_Of the setting or planting of the Cyons or Branches of most sorts of
Fruit-trees._
As you are to furnish your nursery with all sorts of kernells and
stones, for the breeding of stockes where on to graft the daintiest
fruits you can compasse, so shall you also plant therein the cyons and
branches of the best fruit trees: which cyons and branches doe bring
forthe the same fruit which the trees doe from whence they are taken,
and by that meanes your nursery shall euer afford you perfect trees,
wherewith either to furnish your owne grounds, or to pleasure your
neighbours. And herein by the way you shall vnderstand that some trees
are more fit to be set then to be sowne, as namely, the Seruice-tree,
the Medler, the Filbert and such like. Now for the Seruice-tree, hee is
not at all to be grafted, but set in this wise: take of the bastard
cyons such as be somewhat bigger then a mans thumbe, and cutting away
the branches thereof, set it in a fine loose moulde, at least a foote
deepe, and it will prosper exceedingly, yet the true nature of this tree
is not to be remoued, and therefore it is conuenient that it be planted
where it should euer continue: in like manner to the Seruice-tree, so
you shall plant the bastard cyons of the Medlar-tree either in March or
October, and at the waine of the moone.
Now for the Filbert, or large Hassell-nut, you shall take the smallest
cyons or wands, such as are not aboue two yeeres groath, being full of
short heauie twigges, and grow from the roote of the maine tree, and set
them in a loose mould, a foote deepe, without pruning or cutting away
any of the branches, and they will prosper to your contentment. Now for
all sorts of Plumbe-trees, Apple-trees or other fruit-trees which are
not grafted, if you take the young cyons which grow from the rootes
cleane from the rootes, and plant them either in the spring, or fall, in
a fresh and fine mould, they will not onely prosper, but bring forth
fruit of like nature and qualitie to the trees from whence they were
taken.
Now for your grafted fruit, as namely, Apples, Plumbes, Cherryes,
Mulberries, Quinces, and such like, the cyons also and branches of them
also will take roote and bring forth fruit of the same kinde that the
trees did from whence they were taken: but those cyons or branches must
euer be chosen from the vpper parts of the trees, betwixt the feast of
all-Saints and Christmas, they must be bigger then a mans finger,
smooth, straight, and without twigges: you shall with a sharpe chissell
cut them from the body or armes of the tree with such care, that by no
meanes you raise vp the barke, and then with a little yealow waxe couer
the place from whence you cut the cyon: then hauing digged and dunged
the earth well where you intend to plant them, and made the mould easie,
you shall with an Iron, as bigge as your plant, make a hoale a foote
deepe or better, and then put in your cyon and with it a few Oates, long
steept in water, and so fixe it firme in the mould, and if after it
beginneth to put forth you perceiue any young cyons to put forth from
the root thereof, you shall immediatly cut them off, & either cast them
away or plant them in other places, for to suffer them to grow may
breede much hurt to the young trees. Now where as these cyons thus
planted are for the most part small and weake, so that the smallest
breath of winde doth shake and hurt their rootes, it shalbe good to
pricke strong stakes by them, to which, fastning the young plant with a
soft hay rope it may the better be defended from stormes and tempests.
Next to these fruit-trees, you shall vnderstand that your bush-trees,
as Barberryes, Gooseberryes, or Feberryes, Raspberryes, and such like,
will also grow vpon cyons, without rootes, being cut from their maine
rootes in Nouember, & so planted in a new fresh mould. And here by the
way I am to giue you this note or caueat, that if at any time you finde
any of these cyons which you haue planted not to grow and flourish
according to your desire, but that you finde a certaine mislike or
consumption in the plant, you shall then immediatly with a sharpe knife
cut the plant off slope-wise vpward, about three fingars from the
ground, and so let it rest till the next spring, at which time you shall
beholde new cyons issue from the roote, which will be without sicknesse
or imperfection; and from the vertue of this experiment I imagine the
gardners of antient time found out the meanes to get young cyons from
olde Mulberry-trees, which they doe in this manner: first, you must take
some of the greatest armes of the Mulberry-tree about the midst of
Nouember, and with a sharpe sawe to sawe them into bigge truncheons,
about fiueteene inches long, and then digging a trench in principall
good earth, of such depth that you may couer the truncheons, being set
vp on end, with Manure and fine mould, each truncheon being a foote one
from another, and couerd more then foure fingars aboue the wood, not
fayling to water them whensoeuer neede shall require, and to preserue
them from weeds and filthinesse, within lesse then a yeeres space you
shall behold those truncheons to put forth young cyons, which as soone
as they come to any groath and be twigged, then you may cut them from
the stockes, and transplant them where you please, onely the truncheons
you shall suffer to remaine still, and cherish them with fresh dunge,
and they will put forth many moe cyons, both to furnish your selfe and
your friends. And thus much for the planting and setting of cyons or
branches.