leaves of such trees as be
planted in a too waterish, or over-rich soil, or where no sun comes, and
all sick, and yellow leaves are hurtful. It is better to clip, and let
the leaves fall upon a subtended sheet or blanket, than to gather them
by hand: and to gather them, than to strip them, which marrs and gauls
the branches, and bruises the leaves that should hardly be touched. Some
there are who lop off the boughs, and make it their pruning, and it is a
tolerable way, so it be discreetly done in the over-thick parts of the
tree; but these leaves gather'd from a separated branch, will die, and
wither much sooner than those which are taken from the tree immediately,
unless you set the stem in water. Leaves gathered from boughs cut off,
will shrink in three hours; whereas those you take from the living tree,
will last as many days; and being thus a while kept, are better than
over-fresh ones. It is a rule, never to gather in a rainy season, nor
cut any branch whilst the wet is upon it; and therefore against such
suspected times, you are to provide before-hand, and to reserve them in
some fresh, but dry place: The same caution you must observe for the
dew, tho' it do not rain, for wet food kills the worms. But if this
cannot be altogether prevented, put the leaves between a pair of sheets
well dried by the fire, and shake them up and down 'till the moisture be
drunk up in the linnen, and then spreading them to the air a little, on
another dry cloth, you may feed with them boldly. The top-leaves and
oldest, would be gathered last of all, as being most proper to repast
the worms with, towards their last change. The gatherer must be neat,
and have his hands clean, and his breath sweet, and not poison'd with
onions, or tabacco, and be careful not to press the leaves, by crouding
them into the bags or baskets. Lastly, that they gather only (unless in
case of necessity) leaves from the present, not from the former years
sprigs, or old wood, which are not only rude and harsh, but are annex'd
to stubb'd stalks, which injure the worms, and spoil the denudated
branches. One note more let me add, that in first hatching the eggs
disclosing (as sometimes) earlier than there is provision for them on
the tree, the tender leaves of lettuce, dandelion or endive may supply,
so they feed not on them too long, or overmuch, which gives them the
lask.

12. This is what I thought fit to premonish concerning the gathering of
the leaves of this t