in the maxim, " First 

 make your tree, then fruit it " ; and his counsel, " Retarder vos jouis- 

 sances pour en jouir plus longtemps," was applied both to pruning and 

 in his strong recommendation as to the need of thinning fruit. This 

 latter point was probably somewhat new in his day. 



The fame of Quintinye and his work at Versailles was soon spread 

 far, and he visited England, where he met John Evelyn, who later 

 translated his book. It is not difficult to imagine the enthusiasm 

 with v/hich Evelyn would have welcomed the great French gardener, 

 and the " Treatise on the Culture of Melons " which is added to the 

 Enghsh translation was written at Evelyn's request. The success 

 of the vv^ork was great ; many French editions have been published, 

 and it was also translated into Italian and Dutch. 



Evelyn's translation was pubHshed in 1693 and entitled " The 

 Compleat Gard'ner, or directions for cultivating and right ordering of 

 Fruit Gardens and Kitchen Gardens, with divers Reflections on several 

 parts of Husbandry " (folio, London, 1693). It is a complete and 

 literal translation. The great length of the work and the tedious 

 repetition of some parts made an abridgment obviously desirable. 

 This was provided by the famous nurserymen London and Wise, 

 but was probably Evelyn's own work, and was entitled " The 

 Complete Gardener, or Directions for Cultivating and right Ordering 

 of Fruit Gardens and Kitchen Gardens. Now compendiously abridged 

 and made of more use, with very considerable improvements, by George 

 London and Henry Wise." (London, 1699.) 



This work had an instant success and passed through many editions 

 with great rapidity, the seventh being dated 1719. It was through 

 this work that the precepts of Quintinye became generally kno\^'n 

 in this country, and their influence was very great for many years. 



The opening years of the eighteenth century in England were 



