Trees. But I wish to know what Soil, and how Deep, is in the Garden of my Correfpondent R. W. 4. It may happen that the Bloffoms destroy'd by Dale Mifts, or Frofts. may be To Mr. R. W. A Letter concerning Fruit Trees dropping their Blooms": With fome Thoughts how it may be prevented. SIR, YOUR OUR Love for Gardening is fo ex"preffive in your Letter to me, that "I am fond of an Opportunity of lending you "what Affiftance I can towards putting your "Trees in a Method of rewarding your La"bours with good Fruit. The Hints which "I have given on this Occafion in my Papers "relating to Fruit, are what, I think, may "contribute fomething towards their Help; "but I fhall now open the Cafe a little more plainly than I did before, from Experiments "that I have made. "I have obferv'd that Trees which have "been much prun'd are subject to shoot un"equally, that is, fome Parts will shoot more "vigorously than the others; or in fome Cafes all the luxuriant Branches will be on one "fide, while the Bearers lie in a little Com"pafs on the other fide of the Tree. Now " where it happens that the vigorous Shoots "are very prevailing over the bearing Branch es, the blooming Branches commonly drop "their Bloffoms, either before they fet for Fruit, or else drop the Fruit that does fet "upon them about July, which is the Time of a Tree's fecond fhooting; and this for "the fame Reason that the weaker Branches "of a Tree are made to bloffom; for the "luxuriant Branches, when they happen to 26 get the better of the smaller, imbibe all they can of the Juices of the Tree, and rob "the smaller Shoots of that Sap which should "have fupported their Strength; and Expe"rience teaches us, that by weakening any "Vegetable of the greatest Vigour, we bring it to bear Fruit. "Mr. Fairchild obferves very well, that "when by this means one Part of the Tree "is brought to put out Bloffom Buds, if the "other Part remains to fhoot vigorously, those "vigorous Shoots will draw fo much of the "Sap to themselves, that there is not enough "left circulating in the bearing Part to fup"port the Bloffoms, and therefore they drop; "or elfe fhould they not be fo much impo"verifh'd at the bloffoming Time as to drop "them; yet when the Tree comes to make "its fecond Effort in July, the bearing Branch es might then be fo flenderly nourish'd as "to occafion the falling of the Fruit that was fet in the Spring. "Now in fuch a Cafe there are many who "would prune the luxuriant Branches within "three "three or four Buds, to prevent this Mif"chief; but fuch Pruning as that provokes "the pruned Part to fhoot ftill more vigor 66 oufly, and there is ftill greater Expence of "Sap than there was before; and then the "bearing Part becomes ftill a greater Suffer"er, and often dies. When Plants are thus, "through ill Management at first, brought "to fuch an unequal Method of fhooting, I "would either prune very little of the vigor 66 ous Shoots, or bend them down to check "their Luxuriance without pruning at all: And "then I judge that the Circulation of Sap in "the Tree would become more regular; by "the checking the ftrong Branches the weak "ones would have a greater Share of Nourish"ment, and even the ftrong Branches would "be brought into a bearing State : But this "is only with regard to Dwarf Trees, or "Walls, or Efpaliers, where the little room "we have must be employ'd to the best Advantage; when this is our Cafe, I think we "fhould not fo much ftudy the great Regu"larity or Figure of our Trees, as how they "may bring Fruit in abundance, and fome"times their Look will be rude enough. 66 66 "A Standard Tree, if it likes the Earth, "has in it felf a natural Regularity without pruning; and we obferve, that the great "Branches, if we allow them Time, will bear "well, especially if we cut fome of the great "Roots after Midfummer, for thofe great Roots "are the Cause of the Over-vigour of the "Shoots So that if Pruning is neceffary, I "think it fhould be rather in the Roots than 66 upon the Branches, for the Earth will fooner "heal Bb 4 "heal a Wound than the Air, and when the "Cause is remov'd, the Effect ceafes. The "Sum of what I have observ'd in the com"mon Way of Pruning amounts to this, that “in much Pruning there is much Mischief. "Mr. Heron's Letter to me, inserted in this "Work, may yet help you; for whether it "be from Pruning or Frofts, that your Blof"foms do not hold upon the Trees, the Prac"tice of his Method will fufficiently arm against both. I am, Sir, Yours, &c. СНАР. CHA P. III. Concerning the Facility of raifing Timber Trees, in a Letter from Sir Henry Goodrick, wherein it appears that weeding of Timber Plantations is unneceffary. I SIR, To Mr. BRADLEY. Having lived in and about London at the Age when Youth ufually chufe their Pleafures, and those of that Place being very dif ferent from what are called Country Sports, I became not at all inclinable to join in the Diverfions of my Neighbours, when I came to live in the Country, as having no Taste of their Pleasures; fo fell into thofe of Planting and Gardening, which feemed most suitable to my always defired Retirement in the Country, where I have been fettled about Ten Years: And to affift me in the Prosecution of my Planting, there has (I believe) no Book come out relating to the Subjects of Gardening, Planting, or Husbandry, that I have not procured; and, amongst the rest, one lately pub |