The English Husbandman Part 7

Secondly, you shall into your greatest stockes put your greatest grafts, and into your least, the least, that there may be an equall strength and conformitie in their coniunction.

Thirdly, if at any time you be inforced to graft vpon an olde tree, that is great and large, then you shall not graft into the body of that tree, because it is impossible to keepe it from putrifaction and rotting before the grafts can couer the head, but you shall chuse out some of the princ.i.p.all armes or branches, which are much more slender, and graft them, as is before shewed, omitting not dayly to cut away all cyons, armes, branches, or superfluous sprigs which shall grow vnder those branches which you haue newly grafted: but if there be no branch, small or tender inough to graft in, then you shall cut away all the maine branches from the stocke, and couering the head with clay and mosse, let it rest, and within three or foure yeeres it will put forth new cyons, which will be fit to graft vpon.

Fourthly, if when you either sawe off the top of your stocke, or else cleaue the head, you either raise vp the barke or cleaue the stocke too deepe, you shall then sawe the stocke againe, with a little more carefulnesse, so much lower as your first errour had committed a fault.

Fiftly, you shall from time to time looke to the binding of the heads of your stockes, in so much that if either the clay doe shrinke away or the other couerings doe losen, by which defects ayre, or wet, may get into the incission, you shall presently with all speede amend and repaire it.

Lastly, if you graft in any open place where cattell doe graze, you shall not then forget as soone as you haue finisht your worke to bush or hedge in your graft, that it may be defended from any such negligent annoyance. And thus much for this ordinary manner of grafting, which although it be generall and publike to most men that knoweth any thing in this art, yet is it not inferiour, but the princ.i.p.allest and surest of all other.

CHAP. V.

_Of diuers other wayes of grafting, their vses and purposes._

Although for certainty, vse, and commodity, the manner of grafting already prescribed is of sufficiency inough to satisfie any constant or reasonable vnderstanding, yet for nouelty sake, to which our nation is infinitly addicted, and to satisfie the curious, who thinke their iudgements disparaged if they heare any authorised traueller talke of the things which they haue not practised, I will proceede to some other more quaint manners of grafting, and the rather because they are not altogether vnnecessary, hauing both certainety in the worke, pleasure in the vse, and benefit in the serious imploying of those howers which else might challenge the t.i.tle of idlenesse, besides they are very well agreeing with the soyles and fruits of this Empyre of great Brittaine and the vnderstandings of the people, for whose seruice or benefit, I onely vndergoe my trauell.

You shall vnderstand therefore, that there is another way to graft, which is called grafting betweene the barke and tree, and it is to be put in vse about the latter end of February, at such time as the sappe beginnes to enter into the trees: and the stockes most fit for this manner of grafting are those which are oldest and greatest, whose graine being rough and vneuen, either through shaking or twinding, it is a thing almost impossible to make it cleaue in any good fashion, so that in such a case it is meete that the grafter exercise this way of grafting betwixt the barke and the tree, the manner whereof is thus.

{SN: Grafting betweene the barke.} First, you shall dresse your grafts in such sort as was before discribed when you grafted in the cleft, onely they shall not be so long from the knot or seame downeward by an inch or more, neither so thicke, but as thinne as may be, the pith onely preserued, and at the neather end of all you shall cut away the barke on both sides, making that end smaller and narrower then it is at the ioynt or seame, then sawing off the head of the stocke, you shall with a sharpe knife pare the head round about, smooth and plaine, making the barke so euen as may be, that the barke of your grafts and it may ioyne like one body, then take a fine narrow chissell, not exceeding sharpe, but somewhat rebated, and thrust it hard downe betwixt the barke and the tree, somewhat more then two inches, according to the iust length of your graft, and then gently thrust the graft downe into the same place, euen close vnto the ioynt, hauing great care that the ioynt rest firme and constant vpon the head of the stocke, and thus you shall put into one stocke not aboue three grafts at the most, how euer either other mens practise, or your owne reading doe perswade you to the contrary. After your grafts are fixt and placed, you shall then couer the head with barke, clay, and mosse, as hath beene formerly shewed: also you shall fasten about it some bushes of thorne, or sharpe whinnes, which may defend and keepe it from the annoyance of Pye-annats, and such like great birds.

There is another way of grafting, which is called grafting in the scutchion, which howsoeuer it is esteemed, yet is it troublesome, incertaine, and to small purpose: the season for it is in summer, from May till August, at what time trees are fullest of sappe and fullest of leaues, and the manner is thus: take the highest and the princ.i.p.allest branches of the toppe of the tree you would haue grafted, and without cutting it from the olde woode chuse the best eye and budding place of the cyon, then take another such like eye or budde, being great and full, and first cut off the leafe hard by the budde, then hollow it with your knife the length of a quarter of an inch beneath the budde, round about the barke, close to the sappe, both aboue and below, then slit it downe twice so much wide of the budde, and then with a small sharpe chissell raise vp the scutchion, with not onely the budde in the midst but euen all the sappe likewise, wherein you shall first raise that side which is next you, and then taking the scutchion betweene your fingars, raise it gently vp without breaking or brusing, and in taking it off hould it hard vnto the woode, to the end the sappe of the budde may abide in the scutchion, for if it depart from the barke and cleaue to the woode, your labour is lost, this done you shall take another like cyon, and hauing taken off the barke from it, place it in the others place, and in taking off this barke you must be carfull that you cut not the woode, but the barke onely, and this done you shall couer it all ouer with redde waxe, or some such glutenous matter; as for the binding of it with hempe and such trumpery it is vtterly dissalowed of all good grafters: this manner of grafting may be put in practise vpon all manner of cyons, from the bignesse of a mans little fingar to the bignesse of a slender arme.

{SN: Grafting with the Leafe.} Not much vnlike vnto this, is the grafting with the Leafe, and of like worth, the art whereof is thus: any time betwixt midst May, vntill the midst of September, you shall chuse, from the toppe of the sunne-side of the tree, the most princ.i.p.all young cyon you can see, whose barke is smoothest, whose leaues are greatest, and whose sappe is fullest, then cutting it from the tree note the princ.i.p.all leafe thereof, and cut away from it all the woode more then about an inch of each side of the leafe, then cutting away the vndermost part of the barke with your knife, take peece meale from the barke all the woode and sappe, saue onely that little part of woode and sappe which feedeth the leafe, which in any wise must be left behind, so that the graft will carry this figure.

{Ill.u.s.tration}

Then goe to the body, arme, or branch of that tree which you intend to graft, which is to be presupposed must euer haue a smooth and tender barke, and with a very sharpe knife slit the barke, two slits at least, two inches long a peece, and about halfe an inch or more distance betweene the two slits: then make another slit crosse-wise ouerthwart, from long slit to long slit, the figure whereof will be thus:

{Ill.u.s.tration}

Then with your knife raise the barke gently from the tree, without breaking, cracking, or brusing: then take your graft, and putting it vnder the barke lay it flat vnto the sappe of the tree, so as that little sappe which is left in the leafe, may without impediment cleaue to the sappe of the tree, then lay downe the barke close againe and couer the graft, and with a little vntwound hempe, or a soft wollen list, binde downe the barke close to the graft, and then couer all the incisions you haue made with greene waxe: by this manner of grafting you may haue vpon one tree sundry fruits, as from one Apple-tree, both Pippins, Peare-maines, Russettings and such like, nay, you may haue vpon one tree, ripe fruit all summer long, as Ienettings from one branch, Cislings from another, Wibourns from another, Costards and Queene-Apples from others, and Pippens and Russettings, from others, which bringeth both delight to the eye, and admiration to the sence, and yet I would not haue you imagine that this kinde of grafting doth onely worke this effect, for as before I shewed you, if you graft in the cleft (which is the fastest way of all grafting) sundry fruits vpon sundry armes or bowes, you shall likewise haue proceeding from them sundry sorts of fruits, as either Apples, Plumbes, Peares or any other kind, according to your composition and industry; as at this day we may dayly see in many great mens Orchards.

{SN: Grafting on the toppes of trees.} There is yet another manner of grafting, and it is of all other especially vsed much in Italy, and yet not any thing disagreeable with our climate, and that is to graft on the small cyons which are on the toppes of fruit trees, surely an experience that carryeth in it both dificulty and wonder, yet being put to approbation is no lesse certaine then any of the other, the manner whereof is thus: you shall first after you haue chosen such and so many grafts as you doe intend to graft, and trimd them in the same manner as you haue beene taught formerly for grafting within the cleft, you shall then mount vp into the toppe of the tree, vpon which you meane to graft, and there make choise of the highest and most princ.i.p.allest cyons (being cleane barkt and round) that you can perceiue to grow from the tree, then laying the graft, and the cyon vpon which you are to graft, together, see that they be both of one bignesse and roundnesse: then with your grafting knife cut the cyon off betweene the olde woode and the new, and cleaue it downe an inch and an halfe, or two inches at the most: then put in your graft (which graft must not be cut thinner on one side, then on the other, but all of one thicknesse) and when it is in, see that the barke of the graft both aboue and below, that is, vpon both sides, doe ioyne close, euen, and firme with the barke of the branch or cyon, and then by foulding a little soft towe about it, keepe them close together, whilst with clay, mosse, and the in-most barke of Osyars you lappe them about to defend them from ayre, winde, and tempests. And herein you shall obserue to make your graft as short as may be, for the shortest are best, as the graft which hath not aboue two or three knots, or buddes, and no more.

You may, if you please, with this manner of grafting graft vpon euery seuerall cyon, a seuerall fruit, and so haue from one tree many fruits, as in case of grafting with the leafe, and that with much more speede, by as much as a well-growne graft is more forward and able then a weake tender leafe. And in these seuerall wayes already declared, consisteth the whole Art and substance of Grafting: from whence albeit many curious braines may, from preuaricating trickes, beget showes of other fashions, yet when true iudgement shall looke vpon their workes, he shall euer finde some one of these experiments the ground and substance of all their labours, without which they are able to doe nothing that shall turne to an a.s.sured commoditie.

{SN: The effects of Grafting.} Now when you haue made your selfe perfect in the sowing, setting, planting and grafting of trees, you shall then learne to know the effects, wonders, and strange issues which doe proceede from many quaint motions and helpes in grafting, as thus: if you will haue Peaches, Cherryes, Apples, Quinces, Medlars, Damsons, or any Plumbe whatsoeuer, to ripen earely, as at the least two months before the ordinary time, and to continue at least a month longer then the accustomed course, you shall then graft them vpon a Mulberry stocke: and if you will haue the fruit to tast like spice, with a certaine delicate perfume, you shall boyle Honey, the powder of Cloues and Soaxe together, and being cold annoynt the grafts there-with before you put them into the cleft, if you graft Apples, Peares, or any fruit vpon a Figge-tree stocke, they will beare fruit without blooming: if you take an Apple graft, & a Peare graft, of like bignesse, and hauing clouen them, ioyne them as one body in grafting, the fruit they bring forth will be halfe Apple and halfe Peare, and so likewise of all other fruits which are of contrary tastes and natures: if you graft any fruit-tree, or other tree, vpon the Holly or vpon the Cypresse, they will be greene, and keepe their leaues the whole yeere, albeit the winter be neuer so bitter.

If you graft either Peach, Plumbe, or any stone-fruit vpon a Willow stocke, the fruit which commeth of them will be without stones.

If you will change the colour of any fruit, you shall boare a hole slope-wise with a large auger into the body of the tree, euen vnto the pith, and then if you will haue the fruit yealow you shal fill the hole with Saferne dissolued in water: if you will haue it redde, then with Saunders, and of any other colour you please, and then stoppe the hole vp close, and couer it with red or yealow waxe: also if you mixe the coulour with any spice or perfume, the fruit will take a rellish or tast of the same: many other such like conceits and experiments are practised amongst men of this Art, but sith they more concerne the curious, then the wise, I am not so carefull to bestow my labour in giuing more substantiall satisfaction, knowing curiosity loues that best which proceedes from their most paine, and am content to referre their knowledge to the searching of those bookes which haue onely strangnesse for their subiect, resolued that this I haue written is fully sufficient for the plaine English husbandman.

CHAP. VI.

_Of the replanting of Trees, and furnishing the Orchard._

As soone as your seedes, or sets, haue brought forth plants, those plants, through time, made able, and haue receiued grafts, and those grafts haue couered the heads of the stockes and put forth goodly branches, you shall then take them vp, and replant them, (because the sooner it is done the better it is done) in those seuerall places of your Orchard which before is appointed, and is intended to be prepared, both by dungging, digging, and euery orderly labour, to receiue euery seuerall fruit. And herein you shall vnderstand, that as the best times for grafting are euery month (except October and Nouember) and at the change of the moone, so the best times for replanting, are Nouember and March onely, vnlesse the ground be cold and moist and then Ianuary, or February must be the soonest all wayes, excepted that you doe not replant in the time of frost, for that is most vnholsome.

{SN: The taking vp of trees.} Now when you will take vp your trees which you intend to replant in your Orchard, you shall first with a spade bare all the maine branches of the roote, and so by degrees digge and loosen the earth from the roote, in such sort that you may with your owne strength raise the young tree from the ground, which done, you shall not, according to the fashion of Fraunce, dismember, or dis...o...b.. the tree of his beauties, that is to say, to cut off all his vpper branches and armes, but you shall diligently preserue them: for I haue seene a tree thus replanted after the fall of the leafe to bring forth fruit in the summer following: but if the tree you replant be olde then it is good to cut off the maine branches with in a foote of the stocke, least the sappe running vpward, and so forsaking the roote too sodainely doe kill the whole tree.

When you haue taken your tree vp, you shall obserue how, and in what manner, it stoode, that is, which side was vpon the South and receiued most comfort from the sunne, and which side was from it and receiued most shadow and bleaknesse, and in the same sort as it then stoode, so shall you replant it againe: this done you shall with a sharpe cutting-knife, cut off all the maine rootes, within halfe a foote of the tree, onely the small thriddes or twist-rootes you shall not cut at all: then bringing the plant into your Orchard, you shall make a round hole in that place where you intend to set your tree (the rankes, manner, distance and forme whereof hath beene all ready declared, in the first Chapter:) and this hole shalbe at least foure foote ouerthwart euery way, and at least two foote deepe, then shall you fill vp the hole againe, fifteene inches deepe, with the finest blacke mould, tempered with Oxe dunge that you can get, so that then the hole shalbe but nine inches deepe, then you shall take your tree and place it vpon that earth, hauing care to open euery seuerall branch and thrid of the roote, & so to place them that they may all looke downe into the earth, and not any of them to looke backe and turne vpward: then shall you take of the earth from whence your tree was taken, and tempering it with a fourth part of Oxe dunge and slekt sope-a.s.shes (for the killing of wormes) couer all the roote of your tree firmely and strongly: then with greene soddes, cut and ioyned arteficially together, so sodde the place that the hole may hardly be discerned. Lastly take a strong stake, and driuing it hard into the ground neare vnto the new planted tree, with either a soft hay rope, the broad barke of Willow, or some such like vnfretting band, tye the tree to the stake, and it will defend it from the rage of winde and tempests, which should they but shake or trouble the roote, being new planted, it were inough to confound and spoyle the tree for euer.

Now, although I haue vnder the t.i.tle and demonstration of replanting one tree giuen you a generall instruction for the replanting of all trees whatsoeuer, yet, for as much as some are not of that strength and hardnesse to indure so much as some others will, therefore you shal take these considerations by the way, to fortefie your knowledge with.

First, you shall vnderstand that all your dainty and tender grafted Plumbes, and fruits, as Abricots, Peaches, Damaske-Plumbes, Verdochyos, Pescods, Emperialls, and diuers such like, together with Orrenges, Cytrons, Almonds, Oliues, and others, which indeede are not familiar with our soyles, as being nearer neighbours to the sunne, doe delight in a warme, fat, earth, being somewhat sandy, or such a clay whose coldnesse by Manure is corrected, and therefore here with vs in the replanting of them you cannot bestow too much cost vpon the mould: as for the Damson, and all our naturall english Plumbes, they loue a fat, cold, earth, so that in the replanting of them if you shall lay too much dunge vnto their roote, you shall through the aboundant heate, doe great hurt vnto the tree. The cherry delighteth in any clay, so that vpon such soyle you may vse lesse Manure, but vpon the contrary you cannot lay too much. The Medlar esteemeth all earths alike, and therefore whether it be Manured or no it skilles not, sunne and shadow, wet and drinesse, being all of one force or efficacy. The Peare and Apple-tree delights in a strong mixt soyle, and therfore indureth Manure kindly, so doth also the Quince and Warden: lastly the Filbert, the Hasell, and the Chesnut, loue cold, leane, moist, and sandy earths, in so much that there is no greater enimy vnto them then a rich soyle: so that in replanting of them you must euer seeke rather to correct then increase fertillity.

You shall also vnderstand that all such fruit-trees as you doe plant against the walles of your Orchard (of which I haue spoken already & deciphered out their places) you shall not suffer to grow as of themselues, round, and from the wall, but at the times of pruning and dressing of them (which is euer at the beginning of the spring and immediately after the fall) you shall as it were plash them, and spread them against the wall, foulding the armes in loopes of leather, and nayling them vnto the wall: and to that end you shall place them of such a fit distance one from another, that they may at pleasure spread and mount, without interruption: the profit whereof is at this day seene almost in euery great mans Orchard: and although I haue but onely appointed vnto the wall the most quaint fruits of forraine nations; yet there is no fruit of our owne, but if it be so ordered it will prosper and bring forth his fruit better and in greater abundance. And thus much for the replanting of trees and furnishing of a well proportioned Orchard.

CHAP. VII.

_Of the Dressing, Dungging, Proyning, and Preseruing of Trees._

Sith after all the labour spent of ingendring by seede, of fortefying and inabling by planting, and of multiplying by grafting it is to little or no purpose if the trees be not maintained and preserued by dressing, dungging and proyning, I will therefore in this place shew you what belongs to that office or duty, and first, for the dressing of trees: you shall vnderstand that it containeth all whatsoeuer is meete for the good estate of the tree, as first, after your tree is planted, or replanted, if the season shall fall out hot, dry, and parching, insomuch that the moisture of the earth is sucked out by the atraction of the Sunne, and so the tree wanteth the nutriment of moisture, in this case you shall not omit euery morning before the rising of the sunne, and euery euening after the set of the sunne, with a great watring-pot filled with water, to water & bath the rootes of the trees, if they be young trees, and newly planted, or replanted, but not otherwise: for if the trees be olde, and of long growth, then you shall saue that labour, and onely to such olde trees you shall about the midst of Nouember, with a spade, digge away the earth from the vpper part of the rootes and lay them bare vntill it be midde-March, and then mingling such earth as is most agreeable with the fruit and Oxe-dunge and sope-ashes together, so couer them againe, and tread the earth close about them: as for the vncouering of your trees in summer I doe not hold it good, because the reflection of the sunne is somewhat too violent and dryeth the roote, from whence at that time the sappe naturally is gone: you shall also euery spring and fall of the leafe clense your fruit trees from mosse, which proceeding from a cold and cankerous moisture, breedeth dislike, and barrainenesse in trees: this mosse you must take off with the backe of an olde knife and leaue the barke smooth, plaine, and vnraced: also if you shall dunge such trees with the dunge of Swine, it is a ready way to destroy the mosse.

{SN: Proyning of Trees.} After you haue drest and trimmed your trees, you shall then proyne them, which is to cut away all those superfluous branches, armes, or cyons, which being either barraine, bruised or misplaced, doe like drones, steale-away that nutriment which should maintaine the better deseruing sinewes, and you shall vnderstand that the best time for proyning of trees, is in March and Aprill, at which time the sappe a.s.sending vpward, causeth the trees to budde: the branches you shall cut away are all such as shall grow out of the stocke vnderneath the place grafted, or all such as by the shaking of tempests shall grow in a disorderly and ill fashioned crookednesse, or any other, that out of a well tempered iudgement shall seeme superfluous and burdensome to the stocke from whence it springs, also such as haue by disorder beene brooken, or maimed, and all these you shall cut away with a hooke knife, close by the tree, vnlesse you haue occasion by some misfortune to cut away some of the maine and great armes of the tree, and then you shall not vse your knife for feare of tearing the barke, but taking your sawe you shall sawe off those great armes close by the tree, neither shall you sawe them off downeward but vpward, least the waight of the arme breake the barke from the body: And herein you shall also vnderstand that for as much as the mischances which beget these dismembrings doe happen at the latter end of Summer, in the gathering of the fruit, and that it is not fit such maymed and broken boughes hang vpon the tree till the Spring, therefore you shall cut them off in the Winter time, but not close to the tree by almost a foote, and so letting them rest vntill the spring, at that time cut them off close by the tree. Now if you finde the superfluitie of branches which annoy your trees to be onely small cyons, springing from the rootes of the trees, as it often hapneth with all sorts of Plumbe-trees, Cherry-trees, Nut-trees, and such like, then you shall in the winter, bare the rootes of those trees, and cut off those cyons close by the roote: but if your trees be broused or eaten by tame-Deare, Goates, Sheepe, Kine, Oxen, or such like, then there is no help for such a misfortune but onely to cut off the whole head and graft the stocke anew.

{SN: Of Barke-bound.} Next to the proyning of trees, is the preseruing, phisicking, and curing of the diseases of trees: to which they are subiect as well as our naturall bodyes: and first of all, there is a disease called Barke-bound, which is when the barke, through a mislike and leperous drynesse, bindeth in the tree with such straitnesse that the sappe being denied pa.s.sage the body growes into a consumption: it is in nature like vnto that disease which in beasts is called hide-bound, and the cure is thus: at the beginning of March take a sharpe knife, and from the toppe of the body of the tree, to the very roote, draw downe certaine slits, or incissions, cleane through the barke, vnto the very sappe of the tree, round about the tree, & then with the backe of your knife open those slits and annoint them all through with Tarre, and in short s.p.a.ce it will giue libertie vnto the tree to encrease & grow: this disease commeth by the rubbing of cattell against the tree, especially Swine, who are very poyson vnto all plants.

{SN: Of the Gall.} There is another disease in fruit-trees, called the Gall, and it eateth and consumeth the barke quit away, and so in time kills the tree: the cure is to cut and open the barke which you see infected, and with a chissell to take away all that is foule and putrefied, and then to clappe Oxe dunge vpon the place, and it will helpe it, and this must be done euer in winter.

{SN: Of the Canker.} The Canker in fruit trees is the consumption both of the barke and the body, & it commeth either by the dropping of trees one vpon another, or else when some hollow places of the tree retaineth raine water in them, which fretting through the barke, poysoneth the tree: the cure is to cut away all such boughes as by dropping breede the euill, and if the hollow places cannot be smooth and made euen, then to stoppe them with clay, waxe, and sope-ashes mixt together.

{SN: Of worme-eaten barkes.} If the barkes of your trees be eaten with wormes, which you shall perceiue by the swelling of the barke, you shall then open the barke and lay there-vpon swines dunge, sage, and lime beaten together, and bound with a cloath fast to the tree, and it will cure it: or wash the tree with cowes-p.i.s.se and vinegar and it will helpe it.

{SN: Of Pismiers and Snailes.} If your young trees be troubled with Pismiers, or Snailes, which are very noysome vnto them, you shall take vnsleckt lime and sope-ashes and mingling them with wine-lees, spread it all about the roote of the trees so infected, and annoint the body of the tree likewise therewith, and it will not onely destroy them but giue comfort to the tree: the soote of a chimney or Oake sawe-dust spread about the roote will doe the same.

{SN: Of Caterpillers, and Earewigges.} If Caterpillers doe annoy your young trees, who are great deuourers of the leaues and young buddes, and spoylers of the barke, you shall, if it be in the summer time, make a very strong brine of water and salt, and either with a garden pumpe, placed in a tubbe, or with squirts which haue many hoales you shall euery second day water and wash your trees, and it will destroy them, because the Caterpiller naturally cannot indure moisture, but if neuerthelesse you see they doe continue still vpon your trees in Winter, then you shall when the leaues are falne away take dankish straw and setting it on fire smeare and burne them from the tree, and you shall hardly euer be troubled with them againe vpon the same trees: roules of hay layd on the trees will gather vp Earewigges and kill them.

{SN: Of the barrainenesse of Trees.} If your trees be barraine, and albeit they flourish and spread there leaues brauely, yet bring forth no fruit at all, it is a great sicknesse, and the worst of all other: therefore you shall vnderstand it proceedeth of two causes: first, of two much fertillitie, and fatnesse of the ground, which causeth the leafe to put forth and flourish in such vnnaturall abundance, that all such sappe and nutriment as should knit and bring forth fruit, turnes onely vnto leafe, cyons, and vnprofitable branches, which you shall perceiue both by the abundance of the leaues and by the colour also, which will be of a more blacker and deeper greene, and of much larger proportion then those which haue but their naturall and proper rights: and the cure thereof is to take away the earth from the roote of such trees and fill vp the place againe with other earth, which is of a much leaner substance: but if your tree haue no such infirmitie of fatnesse, but beareth his leaues and branches in good order and of right colour and yet notwithstanding is barraine and bringeth forth little or no fruit, then that disease springeth from some naturall defect in the tree, and the cure thereof is thus: first, you shall vnbare the roote of the tree, and then noting which is the greatest and princ.i.p.allest branch of all the roote, you shall with a great wimble boare a hole into that roote and then driue a pinne of olde dry Ashe into the same (for Oake is not altogether so good) and then cutting the pinne off close by the roote, couer all the head of the pinne with yealow waxe, and then lay the mould vpon the roote of the tree againe, and treade it hard and firmely downe, and there is no doubte but the tree will beare the yeere following: in Fraunce they vse for this infirmitie to boare a hoale in the body of the tree slope-wise, somewhat past the hart, and to fill vp the hoale with life honey and Rose-water mixt together, and incorporated for at least xxiiij. howers, and then to stoppe the hole with a pinne of the one woode: also if you wash the rootes of your trees in the drane water which runneth from your Barley when you steepe it for Malt, it will cure this disease of barrainenesse.

{SN: Of the bitternesse of Fruit.} If the fruit which is vpon your trees be of a bitter and sootie tast, to make it more pleasant and sweet you shall wash your tree all ouer with Swines dunge and water mixt together, & to the rootes of the trees you shall lay earth and Swines dunge mixt together, which must be done in the month of Ianuary and February onely, and it will make the fruit tast pleasantly. And thus much for the dressing and preseruing of trees.

CHAP. VIII.

_Of the Vine, and of his ordering._