A DISCOURSE

I- Mouths and Vehicles which suck in the Nutriment, and transfuse it in-

^ to all the Parts of the Tree, and that these once perishing, the thickerand larger Roots, hard and less spungy, signifie little but to establish theStem ; as 1 have frequently experimented in Orange-Trees, whoseFibres are so very obnoxious to rot, if they take in the least Excess ofWet: And therefore Cato advises us to take Care that we bind theMould about them, or transfer the Roots in Baskets, to preserve itfrom forsaking them; as now our Nursery-men frequently do, bywhich they of late are able to furnish our Grounds, Avenues and Gar-dens in a Moment with Trees and other Plants, which would else requiremany Years to appear in such Perfection : For this Earth being alreadyapplied, and fitted to the Overtures and Mouths of the Fibres it willrequire some Time to bring them in Appetite again to a new 'Mould,by which to repair their Loss, furnish their Stock, and proceed in theirwonted Oeconomy without manifest Danger and Interruption: Nor leftought our Care to be in the making and dressing of the Tits and Fossesinto which we design our Transplantation, which should be preparedand left some Time open to macerating Rains, Frosis and dW/ thatmay resolve the compacted Salt (as some will have it) render the Earthfriable , mix and qualifie it for Aliment, and to be more easily drawn inand digested by the Roots and analogous Stomach of the Trees - Thisto some Degree may be artificially done, by burning of Straw in thenewly opened Tits , and drenching the Mould with Water, especially in over-dry Seasons, and by meliorating barren Ground with sweetand comminuted Lat at ions. Let therefore this be received as a Max 'never to plant a Fruit or Forest-tree where there has lately been ^anold decay'd one taken up, till the Tit be well ventilated andwith fresh Mould.

7. The Author of the Natural History, Tliny, tells us, it was a vulgar Tradition in his Time, that no Tree should be removed under twoYears old, or above three. Cato would have none transplanted leftthan five Fingers in Diameter-, but I have ssiew’d why we are not

f ? d J 0 i? ng fcr such a u 1 ? Seedlings. In the Interim ifthese Directions appear too busy or operas', or that the TUnution voumtend be very ample, a more compendious Method* ill be the confusedsowing of Acorns , fee. m Furrows, two Foot asunder, covered at threeFingers Depth, and so for three Years cleansed, and the first Wintercover'd with Fern without any farther Culture, unless you transoU,them : But as I stiew’d before in Nurseries , . they would be cutInch from the Ground, and then let stand till March the second Yearwhen it shall be sufficient to disbranch them to one only Shoot whetheryou suffer them to stand, or remove them elsewhere. But to make anEjsay what Seed is most agreeable to the Soil, you may by the thrivin*of a promiscuous Semination make a Judgment of ^ ^

a What each Soil bears , and what it does refuse ;

Transplanting those which you find least agreeing with the Tlace- orelse by copsing the Starvelings in the Places where they are newlylown, cause them sometimes to overtake even their untouch’d Cantemporaries .

a Quid quæque feral regio, Le quid quæque recuset.

Some-