Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· Compyled in the French tongue by Charles Steuens, and Iohn Liebault, Doctors of Physicke. And translated into English by Richard Surflet, practitioner in physicke. Now newly reuiewed, corrected, and augmented, with diuers large additions, out of the works of Serres his Agriculture, Vinet his Maison champestre, French. Albyterio in Spanish, Grilli in Italian; and other authors. And the husbandrie of France, Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in England: by Geruase Markham. The whole contents are in the page following

CHAP. VIII.

Of planting of shoots of a yeares growth.

PRopagating or planting of Trees is fittest for such as haue beene planted of siences, and such as doe put forth siences and small shoots from their roots: for this causeth them to beare a more beautifull fruit, and more a∣boundantly, and more durable, because they attract and draw a greater quantitie of iuice out of the earth. For this cause, Plum-trees, Cherrie-trees, Pome∣granate-trees, and all other Garden-trees, that are wont to be grafted vpon wild ones, would be propagated or planted: for in as much as the wild one doth not draw such and so much iuice as the grafted tree doth require, it is necessarie that it should be planted. As and if a sweet Cherrie-tree should be grafted vpon a wild Cherrie-tree, or one that beareth verie sowre Cherries, such a Cherrie-tree would not con∣tinue and last long, neither indeed will it beare anie sweet Cherries, if it be not planted a yeare or two after that it is grafted: and the reason hereof is, because the wild Cherrie-tree draweth not iuice ynough to cause the tree to grow, and withall, the iuice which it doth draw, is not so familiar or fit to bring forth and nou∣rish sweet Cherries.

There are foure sorts of planting or propagating: as in laying of shoots or little branches, whiles they are yet tender, in some pit made at their foot, as shall be said hereafter: or vpon a little ladder: or in a basket of earth tied to the bottome of the branch: or in boaring a Willow through, and putting the branch of the tree into the hole, as shall be fully declared in the Chapter of Grafting.

There are likewise di••ers seasons for to propagate in: but the best, is in the Spring and March, when the trees are in flowers, and begin to grow lustie. The young plan∣ted siences, or little grafts, must be propagated in the beginning of Winter a foot deepe in the earth, and good manure mingled amongst the earth, which you shall cast forth of the pit wherein you meane to propagate it, to tumble in vpon it againe. In like manner the superfluous siences must be cut close by the earth, when as they grow about some speciall impe which wee meane to propagate, for they would doe no∣thing but rot.

For to propagate, you must digge the earth round about the tree, that so the roots may be in a manner halfe layd bare; afterward draw into length the pit on that side where you meane to propagate, and according as you perceiue that the roots will be best able to yeeld and be gouerned in the same pit, so vse them, and that with all gen∣tlenesse, and stop close your sience in such sort, as that the wreath, which is in the place where it was grafted, may be a little lower than the sience of the new wood growing out of the earth, euen so high as it possibly may be. If the tree that you would propagate, should be somewhat thicke, and thereby the harder to plie, and somewhat stiffe to lay in the pit, then you may cut the stocke almost to the middest betwixt the root and the wrythen place, and so with gentle handling of i••, to bow ••owne into the pit the wood which the grafts haue put forth, and that in as round a compasse as you can, keeping you from breaking of it; afterward, lay ouer the cut with gummed wax, or with grauell and sand.

If there be manie siences and impes in the plant which you would encrease, mul∣tiplie, and propagate, and that all of them by hap or casualtie doe breake in propa∣gating of them, the remedie will be, to set the tree straight vp, and to couer the roots ••gaine with the earth that was about them before, and which you had taken away, and then to cut all the broken siences a little vnder where they are broken, and to lea••e them so vntill another yeare, when they shall haue put forth new shoots, which the Winter following you may propagate: but and if of all those siences there re∣maine some one not broken, goe forward and propagate it, cutting close by the

ground some of the wrythen place, and of those shoots which are not broken. In propagating of them, see that you lay good quantitie of the siences of your branches into the pit, couch them there verie round, couering them with the earth which you cast vp in making the pit, after that you haue first mixt it with good fat ••ould, and tread it downe by little and little aboue, and looke that none of the said siences doe rise againe after you haue so troden them downe. This being done, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 right vp all the ends which shall come out of the earth, and that so high as you can, and to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 them rest for three or foure yeare before you furrow them, euen vntill the 〈…〉〈…〉 taken earth, and be alreadie become full of hairie strings: you must prickestickes a∣bout them, for to handsome them, taking heed that you breake them not. Three or foure yeares after you must doe the earth from them, and that in the beginning of Winter, and hauing cut in sunder all the branches that haue put forth haine 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to∣gether with the stocke, that is aboue the wrythen place, you may plant euerie one of them where you please, to abide and continue there for euer: not but that you may leaue some one of them still standing in the same place, if it be fit and good 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it, and then you may not pull from it his hairie roots, as you doe from the other. If these plants of grafts be growne thicke alreadie, and full of branches, then when you ha••e taken them vp, you must cut off the brauches before you plant them, and then 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they haue beene remoued, they are free and reclaimed, and all those which shall grow of them afterward, will also become free and reclaimed. Againe, if you would pre∣pare the stocke from whence you propagated your siences, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 after that you haue cut off all his armes, let it alone with his cuts and grafts, and out of those cuts it will put forth other siences, of which you may make other free and re∣claimed trees propagating them, and taking them vp at the end of three or four•• yeares. No siences are propagated, but such as haue no roots of their owne, for and if they had roots by themselues, then they should be taken vp and planted againe with the spade, and not propagated.

Notes

• To plant 〈◊〉〈◊〉 manner of waies.
• The time of propagating.
• Siences fit for propagat••••n.