TO Prune all sorts of Trees, whether Dwarfs or Wall-Trees, to prepare some of them to plant as soon as ever the Ground shall be open after the hard Frosts, and the melting of the Snow that covered it.
To make Trenches, to plant Trees, to dig Molds to amend them; to dig round the Feet, either of Trees over Luxuriant, to cut off their thick Roots, and by that means to make them fructifie, or of such as are infirm, to trim and redress them.
To make Hot Beds, to sow forward Cowcumbers, and Sallets in, whether in Rows or little Furrows, or under Bells. To make Screens to cover those Seeds in case of need: The first hot Beds for Cowcumbers, as also for Musk-melons, are usually made at the very beginning of the Month, and at the same time we may make hot Beds for Mushrooms.
To heat or force Asparagus.
To heat Beds of Sorrel, Patience, Borage, &c.
To raise on hot Beds, Jacinths, Narcissus's of Constantinople, and some Tulips, &c.
To make Trails, Trellisces, or Frames for Wall-trees.
To pull down the hot Beds of the last Year, and to take the rotten Dung that com∣posed them, and lay it upon those Grounds we would amend, or Meliorate.
To lay apart some Molds to have them at Hand, to prepare for the hot Beds, and we may also clear and cleanse the places of the Hot beds, in order to the making of new ones.
To tie up with Bands of Straw, the tops of the Leaves of Long Lettuce, which have not Cabbaged, to make them Cabbage, or at least to whiten them, when they are grown big enough for it.
To raise some Strawberries upon hot Beds, to have some ripe in the Months of April and May.
To dung Figg-trees, in order to have early Figs.
And in fine, to advance the doing by little and little, all that the Spring Season is wont to do with an extraordinary Expedition.
To plant Trees in Baskets, to Pot, and Case Figg-trees, to lay Vine and Fig-tree Bran∣ches, to clear your Trees of Moss, if troubled with it, which is done best in rainy wea∣ther, with the back of a Knife, or some such instrument.
But it would be to little Purpose to know what to do, without being informed how to do it, and therefore for your instruction in pruning, I referr you to my fourth Book, which treating throughly of that Subject, may excuse me from speaking any more of it here.
And as to the way of making hot Beds, you must first know, they are to be made only with Long Horse-Dung, or Mule-Dung, which is to be either all New, or mixed with a third part at most of Old, provided it be dry, and not rotten, for that which is rotten, is not at all proper for making hot Beds, no more than the Dung of Oxen, Cows, Hogs, &c. as well, because it has little or no heat, as because ordinarily those kinds of rotten Dung are accompanied with an unpleasing smell that infects the Plants raised upon such Beds, and gives them an ugly Taste.
By New Long Dung, is to be understood, that which is taken from under the Horses, and has served them for Litter but one Night or two at most.
By Long old Dung, is meant that which has been piled up ever since it was new, in a dry place where it has lain all Summer, to be ready to be used, either to make Coverings for Fig-trees, Artichoaks, Endive, &c. against the Winter Cold, or to make hot Beds after the ordinary manner, which is thus performed.