href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@29058@[email protected]#NO_Chap_17" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">Chap. 17.

Of Ornaments. p. 68 Of Flowers, Borders, Mounts &c. p. 70 Of the delights. p. 69 Of Bees. p. 72 The causes of delights. p. 70

    THE BEST, SVRE
AND READIEST VVAY
to make a good Orchard and Garden.

Chapter. 1.
Of the Gardner, and his Wages.

Religious. Whosoeuer desireth & endeauoureth to haue a pleasant, and profitable Orchard, must (if he be able) prouide himselfe of a Fruicterer, religious, honest, skilful in that faculty, & therwithall painfull: By religious, I meane (because many think religion but a fashion or custome to go to Church) maintaining, & cherishing things religious: as Schooles of learning, Churches, Tythes, Church-goods, & rights; and aboue all things, Gods word, & the Preachers thereof, so much as he is able, practising prayers, comfortable conference, mutuall instruction to edifie, almes, and other works of Charity, and all out of a good conscience.

Honest. Honesty in a Gardner, will grace your Garden, and all your house, and helpe to stay vnbridled Seruingmen, giuing offence to none, not calling your name into question by dishonest acts, nor infecting your family by euill counsell or example. For there is no plague so infectious as Popery and knauery, he will not purloine your profit, nor hinder your pleasures.

Skilfull. Concerning his skill, he must not be a Scolist, to make shew or take in hand that, which he cannot performe, especially in so weighty a thing as an Orchard:     than the which, there can be no humane thing more excellent, either for pleasure or profit, as shall (God willing) be proued in the treatise following. And what an hinderance shall it be, not onely to the owner, but to the common good, that the vnspeakeble benefit of many hundred yeeres shall be lost, by the audacious attempt of an vnskilfull Arborist.

Painfull. The Gardner had not need be an idle, or lazie Lubber, for to your Orchard being a matter of such moment, will not prosper. There will euer be some thing to doe. Weedes are alwaies growing. The great mother of all liuing Creatures, the Earth, is full of seed in her bowels, and any stirring giues them heat of Sunne, and being laid neere day, they grow: Mowles worke daily, though not alwaies alike. Winter herbes at all times will grow (except in extreame frost.) In Winter your young trees and herbes would be lightned of snow, and your Allyes cleansed: drifts of snow will set Deere, Hares, and Conyes, and other noysome beasts ouer your walles & hedges, into your Orchard. When Summer cloathes your borders with greene and peckled colours, your Gardner must dresse his hedges, and antike workes: watch his Bees, and hiue them: distill his Roses and other herbes. Now begins Summer Fruit to ripe, and craue your hand to pull them. If he haue a Garden (as he must need) to keepe, you must needs allow him good helpe, to end his labours which are endlesse, for no one man is sufficient for these things.

Wages. Such a Gardner as will conscionably, quietly and patiently, trauell in your Orchard, God shall crowne the labours of his hands with ioyfulnesse, and make the clouds drop fatnesse vpon your trees, he will prouoke your loue, and earne his wages, and fees belonging to     his place: The house being serued, fallen fruite, superfluity of herbes, and flowers, seedes, grasses, sets, and besides all other of that fruit which your bountifull hand shall reward him withall, will much augment his wages, and the profit of your bees will pay you backe againe.

If you be not able, nor willing to hire a gardner, keepe your profits to your selfe, but then you must take all the pains: And for that purpose (if you want this faculty) to instruct you, haue I vndertaken these labours, and gathered these rules, but chiefly respecting my Countries good.

Chap. 2.
Of the soyle.

Kinds of trees. Fruit-trees most common, and meetest for our Northerne Countries: (as Apples, Peares, Cheries, Filberds, red and white Plummes, Damsons, and Bulles,) for we meddle not with Apricockes nor Peaches, nor scarcely with Quinces, which will not like in our cold parts, vnlesse they be helped with some reflex of Sunne, or other like meanes, nor with bushes, bearing berries, as Barberies, Goose-berries, or Grosers, Raspe-berries, and such like, though the Barbery be wholesome, and the tree may be made great: doe require (as all other trees doe) a blacke, fat, mellow, cleane and well tempered soyle, wherein they may gather plenty of good sap. Some thinke the Hasell would haue a chanily rocke, and the sallow, and eller a waterish marish. Soyle. The soile is made better by deluing, and other meanes, being well melted, and the wildnesse of the earth and weedes (for euery thing subiect to man, and seruing his vse (not well ordered) is by nature subiect     to the curse,) is killed by frosts and drought, by fallowing and laying on heapes, and if it be wild earth, with burning.

Barren earth. If your ground be barren (for some are forced to make an Orchard of barren ground) make a pit three quarters deepe, and two yards wide, and round in