A treatise of fruit-trees shewing the manner of grafting, setting, pruning, and ordering of them in all respects: according to divers new and easy rules of experience; gathered in ye space of twenty yeares. Whereby the value of lands may be much improued, in a shorttime [sic], by small cost, and little labour. Also discovering some dangerous errors, both in ye theory and practise of ye art of planting fruit-trees. With the alimentall and physicall vse of fruits. Togeather with the spirituall vse of an orchard: held-forth [sic] in divers similitudes betweene naturall & spirituall fruit-trees: according to Scripture & experie[n]ce. By Ra: Austen. Practiser in ye art of planting

I will now discover some Errors that I finde in the practise of this Art of Planting Fruit-trees, that they may be avoided.

ONE Error in Practise is this: Many remove their Trees in winter,* 1.1 or neere the spring, whereas they ought to remove them in September, or thereabouts. Many Plants are ready to re∣move in the beginning of August, and before, which if done, such have a great advantage of those removed in winter or neere the spring, for trees removed betimes in the yeare, grow in their Roots before winter, and so make a faire preparation against the spring: And this is a Generall Rule, for Transplanting all trees. To remove so soone as they have done growing in the branches, which may be knowne by the top, or ends of the branches, if the tops be closed and shut up, they may be removed without danger, though it be in August, or before, which is no small advantage to them. See pag. 60.

* 1.2Another Error in Practise, is Planting trees too neere together: This is a great and generall Error, many thinke, the more Trees they have, the more fruit: but a few having roome enough to spread will beare more fruits then many, crouded one upon an∣other as the custome is, and fruits will also be better when the sun may come round about the trees. I account 10 or 12 yards a competent distance for Apple-trees and Peare-trees, upon ordina∣ry soyle, but if the ground be speciall good, then give them the more roome: for Cherry-trees, Plum-trees and such like, 7 or 8 yards is a convenient distance.

* 1.3Another Error is this: Many Plant Fruit-trees unfit for the Countrey where they plant them, Their care is chiefly to chuse Grafts of the best kinds and faire Plants to look upon, not con∣sidering so much, whether such kindes will prosper, and beare fruits well in those Clymates, and places where they plant them. And hence it is often, that many who have faire and goodly fruit trees, have very little fruit from them. It is an excellent Rule to chuse those kindes of fruits, which we (or others) finde by many yeares experience, to be good bearing trees, in those parts neerest to us: although the fruits be not altogether so good as some others.

* 1.4This is another Error: Many men when they procure Fruit-trees to plant an Orchard, they (most commonly) desire the greatest and fairest Plants. Hoping such will be trees the soonest: Whereas great Plants many of them dye, and others live very poorely, but small Plants removed live generally, and thrive more in 2 or 3 yeares, then great ones in 6 or 7: for removing great plants is a very great check to nature, such as many times its not able to recover.

* 1.5Another Error in practise is this: Men generally leave too many branches on the Trees they plant, and will by no meanes have the Branches cut off, unlesse a few it may be, whereas for want of dis∣branching plants, they loose branches, body, roots, and all. If they will plant great plants, they must disbranch them, small ones need not.

* 1.6Another is this: For the most part men neglect to plant their young trees, in as good or better soyle, then that from which they are removed. They fetch them from Nurseries about London (which are generally of very fertill soyle) & plant thē (it may be) in ordinary, or poore soyle, and thence it is that many of them dy, or grow weakly: Whereas they ought to lay speciall soyle (the best they can get) next to the Roots which having taken hold, & being well rooted in the ground, they will by degrees, thrust their roots, and grow well in that which is worse.

* 1.7Another is this: Some in grafting take care to set the Graft and stock even and smooth on the outside, not considering

that the bark of the stocks are (for the most part) thicker then the barke of the grafts. Whereas they ought to take speciall care to set the inner sides of the barks together, (which is the chiefest Rule in Grafting) because there is the chiefe current of the sap.

* 1.8Another Error is this: Grafting long, or forked Grafts: com∣monly the longer Grafts are, the lesse they grow, and the shorter they are cut, the longer they grow in a yeare.

* 1.9 Another is this: Many let their Fruit-trees grow straight up very high, before they spread into boughs, and they are rather like Timber trees for building, then Fruit-trees, for bearing Fruits:

Whereas they ought to cut off the Top while the Plant is young, about an Ell, or a Yard and halfe from the ground, that so the Plant may spread, and enlarge it selfe, and one Tree well or∣dered in this respect for spreading, will have as many small boughs (and consequently will beare as much fruit) as three or foure (it may be) of such Trees as runne spiring up a great height without spreading.

* 1.10Another Error is this: some give too much nourishment to fruit-trees Letting some fat water (it may be) runne to the Roots or lye too neare them, or else by powring, or laying some fertill substance to their roots, when there is (sometimes) more need to deprive them of their too fat feeding, which causeth them to luxuriate, and spend their strength in great and large shoots, and broad leaves, and blossomes, and leave off bearing fruits: Nou∣rishment to Fruit-trees ought to be moderate, as to other Crea∣tures.

* 1.11Most men nurse up Quince-trees of seed, or slips from the roots, and seldome or never Inoculate or Graft them, as they doe other trees, whereby they loose their fruits many yeares, which they might gaine by Grafting or Inoculating of them. And when (after a long time) they doe beare: yet their fruits are not so good (if the trees come of seed) at their first bearing, as grafts would bring being cut from old bearing Trees.

* 1.12Another Error in practise, is this. Many in pruning Aprecot-Trees and other Wall-trees, they prune off most of the fresh young Branches of the last yeares shoot, and preserve the old and big bran∣ches, suffering them to runne up a great part of the wall, with∣out small twigs, or branches. VVhereas they should still from yeare to yeare, preserve the small shoots, nailing them up to the

wall yearely (all or most) from the lowest part of the Tree, to the top, and leave no part of the wall void of branches, and cause the branches to spread along the sides of the wall both waies, and not suffer them to runne upwards too much.

* 1.13 Another Error amongst some is this. They graft young Plants that came of seed, in the place where they were sowed, (before they have beene removed, whereby they would get good Roots) And hence it followes. That such thrust downe a single Root, or two (commonly) into Clay, Gravell, or moist ground, &c. which root or roots, draw bad nourishment, and thereby hurt the Trees and Fruits, and in case any of them be removed afterwards (being grafted) they want good Roots, for that they were never removed (being young) to get good Roots.

* 1.14 See how to order them, pag. 45.

Some also when they transplant young Trees they usually set them with all their Roots, whereas the Roots of all Trees trans∣planted, ought to be pruned: See how: pag. 61.

* 1.15 Another Error is this: Many breake off all the Buds upon the stocks that are engrafted, before the Grafts put forth, which en∣dangers both Stock & Graft. For Buds upon the stocks shouldbe let alone, all, or most, untill the Grafts have put forth & be able to draw up sap, and then break off all the Buds below the Grafts, that they may have all the sap.

Concerning Errors in practise thus much.

And so I have done (at present) with all the particular My∣steries concerning the Ordering of Fruit-trees, and Fruits.

Hereafter I may communicate more, as God (who instructeth the Husbandman to discretion,* 1.16 & teacheth him) shall discover them to me. None shall ever (in this life) know all the secrets of Na∣ture in this Art or any other, but yet (by meanes of time, and di∣ligence) we are still finding out new Experiments.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1 Removing trees in win∣ter.
• * 1.2

  2 Planting trees too neer together.
• * 1.3

  3 Planting trees unfit for the Coun∣trey.
• * 1.4

  4 Chusing the greatest plants.
• * 1.5

  5 Setting trees without dis∣branching.
• * 1.6

  6 Planting trees in worse mould.
• * 1.7

  7 Setting graft and stock smooth on the outside.
• * 1.8

  8 Grafting long, or for∣ked grafts.
• * 1.9

  9 Suffering fruit-trees to grow like Timber trees
• * 1.10

  10 Giving too much nourish¦ment to fruit-trees.
• * 1.11

  11 Nursing up Quincetrees of seed.
• * 1.12

  12 Pruning off too many shoots from Wall-trees.
• * 1.13

  13 Grafting seed Plants before remo∣ving.
• * 1.14

  14 Not pruning the roots of Plants.
• * 1.15

  15 Breaking off Buds before Grafts grow.
• * 1.16

  Esay 28.24, 25, 26.