But being willing to try this experiment again in 
the month of October 1733, I made choice of two 
ftandard Almond-trees of equal ftrength and age j 
thefe I took up as carefully as poffible, and having 
prepared their roots as before directed, I pruned then- 
heads in the following manner, viz. from one of 
them I only cut off the fmall branches, and fuch as 
were bruifed or broken, but preferred all the ftrong 
ones entire ; of the other, I Shortened all the ftrong 
branches, and pruned off the weak and broken Ihoots, 
as is the common practice. Thefe two trees I plant- 
ed in the fame foil and to the fame fituation, gave 
them both equal attendance, and managed them 
both as nearly alike as poffible •, yet in the fpring, 
when thefe trees began to (hoot, that, whofe branches 
were entirely preferved, came out early, continued 
to ilioot ftronger, and is at prefent much larger, and 
in better health than the other. And fince this I 
have made feveral other experiments of the like nature, 
which have conftantly fucceeded in the fame manner, 
from whence it is reafonable to conclude, that the 
fhortening of the branches is a great injury to all new- 
planted trees, but efpecially to Cherries and Horfe 
Cheftnuts, which are frequently killed by fhortening 
their large branches when they are removed. 
Having "thus prepared the trees for Planting, we muft 
now proceed to the placing them into the ground j 
but before this, I would advife, if the trees have 
been long out of the ground, fo that the roots are 
dried, to place them in water eight or ten hours be- 
fore they are planted, obferving to put them in fuch 
manner, that their heads may remain eredt, and 
their roots only immerfed therein, which will fwell 
the dried veffels of the roots, and prepare them to 
imbibe nourilhment from the earth. In fixing of 
them, great regard fhould be had to the nature of 
the foil, which "if cold and moift, the trees fhould 
be planted very fhallow •, as alfo, if it be a hard 
rock or gravel, it will be much the better way to 
raife a hill of earth where each tree is to be plant- 
ed, than to dig into the rock or gravel, and fill it up 
with earth (as is too often pradiied), whereby the 
trees are planted, as it were in a tub, there be- 
ing but little room for their roots to extend ; fo that 
after two or three years growth, when their roots 
have extended to the fides of the hole, they are 
flopped by the rock or gravel, can get no farther, 
whereby the trees will decline, and in a few years 
die ; befides, thefe holes detain the moifture fo, that 
the fibres of the plants are often rotted thereby. But 
when they are railed above the furface of the ground, 
their roots will extend and find nourishment, though 
the earth upon the rock or gravel be not three inches 
thick, as may be frequently obferved, where trees are 
growing upon fuch foils. 
The next thing to be obferved is to place the tree in 
the hole in fuch manner, that the roots may be about 
the fame depth in the ground, as they were growing 
before they were taken up ; then break the earth 
fine with a fpade, and fcatter it into the hole, fo that it 
may fall in between every root, that there may be no 
hollownefs in the earth (but you fhould by no means 
lift or fcreen the mould, for reafons given in . fome 
other places) •, then having filled in the earth, you 
fhould gently tread it clofe with your feet, but do not 
make it too hard, which is a very great fault, efpeci- 
ally if the ground is ftrong and inclineable to bind. 
Having thus planted the trees, you fhould provide 
a parcel of flakes, one of which fhould be driven 
down by the fides of the trees, and faftened thereto to 
Support them from being blown down or difplaced by 
the wind , then lay fome mulch upon the furface of the 
ground, about their roots, to prevent the earth from 
drying. 
This is to be underflood of ftandard-trees which caft 
their leaves •, for fuch as are planted againft walls, 
fhould have their branches faftened to the wall to 
prevent the trees from being difplaced by the wind ; 
but there is no difference in their management, only 
to preferve their heads entire, and to place their roots I 
about five inches from the wall, inclining their heM.dd 
thereto j and the fpring following, juft before the# 
fhoot, their heads fhould be cut down to five or Iks 
buds, as is fully directed under the feveral articles of 
the different kinds of fruit. 
As to the watering of all new-planted trees, I fhould 
advife it to be done with great moderation, nothing 
being more injurious to them than over-watering. 
Examples enough of this kind may have been feen irl 
many parts of England, where there has been planta- 
tions made, which have been over-watered, whereby 
the greateft part of the trees have failed, or thofe 
which have furvived, have made little progrefs, oc- 
cafioned by the abundance of water given to them, 
whereby the fibres were rotted off as loon as produced. 
And how can any perfon imagine that a tree fhould 
thrive, when the ground, in which it is planted, is 
continually floated with water ? for by an experiment 
made by the Rev. Dr. Hales, in placing the roots of a 
dwarf Pear-tree in water, the quantity of moifture im- 
bibed decreafed very much daily, becaufe fhefap-vef- 
fels of the roots, like thofe of the cut-off boughs in 
the fame experiment, were fo faturated and clogged 
with moifture, by Handing in water, that more of it 
could not be drawn up. And this experiment was 
tried upon a tree which was full of leaves, and there- 
by more capable to difcharge a large quantity of moif- 
ture than fuch trees as are entirely deftitute of leaves ; 
fo that it is impoffible fuch trees can thrive, where 
the moifture is too great about their roots. 
The feafons for planting are various, according to the 
different forts of trees, or the foil in which they are 
planted ^ for fuch trees whofe leaves fall off in win- 
ter, the bell time is in the middle or end of October, 
provided the foil be dry •, but for a very wet foil, it is 
better to defer it until the latter end of February, or 
the beginning of March ; and for many kinds of Ever- 
greens, the beginning of April is by far the beft feafon, 
though fome forts may be lately removed at Midfu tu- 
rner, provided they are not to be carried very far j 
but you fhould always make choice of a cloudy feafon ; 
if poffible, at that time of the year, when they will 
take frelh root in a few days. And, on the contrary, 
when thefe trees are removed in winter, during which, 
time they are almoft in a lftate of reft, they do not 
take root until the fpring advances, and fets the fat* 
in motion ; fo that many times they die, efpecially if 
the winter proves fevere. 
As to the preparing the foil for Planting, that muft 
alio be done to fuit the different forts of trees, fome 
requiring a light foil, others a ftrong one, &e. But 
this is fully fet down in the feveral articles of trees, 
under their proper heads, to which the reader is deftred 
to turn ; though for the fruit-trees in general, a frefti 
foil from a palture ground, which is neither too light 
and dry, nor over-ftrong and moift, but rather a gen- 
tle, foft, loamy earth is to be preferred, provided it be 
expofed fome time. And if it be for wall trees, will 
be the better if the borders are filled with this earth, 
fix or eight feet wide, but it need not be above two 
feet and a half deep at moft ; for when the borders 
are made too deep, the roots of thefe trees are en- 
ticed downward, which is of bad confequence to 
fruit-trees, as hath been elfewhere obferved. The 
fame alfo muft be obferved for ftandard-trees (where 
frelh earth is brought to the places in which they are 
planted), not to make the holes too deep, but rather 
let them have the fame quantity of earth in width, 
which is much to be preferred. 
There are feveral perfons who direct the placing of 
the fame fide of the tree to the fouch, which before 
removing had that pofition, as a material eircurn- 
ftance to be ftriftly regarded ; but from feveral trials 
which I have made, 1 could not obferve the leaft 
difference in the growth of thofe trees which were fd 
placed, and others which were reverfed ; fo that I 
conclude, it is not of any coniequence to obferve this 
method. 
The diftance which trees fhould be planted at, muft 
alfo be proportioned to their feveral kinds, and the 
10 O federal 
