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had so great an opinion, as to get their books translated, and to these have added some trifling notes, 
which rather betray their weakness; for, where they have objected to the little room which their 
authors had allowed to these trees, they have, at the most, allowed them but three feet more; from 
which it is plain, they had not considered the natural growth of the trees, and whoever departs from 
nature, may be justly pronounced an unskilful gardener. 
As most of the English gardens have been made and planted by persons of little judgment, it is 
very rare to find any of them which produce much fruit: for although many of these gardens have 
been totally altered and new planted, yet they have seldom been much altered for the better; and 
the possessors have been put to the expence of removing the old trees, also the earth of their borders, 
and to purchase new trees, which have been planted perhaps a foot or two farther asunder, than the 
old trees which were removed; so that when the young trees have grown a few years, they were in 
the same condition as the old, and it will be the loss of so many years to the owner: but this will 
constantly be the case, when it is the interest of the persons employed, who can sell so many young- 
trees; and the planting of three times the number of trees in a garden more than is proper, may in 
some measure be ascribed to the same, though in manj r instances I shall be inclinable to think they 
have proceeded from ignorance, rathef than design. 
But where fruit-trees have been thus injudiciously planted, if the stocks are healthy and good, the 
best way to recover this loss is to dig up two or three, and leave every third or fourth tree, according 
to the distance which they were planted,- and spread down the branches of those which are left hori¬ 
zontally; I mean, all such as are capable of being so brought,down: but those which are too stubborn 
for this, should be cut off near the stem, where there will be new shoots enough produced to furnish 
the wall or espalier; and if the sort of fruit is not the same as desired, the young branches may be 
budded the same summer, or grafted the following spring, with an} r other sort of Pear, and hereby 
many years may be saved; for one of these old trees so budded or grafted, will spread to a much 
greater length, and produce more fruit# when thus managed, in three years, than a new tree will in 
ten or twelve, especially if the ground is mended. This is a method which I have practised with great 
success, where I have been employed to mend the blunders of these great gardeners, as they are 
styled, and hereby the walls and espaliers have been well furnished in a few years. 
The manner of preparing these trees for planting is the same as has been directed for other fruit- 
trees, viz. to cut off all the small fibres from the roots, and to shorten some of the longest roots, and 
cut off all the bruised ones, or such as shoot downright; this being done, you should plant them in 
the places intended at the before-mentioned distance. The best time to plant these trees (if upon a 
middling or dry soil) is in October or November, leaving their heads on till spring, which should be 
fastened either to the walls or stakes, to prevent the wind from disturbing their roots; and in the 
bep'inning of March their heads should be cut off in the manner already directed for Peaches and 
other fruit-trees; observing also to lay some mulch upon the surface of the ground about their roots 
when they are planted, as has been several times already directed for other trees; but in wet ground 
the trees may be planted in February, or the beginning of March, at any time before the buds are 
much swelled, but these may be cut down when they are planted. 
The first summer after planting, the branches should be trained to a wall or espalier (against which 
they are planted) in a horizontal position, as they are produced, without shortening them; and the 
Michaelmas following, some of these shoots should be shortened down to five or six eyes, in order to 
obtain a sufficient quantity of branches, to furnish the lower part of the wall or espalier; but the 
shoots ought not to be shortened, unless where there is a want of branches to fill a vacancy ; there¬ 
fore the less a knife is used to these trees, the better they will succeed; for whenever the 
shoots are stopped, it occasions the buds immediately below the cut to send forth two or more 
n 
