t Orchard: for it
is an easie matter to take away superfluous boughes (if your Gardner
haue skill to know them) whereof your plants will yeeld abundance, and
skill will leaue sufficient well ordered. All ages both by rule and
experience doe consent to a pruining and lopping of trees: yet haue not
any that I know described vnto vs (except in darke and generall words)
what or which are those superfluous boughes, which we must take away,
and that is the chiefe and most needfull point to be knowne in lopping.
And we may well assure our selues, (as in all other Arts, so in this)
there is a vantage and dexterity, by skill, and an habite by practise
out of experience, in the performance hereof for the profit of mankind;
yet doe I not know (let me speake it with the patience of our cunning
Arborists) any thing within the compasse of humane affaires so
necessary, and so little regarded, not onely in Orchards, but also in
all other timber trees, where or whatsoeuer.

{SN: Timber wood euill drest.}
{SN: The cause of hurts in woods.}
{SN: Dresse timber trees how.}
How many forrests and woods? wherein you shall haue for one liuely
thriuing tree, foure (nay sometimes 24.) euill thriuing, rotten and
dying trees, euen while they liue. And instead of trees thousands of
bushes and shrubs. What rottennesse? what hollownesse? what dead armes?
withered tops? curtailed trunkes? what loads of mosses? drouping
boughes? and dying branches shall you see euery where? And those that
like in this sort are in a manner all vnprofitable boughes, canked
armes, crooked, little and short boales: what an infinite number of
bushes, shrubs, and skrogs of hazels, thornes, and other profitable
wood, which might be brought by dressing to become great and goodly
trees. Consider now the cause: The lesser wood hath beene spoiled with
carelesse, vnskilfull, and vntimely stowing, and much also of the great
wood. The greater trees at the first rising haue filled and ouer-loaden
themselues with a number of wastfull boughes and suckers, which haue not
onely drawne the sap from the boale, but also haue made it knotty, and
themselues and the boale mossie for want of dressing, whereas if in the
prime of growth they had bene taken away close, all but one top
(according to this patterne) and cleane by the bulke, the strength of
all the sap should haue gone to the bulke, and so he would haue
recouered and couered his knots, and haue put forth a faire, long and
streight bo