P R U 
The manner of preparing the ground (if for walls) is 
the fame as for Peaches s as is alfo pruning the roots 
and planting, therefore I fhail forbear repeating 
it aoain. The diftance which thefe trees fhould be 
planted at, mult not be lefs than twenty-four feet 
againft high walls ^ and if the wall is lovr, they fhould 
be placed thirty feet afunder. 
plums fhould have a middling foil, neither too wet 
and heavy, nor over light and dry, in either of which 
extremes they feldom do fo well •, and thofe forts 
which are planted againft walls, fhould have an eaft 
or fouth-eaft afpeft, “which is more kindly to thefe 
fruits than a full fouth afpeft, on which they are fob- 
bed to fhrivel, and be very dry •, and many forts will 
be extreme mealiy, if expoiedtoo much to the heat of 
the fun •, but mod forts will ripen extremely well on 
efpaliers, if rightly managed. 
There are fome perfons who plant Plums for ftand- 
ards, in which method fome of the ordinary forts will 
bear very well •, but then the fruit will not be near fo 
fair as thofe produced on efpaliers, and will be more 
in danger of being bruiled or blown down by flrong 
winds." The diftance of placing them for efpaliers 
muft be the fame as againft walls, as muft alfo their 
pruning and management * fo that whatever may be 
hereafter mentioned for one, fhould be likewife un- 
derftood for both. 
Plums do not only produce their fruit upon the lad 
year’s wood, but alfo upon curfons or fpurs, which 
come out of wood that is many years old ; fo that 
there is not a necefiity of fhortening the branches, in 
order to obtain -new (hoots annually, in every part of 
the tree (as in Peaches, Ne&arines, &c. hath been di- 
rected 1 ) fince the more thefe trees are pruned, the more 
luxuriant they grow, until the ftrength of them is 
exhaufted, and then they gum and fpoil ; therefore the 
fafeft method to manage thefe trees is, to lay in their 
fhoots horizontally, as they are produced, at equal 
diftances, in proportion to the length of their leaves * 
and where there is not a diffident quantity of branches 
to fill up the vacancies of the tree, there the (hoots 
may be pinched the beginning of May (in the manner 
as hath been directed for Peaches, &c.) which will 
caufe them to produce fome lateral branches to fup- 
ply thofe places ; and during the growing feafon, all 
fore-right (hoots (hould be difplaced, and fuch as are 
to remain muft be regularly trained in to the wall or 
efpalier, which will not only render them beautiful, 
but alfo give to each part of the trees an equal ad- 
vantage of fun and air *, and hereby the fruit will be 
always kept in a dutftile growing ftate, which they 
(eldom are, when overfhaded with (hoots fome part 
of the feafon, and then fuddenly expofed to the air, by 
taking off, or training thofe branches in their proper 
pofition. 
With thus carefully going over thefe trees in the grow- 
ing feafon, there will be but little work to do to them 
in winter ; for when the branches are (hortened, the 
fruit is cut away, and the number of (hoots in • 
creafed ; for whenever a branch is (hortened, there 
are commonly two or more (hoots produced from the 
eyes immediately below the cut-, fo that by thus un- 
fkilfully pruning, many perfons crowd their trees with 
branches, and thereby render what little fruit the 
trees produce, very (mail and ill-tafted ; which is very 
commonly found in too many gardens, where the ma- 
nager, perhaps, thinks himfelf a complete mafter of 
his bufinefs ; for nothing is more common than to fee 
every branch of a fruit-tree pafs the difcipline of the 
knife, however difagreeable it be to feveral forts of 
fruits. And it is common to fee thefe trees planted at 
the diftance of fourteen or fixteen feet, fo that the walls 
are in a few years covered with branches : and then 
* 
all the (hoots are cut and mangled with the knife, fo 
as to appear like a (lumped hedge, and produce little 
fruit, i therefore the only way to have Plum-trees in 
good order, is to give them room, and extend their 
branches at full length. 
Thofe few rules before laid down, will be fumcient, 
if due observation, be joined therewith, to inftruct any 
P S I 
perfonin the right management of thefe forts of fruit- 
trees , therefore I (hall not fay any more on that (ab- 
ject, left by multiplying mftruftions, it may render it 
more oblcure to a learner. 
PSEUDOACACIA. See Robinia. 
PSEUDODICTAMNUS. See Marrubium. 
PSIDIUM. Lin. Gen. Plant. 541. Guajava. Tourm 
Inft. R. K. 660. tab. 443. The Guava-tree. 
The Characters are. 
The 'flower has a bell-fioaped empakment of one leaf , divided 
into five oval points^ at the top. It hath five ovaf concave , 
fpreading petals , indented in the empakment , with a great 
number of flamina which are fhorter than the petals , and 
are inferted in the empakment , terminated by [mall fmimits. 
It has a romdijh germen fituated under the flower , [up- 
porting a long awl-Jhaped fiyle , crowned by a fimple JHg- 
ma the germen afterward becomes a large oval fruit 
crowned by the empakment , inclofing a great number of 
fmall feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedtion of 
Linnaeus’s twelfth ciafs, which includes thofe plants 
whofe flowers have many (lamina which are in- 
ferted in the empalement, and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Psidium (Pyriferum) foliis ovato-lanceolatis, pedun- 
culis unifloris; Pfidium with oval fpear-Jhaped leaves , 
and one flower on each fcot-Jialk. Guajava alba dulcis. 
Hort. Amft. vol. i. p. 1 2 1 . The fiweet white Guava . 
2. Psidium ( Pomiferum ) foliis ovatis, pedunculis tri- 
fioris. Pfidium with oval leaves and foot-jlalks with three 
flowers. Guajabo pomifera Indica, pomis rotundis. 
C. B. P. 437. The red Guava. 
Both thefe forts grow naturally in the Eaft and W eft- 
Indies and there is alfo a third with a large white 
fruit, but 1 do not know whether this is a variety of 
the common Guava, or of that with the fmall white 
fruit though I am inclined to believe it is the former, 
becaufe I have raifed many plants from the feeds of 
the fmall white Guava, which have produced fruit 
in the Chelfea Garden, and have not varied from their 
parent plant. 
The common red Guava hath a pretty thick trunk, 
which rifes twenty feet high, covered with a fmooth. 
bark, and divides into many branches toward the top 
thefe are angular, and garnifned with oval leaves two 
inches and a half long, and one inch and a half broad 
in the middle, rounded at both ends they have a 
ftrong midrib, and many veins running toward the 
(ides, of a light green colour, (landing oppofite upon 
very ihort foot-ftalks. From the wings of the leaves 
the flowers come out upon foot-ftalks, about an inch 
and a half long they are corapofed of five large, 
roundilh, concave, white petals, which are inferted in 
the empalement, and within thefe are a great number 
of (lamina which are (horter than the petals, terminated 
by fmall fummits ; thefe (lamina are alfo inferted in the 
empalement. Under the flower is fituated a roundifti 
germen, fupporting a very long awl-fhaped ftyle, 
crowned by a Ample ftigma. After the flower is pad, 
the germen becomes a large oval fruit, fhaped like a 
Pomegranate, having one cell, crowned by the em- 
palement of the flower, and filled with fmall feeds i 
the fruit, when ripe, has an agreeable odour. They 
are much eaten in the Weft-Indies, both by men and 
beafts j and the feeds, which pafs whole through the 
body, and are voided with the excrement grow, 
whereby the trees are fpread over the ground where 
they are permitted to grow. This fruit is very 
aftringent, and nearly of the fame quality with Pome- 
granate, fo (hould be avoided by thofe perfons who 
are fubjeft to be colli ve. 
The large white fort grows naturally in the i hands of 
the Weft-Indies, and is often found intermixed with 
the former, fo is fuppofed to be only an accidental 
variety arifing from the fame feeds. This differs from 
the former in the colour of the midrib of the leaves, 
which in this are pale, but thofe of the former are red. 
The flowers and fruit of this are larger, and the infide 
of the fruit is white. 
10 X The 
