PYR 
from cold winds, and preferve the tender fruit until 
they are paft danger, when the Reeds may be taken 
down, and put under a fhed to preferve them from 
the weather ; and if the autumn fliould prove bad, 
thefe Reeds may be fixed up again, which will for- 
ward the ripening of the fruit, and alio prevent the 
winds from blowing down, and bruifing it. Thefe 
Reeds may be purchafed for one {hilling per yard, 
running meafure, at fix feet and a half high ; and 
if they are carefully laid up, and kept from the wea- 
ther, thefe Reeds will iafi feven or eight years, fo 
that the expence will not be very great ; and when 
the advantages which thefe are of to the fruit are con- 
fidered, I believe no perfon will objed to the ufe of 
them. 
But after the fruit is fet and growing, there will be 
farther care neceffary in order to have the fruit good ; 
for it is not enough to have preferved a good crop 
of fruit on the trees, and then leave them entirely to 
nature during the fedfon of their growth, but there 
will require fome fkili and attendance on the trees 
to help nature, or iupply the deficiency of feafons 
for befide the pruning and training trees in the 
manner before directed, there will alfo be wanting 
fome management of their roots, according to the 
nature of the foil, and the difference of feafons. In 
all firong land, where the ground is apt to bind very 
hard in dry weather, the furface of the borders lhould 
be now and then forked over to loofen the earth, 
which will admit the fhowers and large dews to pe- 
netrate and moifien the ground, and be of great fer- 
vice to the trees and fruit, and alfo prevent the growth 
of weeds. And if the foil is light and dry, and the 
feafon lhould prove hot and dry, there fhould be large 
hollows made round the Items of the trees to hold 
water ; and into each of thefe there fhould be poured 
eight or nine pots of water, which fhould be repeated 
once in a week or ten days during the months of June 
and July, if the feafon fhould continue dry. There 
fhould alfo be fome mulch laid over the furface of 
thefe hollows, to prevent the fun and air from drying 
the ground. Where this is pradifed, the fruit will 
be kept confiantly growing, and prove large and 
plump; whereas, if this is omitted, the fruit will of- 
ten be frnall, grow crooked, crack, and fall off from 
the trees. For if the fruit is once Hinted in their 
growth, and rain fhould fall plentifully after, it will 
occafion a great quantity of fruit to fall off the 
trees, and thofe which remain to ripen will not keep 
fo long as thofe which never receive any check in 
their growth •, and it is from this' caufe, that fome 
years the fruit in general decays before the ufual 
time. For after it has been for fome time Hinted in 
its growth, and then the feafon proves favourable, 
whereby it receives a fudden growth, it becomes fo 
replete with juice, as to diHend the veffels too fud- 
denly, fo that they will not be firm, which occafions 
their decay ; therefore it is always beH to keep the 
fruit confiantly in a growing Hate, whereby it will 
acquire a proper fize, and be rendered better fla- 
voured. 
There will alfo be required fome drefling to the 
ground near the fruit-trees ; but this fhould be laid 
on in autumn, after the trees are pruned. This 
drefling fhould be different, according to the nature 
of the foil ; if the land is warm and dry, then the dreff- 
ing lhould be of very rotten dung, mixed with loam; 
and if this is mixed fix or eight months before it is 
laid upon the borders, and three or four times turned 
over, it will be the better; as will alfo the mixture, 
if it is made with neat’s or hog’s dung, both which 
are colder than horfe dung, fo more proper for hot 
land. But in cold HifF land, rotten horfe dung, 
mixed with light Tandy earth, or fea-coal aflies, will 
be the moft proper, as this will loofen the ground 
and add a warmth to it. 
Thefe dreffings fhould be repeated every other year, 
other wif| the trees will not thrive fo well, nor will the 
fruit be fo good. For, notwithftanding what many 
perfons have advanced to the contrary, yet experience 
P Y R 
is againft them ; for the finefl fruit in England, both 
as to fize and flavour, is produced on land which is 
the moH dunged and worked. Therefore I would ad- 
vife trenching the ground about the fruit-trees very- 
well every winter, for I am Hire they will find it an- 
fvyer their expeditions who (hall pradife this method. 
And where the ground in the quarters is well dreffed 
and trenched, the fruit-trees will partake of the be- 
nefit ; for as the trees advance in their growth, fo 
their roots, are extended to a great difiance from their 
Hems ; and it is chiefly from the difiant roots that the 
trees are fupplied with their nourifhment ; therefore 
drefling the borders only, will not be fufficient for 
fruit-trees which are old. 
In gathering of Pears, great regard fhould be had to 
the bud which is formed at the bottom of the foot- 
fialk, for the next year’s bloflbms ; which, by forcing- 
off the Pear before it be mature, is many times fpoiled; 
for while the fruit is growing, there is always a bud 
formed by the fide of the foot-Halk upon the fame 
fpur, for the next year’s fruit ; fo that when the Pears 
are ripe, if they are gently turned upward, the 
foot-Halk will readily part from the fpur, without in- 
juring the bud. 
The feafon forgathering all Summer Pears is jufi as 
they ripen, for none of thefe will-remain good above 
a day or two after they are taken from the tree ; nor 
will many of the Autumn Pears keep good above 
ten days or a fortnight after they are gathered. But 
the winter fruits lhould hang as long upon the trees 
as the feafon will permit ; for they mufi not receive 
the frofi, which will caufe them to rot, and render 
their juices flat and ill tafied ; but if the weather con- 
tinue mild until the end of Odober, it will then be 
a good feafon for gathering them in, which mufi al- 
ways be done in dry weather, and when the trees are 
perfedly dry. 
In the doing of this you ought carefully to avoid 
bruifing them, therefore you lhould have a broad flat 
balket to lay them in as they are gathered ; and when 
they are carried into the fiore-room, they lhould be 
taken out fingly, and each fort laid up in a clofe heap 
on a dry place, in order to fweat, where they may re- 
main for ten days or a fortnight ; during which time 
the windows lhould be open to admit the air, in or- 
der to carry olf all the moifiure which is perfpired 
from the fruit ; after this, the Pears lhould be taken 
fingly, and wiped dry with a woollen cloth, and then 
packed up in clofe bafkets, obferving to put fome 
Wheat Hraw in the bottoms, and round the Tides of 
the bafkets, to prevent their bruifing againfi the baf- 
kets. And if fome thick foft paper is laid double or 
treble all round the balket, between the Hraw and 
the Pears, this will prevent the Pears from imbibing 
the mufiy tafie which is communicated to them by the 
Hraw, when they are contiguous ; which tafie often 
penetrates through the fkin fo firongly, that when 
the fruit is pared, the tafie will remain. You lhould 
alfo obferve to put but one fort of fruit into a balket, 
lefi by their different fermentations, they lhould rot 
each other ; but if you have enough of one fort to 
fill a balket which holds two or three bulhels, it will be 
Hill better. After you have filled the bafkets, you mull 
cover them over with Wheat Hraw very clofe, fir It 
laying a covering of paper two or three times double 
over the fruit, and fallen them down ; then place thefe 
bafkets in a clofe room, where they may be kept dry 
and from frofi ; but the lefs air is let into the room, 
the better the fruit will keep. It will be very necef- 
fary to fix a label to each balket, denoting the fort 
of fruit therein contained, which will fave the trou- 
ble of opening them, whenever you want to know 
the forts of fruit ; befides, they ought not to be 
opened before their feafon to be eaten, for the off 
tener they are opened and expofed to the air, the 
worfe they will keep. I do not doubt but this will 
be objeded to by many, v/ho imagine fruit cannot 
be laid too thin ; for which reafon, they make fhelves 
to difpofe them fingly upon, and are very fond of 
admitting frelli air, whenever the weather is mild, 
fuppofing 
59 & 
