{SN: Benefits of good dressing.}
1. Thus you shall haue well liking, cleane skind, healthfull great, and
long-lasting trees.

2. Thus shall your tree grow low, and safe from winds, for his top will
be great, broad and weighty.

3. Thus growing broad, shall your trees beare much fruit (I dare say)
one as much as sixe of your common trees, and good without shadowing,
dropping and fretting: for his boughes, branches, and twigs shalbe many,
and those are they (not the boale) which beare the fruit.

4. Thus shall your boale being little (not small but low) by reason of
his shortnesse, take little, and yeeld much sap to the fruit.

5. Thus your trees by reason of strength in time of setting shall put
forth more blossomes, and more fruite, being free from taints; for
strength is a great helpe to bring forth much and safely, whereas
weakenesse failes in setting though the season be calme.

Some vse to bare trees rootes in Winter, to stay the setting til hotter
seasons, which I discommend, because,

1. They hurt the rootes.

2. It stayes it nothing at all.

3. Though it did, being small, with vs in the North, they haue their
part of our _Aprill_ and _Mayes_ frosts.

4. Hinderance cannot profit weake trees in setting.

5. They wast much labour.

6. Thus shall your tree be easie to dresse, and without danger, either
to the tree or the dresser.

7. Thus may you safely and easily gather your fruite without falling,
bruising or breaking of Cyons.

This is the best forme of a fruit tree, which I haue here onely shadowed
out for the better capacity of them that are led more with the eye, than
the mind, crauing pardon for the deformity, because I am nothing
skilfull either in painting or caruing.

Imagine that the paper makes but one side of the tree to appeare, the
whole round compasse will giue leaue for many more armes, boughes,
branches, and Cyons.

{Illustration: _The perfect forme of a Fruit-tree._}

If any thinke a tree cannot well be brought to this forme: _Experto
crede Roberto_, I can shew diuers of them vnder twenty yeeres of age.

{SN: Time best for proining.}
The fittest time of the Moone for proyning is as of grafting, when the
sap is ready to stirre (not proudly stirring) and so to couer the wound,
and of the yeere, a moneth before (or at least when) you graffe. Dresse
Peares, Apricocks, Peaches, Cherries, and Bullys sooner. And old trees
before young plants, you may dresse at any time betwixt Lea