TO THE KING. SIRE, IT is now upwards of seventeen years fince Your Majefty did me. the honour to appoint me Your Gardener at Kensington and St. James's; during which time I have made a great variety of experiments on Fruit and Foreft Trees, and introduced the mode of Pruning and Training recommended in the following Treatife. Your Majesty has, at different times, graciously condefcended to examine the procefs, and been pleased to exprefs Your approbation of the Improvements in fuch favourable terms, as have caused my heart to overflow with unspeakable pleasure. Such encouragement from my Royal Mafter has ftimulated me to proceed with fo much alacrity and perfeverance, as to overcome every difficulty that opposed me, and to bring the subjects treated of in this Volume to such a state of perfection as will, I flatter myself, in fome measure render it worthy of Your Majefty's Patronage. Permit me then, Sire, with the most profound humility to lay this Work at Your Majefty's feet; and thus publickly to acknowledge my gratitude to the best of Sovereigns, and the best of Mafters, for the innumerable bleffings which under Him I enjoy, both as a Subject and a Servant. That Your Majefty may long live to patronize the Arts and Sciences, and to reign over a loyal, brave, and happy People, is the daily prayer of PREFACE. To the many Publications that have appeared on the Manage ment of Fruit and Foreft Trees, it may be thought superfluous to add; and, indeed, fo little am I accustomed to the practice of writing, that I feel no fmall degree of reluctance in offering any thing to public inspection; but an entire conviction of the advantages to be derived from the obfervations and directions contained in the following pages, joined to the importunity of many of the most competent judges, has determined me to make my method of pruning and training, and the fuccefs attending it, as public as poffible. Having long obferved the fcanty crops both on wall and standard trees that have followed the ufual mode of pruning and training, I was led to make many experiments, in order to difcover, if it were poffible, a more fuccefsful method. Nor have endeavours been in vain; for, after following a new mode for feveral years, I can with pleasure affirm, that the quantity of fruit has been remarkably increased, and the quality greatly improved. my I have in the following pages ftated many facts, to evince the utility of the Compofition recommended, and to induce others to make a fair trial, which may be done at a very trifling expence. I only request of thofe who entertain any doubts, that they will make choice of two trees of the fame kind, as near as may be in the same state of health or decay, and having equal advantages of foil and fituation; let the dead, decayed, and injured parts be cut cut out; then to one of the trees apply the Compofition as directed in this Treatife, and leave the other to Nature: if proper attention be paid to the former, no great length of time will be neceffary to fhew which method ought to be pursued in future. I hope the candid reader will pardon me for dwelling a little on this fubject. It has been faid, that there is nothing new either in the Compofition or its application. It is certainly true, that Compositions of various kinds have been tried; but no one has been attended with fuch great fuccefs as that which is defcribed in the following pages: indeed, they were generally made up in a flovenly manner, and applied without properly preparing the trees; fo that little good could have been expected, even if the Compofition had confifted of proper materials. In these parti culars I am perfuaded, that every impartial perfon will acknowledge that I have made great improvement. Former Compofitions have been made up of loam and cow or horse-dung, of bees-wax, pitch, tar, chalk, rofin mixed with grease, gums, &c. It is granted, that such as these may fometimes be of use, but not in general; meft of them being liable to become hard, and to crack and peel off. I have tried them all, with but very little fuccefs. I have also tried a Composition of tarras (which is used as a cement for building under water): this alfo cracked and peeled off after it became hard. Some of these Compofitions become fo hard, that, instead of giving way to the new bark as it is produced, they cut and tear it, to the great injury of the tree. The Compofition which I recommend is not liable to these inconveniences; it poffeffes an absorbent and adhesive quality, and is moreover of fuch a nature as not in the leaft to hurt the new and tender bark; for it easily gives way to it and to the new wood as they advance. On applying it to trees which contain a ftrong acid, fuch as Oaks, Apple-trees, Apricots, &c. when in fected |