Some material Points in the Improvement of barren Lands, by planting of Firs, and of the pruning of Trees.

.

st

Richard Bradley,

Eing a conftant Perufer of thy Monthly "Books, I perceive by these, and thy "other learned Works, as well as by Expe“rience, that the true Knowledge of pruning "of Trees, is the greatest Art requifite to "make a compleat Gardener. I am Master "of a small Plantation of Fruit-Trees, fitua"ted in a good Soil, expos'd to the South, "fenc'd by a Hill and an old Caftle from "the North and Eaft; but notwithstanding "thefe Bleffings of Nature, I cannot have "any Quantity of Fruit, tho' my Trees ne"ver want to have a great Quantity of Blof"foms. This I impute to my Trees being "too luxuriant, and running too much into "Wood. I have cut off a great many Bran"ches; I have brought them to fine Heads; "I have scarce left any Branches but what grow Horizontally.

66

But I find by Experience, that my La

"bour in a great Measure is loft.

"I went laft Month to fee John Warner's, "of Rotherhith, little Vineyard, which thou

fpeakeft of in one of thy Books: I find it "to be above what thou fay'ft of it. The "Wine for its Flavour and Strength is to "be admir'd; but his Vines, I muft tell thee, "are of a different Sort from those thou re"commendest in thy Book to be planted in England, and are manag'd after another Mán"ner from what is recommended in thy Book, "as practised by thy Friend the ingenious Tho"mas Fairchild, and thy other Friends.

"But now, to return to the pruning of "Trees I find that John Warner has ano"ther Way of doing it, from what is recom"mended in thy Books, or practised by any "Perfon elfe that I could hear of before, and "ever fince never fail'd of Plenty of Fruit. "His Way of pruning his Trees is so easy, "fo ornamental, and fo confiftent with good "Senfe, according to my mean Capacity, "that I was foon induced to believe what he << told me.

"Thou haft feen his Garden; he has two long Canals planted on each Side with Dwarf "Trees; his Soil is very good, his Trees "very luxuriant; he never could bring them "to bear Fruit by the ordinary way of Pru"ning; but fince he has made Ufe of this "new Method of Pruning, he told me he ne"ver miffed of having every Year great Plen"ty of Fruit. John Warner's Method is this: "He lets two, three, or four of the ftraitest "and largest Branches grow up a Yard or "two higher than the Tree; these closely he prunes all over. I imagine that these Maypole like Branches (for they resemble May"poles) carry off the Super-abundance of the

66

вь

“Sap,

Sap, that formerly hinder'd the Trees from “bearing, which could not be done by the "common Way of Pruning. He tells me, "that by this Way he never fails of having "Plenty of Fruit: Experience is the best Ma❝fter, and cannot be contradicted.

“My Friend, thou art very knowing in the "Secrets of Nature of thefe Kinds; I fhould “be glad to have thy Opinion in this Matter, "if thou approveft of it as beneficial to the “Publick, recommend it to thy Friends; in "that thou wilt oblige very much

Thy unknown Friend,

R. W.

P. S. "In thy Books thou recommendest "very much to the Publick the Planting of "Fir-Trees, and haft printed a Letter from "a Friend in Scotland on that Subject. But "I wonder very much, that thou haft never "heard of the finest Plantation in the World, "for its bignefs, near Hope, fix Miles beyond "Gloucester, in the Road to Monmouth. It "was planted by one Wade of Gloucester, on a "high barren Common, which bears nothing "but Furze and Fern. The Trees thrive ve

..

ry well; they are planted in a regular Man

ner at a great Distance; they make the "fineft Profpect that ever I saw in any Place "of this Nature, and I am no Stranger to o"ther Countries. It is fo ornamental, fo beau"tiful, and fo commendable a Sight, that it "cannot be admir'd too much: The only

"Fault

"Fault to be found in it, is, that the Trees "are planted at too great a Distance from "each other; then inftead of fome Thousands "that grow there now, there might be fome "Hundred Thoufands. It is an Obfervation, "that Trees will not thrive upon high cold "Hills, except they are planted clofe toge"ther, and in Quantities. The large Planta"tions made by the Duke of Beaufort, on "the Hills near Badminton, has convinced the "World of the Neceffity of planting close and "in Quantities on fuch cold Hills. There "was a great deal of Labour and Money loft "on thofe Plantations. An honeft Friend told "the Duke, that he had taken Care and pro"vided well for the Body of his Trees, by "making Walls about them, but that he had "not beftow'd upon them Night-caps to co"ver them from cold Weather, for want of "which they never thriv'd. It is worth thy "while to enquire about this Plantation of "Firs. Adieu.

The foregoing Letter contains many Matters of Confequence, which I may hereafter explain more fully. I fhall at prefent only give fome general Hints concerning the Management of fuch Trees as bloffom freely, and bear little Fruit, and defer the entering into Particulars upon this Subject till another Opportunity.

In that Part of this Work which relates to Fruit I have taken Notice of the May-pole Branches here mention'd, under the Title of Waft-pipes to carry off the over-abundant Sap;

Bb 2

Sap; these I have only obferv'd at Mr. Warner's at Rotherhith, and am perfuaded they are of extraordinary Ufe for bringing a Tree to bear.

2. I do not think that leaving only the horizontal Shoots of a Tree, can any way put a ftop to the Luxuriance of it; but the bending or laying down of upright Branches horizontally, checks the Sap, by ftopping its Course thro' many of the Veffels, and helps the pithy Parts to digeft their Juices fo as to produce Flower Buds; for all Buds of a Tree are either Leaf Buds, or Flower Buds, as the Pith is more watry or undigefted, or more dry and tending to decline.

The Pith in one Year's Shoot is abundant and watry.

The Pith in a Shoot of two Years is lefs in quantity, and more dry.

The Pith in a three Year's Shoot is hardly to be difcern'd; and in older Branches is of no Use, and entirely confum'd or rotted.

Now, where this Pith is overcharg'd with Water, we seldom observe any Difpofition to flower; or if the Tree bloffom, the Farina which fhould impregnate those Bloffoms, is fo unripe that they very rarely fet for Fruit.

3. There are fome Soils which encourage Trees to fhoot large luxuriant Roots, which imbibe fo much Water, that the Shoots which answer them in the Head of the Tree, are overcharg'd with Sap; and in fuch Cafe either thofe Roots fhould be pruned, or fome wafte Branches or Pipes fhould be left growing to discharge those watry Parts, as in Mr. Warner's Trees.