eed of all the sap, to make them great and
straight (for strong growth and dressing makes strong trees) then it
must needes be profitable for fruit (a thing more immediately seruing a
mans need) to haue all the sap his roote can yeeld: for as timber sound,
great and long, is _the good of timber trees_, and therefore they beare
no fruite of worth: so fruit, good, sound, pleasant, great and much, is
the end of fruit-trees. That gardner therefore shall performe his duty
skilfully and faithfully, which shall so dresse his trees, that they may
beare such and such store of fruit, which he shall neuer do (dare
vndertake) vnlesse he keepe this order in dressing his trees.

{SN: How to dresse a fruit-tree.}
A fruit tree so standing, that there need none other end of dressing but
fruit (not ornaments for walkes, nor delight to such as would please
their eye onely, and yet the best forme can not but both adorne and
delight) must be parted from within two foote, or thereabouts, of the
earth, so high to giue liberty to dresse his roote, and no higher, for
drinking vp the sap that should feede his fruit, for the boale will be
first, and best serued and fed, because he is next the roote, and of
grenest waxe and substance, and that makes him longest of life, into
two, three, or foure armes, as your stocke or graffes yeelde twigs, and
euery arme into two or more branches, and euery branch into his seuerall
Cyons, still spreading by equall degrees, so that his lowest spray be
hardly without the reach of a mans hand, and his highest be not past two
yards higher, rarely (especially in the middest) that no one twig touch
his fellow. Let him spread as farre as he list without his maister-bough
or lop equally. And when any bough doth grow sadder and fall lower, than
his fellowes (as they will with weight of fruite) ease him the next
spring of his superfluous twigs, and he will rise: when any bough or
spray shall amount aboue the rest; either snub his top with a nip
betwixt your finger and your thumbe, or with a sharpe knife, and take
him cleane away, and so you may vse any Cyon you would reforme, and as
your tree shall grow in stature and strength, so let him rise with his
tops, but slowly, and earely, especially in the middest, and equally,
and in bredth also, and follow him vpward with lopping his vndergrowth
and water boughes, keeping the same distance of two yards, but not aboue
three in any wise, betwixt the lowest and the highest twigs.