A Chiefe helpe to make euery thing good, is to auoid the euils thereof: you shall neuer attaine to that good of your Orchard you looke for, vnlesse you haue a Gardner, that can discerne the diseases of your trees, and other annoyances of your Orchard, and find out the causes thereof, and know & apply fit remedies for the same. For be your ground, site, plants, and trees as you would wish, if they be wasted with hurtfull things, what haue you gained but your labour for your trauell? It is with an Orchard and euery tree, as with mans body, The best part of physicke for preseruation of health, is to foresee and cure diseases.

Two kinds of euils in an Orchard. All the diseases of an Orchard are of two sorts, either internall or externall. I call those inward hurts which breed on and in particular trees.

1 Galles.
2 Canker.
3 Mosse.
4 Weaknes in setting.
5 Barke bound.
6 Barke pild.
7 Worme.
8 Deadly wounds.

Galls. Galles, Canker, Mosse, weaknes, though they be diuers diseases: yet (howsoeuer Authors thinke otherwise) they rise all out of the same cause.

Galles we haue described with their cause and remedy, in the 11. Chapter vnder the name of fretters.

Canker. Canker is the consumption of any part of the tree, barke and wood, which also in the same place is deceiphered vnder the title of water-boughes.

Mosse. Mosse is sensibly seene and knowne of all, the cause is pointed out in the same Chapter, in the discourse of timber-wood, and partly also the remedy: but for Mosse adde this, that at any time in summer (the Spring is best) When the cause is remoued, with an Harecloth, immediatly after a showre of raine, rub off your Mosse, or with a peece of weed (if the Mosse abound) formed like a great knife.

Weaknesse in setting. Weaknesse in the setting of your fruit shall you finde there also in the same Chapter, and his remedy. All these flow from the want of roomth in good soile, wrong planting, Chap. 7. and euill or no dressing.

Barke-bound. Bark-bound (as I thinke) riseth of the same cause, and the best, & present remedy (the causes being taken away) is with your sharpe knife in the Spring, length-way to launch his bark throughout, on 3. or 4. sides of his boale.

Worme. The disease called the Worme is thus discernd: The barke will be hoald in diuers places like gall, the wood will die & dry, and you shall see easily the barke swell. It is verily to be thought, that therin is bred some worm I haue not yet thorowly sought it out, because I was neuer troubled therewithall: but onely haue seene such trees in diuers places. I thinke it a worme rather, because I see this disease in trees, bringing fruit of sweet taste, and the swelling shewes as much. Remedy. The remedy (as I coniecture) is so soone as you perceiue the wound, the next Spring cut it out barke and all, and apply Cowes pisse and vineger presently, and so twice or thrice a weeke for a moneths space: For I well perceiue, if you suffer it any time, it eates the tree or bough round, and so kils.

Since I first wrote this Treatise, I haue changed my mind concerning the disease called the worme, because I read in the History of the West-Indians, that their trees are not troubled with the disease called the worme or canker, which ariseth of a raw and euill concocted humor or sap, Witnesse Pliny, by reason their Country is more hot then ours, whereof I thinke the best remedy is (not disallowing the former, considering that the worme may breed by such an humor) warme standing, sound lopping and good dressing.

Barke pild. Bark-pild you shall find with his remedy in the 11. Chapter.

Wounds. Deadly wounds are when a mans Arborist wanting skill, cut off armes, boughes or branches an inch, or (as I see sometimes) an handfull, or halfe a foot or more from the body: These so cut cannot couer in any time with sap, and therefore they die, and dying they perish the heart, and so the tree becomes hollow, and with such a deadly wound cannot liue long.

Remedy. The remedy is, if you find him before he be perished, cut him close, as in the 11. Chapter: if he be hoald, cut him close, fill his wound, tho neuer so deepe, with morter well tempered & so close at the top his wound with a Seare-cloth doubled and nailed on, that no aire nor raine approach his wound. If he be not very old, and detaining, he will recouer, and the hole being closed, his wound within shall not hurt him for many yeeres.

Hurts on trees.
Ants, Earewigs, Caterpillars, and such like wormes. Hurts on your trees are chiefly Ants, Earewigs, and Caterpillars. Of Ants and Earewigs is said Chap. 10. Let there be no swarme of Pismires neere your tree-root, no not in your Orchard, turne them ouer in a frost, and powre in water, and you kill them.

For Caterpillars, the vigilant Fruterer shall soone espy their lodging by their web, or the decay of leaues eaten around about them. And being seene, they are easily destroyed with your hand, or rather (if your tree may spare it) take sprig and all: for the red peckled butterfly doth euer put them, being her sparm, among the tender spraies for better feeding, especially in drought, and tread them vnder your feet. I like nothing of smoke among my trees. Vnnaturall heates are nothing good for naturall trees. This for diseases of particular trees.

Externall euils. Externall hurts are either things naturall or artificiall. Naturall things, externally hurting Orchards.

The other things are,
1 Winds.
2 Cold.
3 Trees.
4 Weeds.
5 Wormes.
6 Mowles.
7 Filth.
8 Poysonfull smoke.

Externall wilfull euils are these.
1 Walls.
2 Trenches.
3 Other works noisome done in or neere your Orchard.
4 Euill Neighbours.
5 A carelesse Master.
6 An vndiscreet, negligent or no keeper.

See you here an whole Army of mischeifes banded in troupes against the most fruitfull trees the earth beares? assailing your good labours. Good things haue most enemies.

Remedy. A skilfull Fructerer must put so his helping hand, and disband and put them to flight.

Deere, &c. For the first ranke of beasts, besides your out strong fence, you must haue a faire and swift Greyhound, a stone-bow, gun, and if need require, an Apple with an hooke for a Deere, and an Hare-pipe for an Hare.

Birds. Your Cherries and other Berris when they be ripe, will draw all the Black-birds, Thrushes, and Maw Pies to your Orchard. The Bul-finch is a deuourer of your Fruit in the bud, I haue had whole trees shald out with them in Winter-time.

Remedy. The best remedy here is a Stone bow, a Piece, especially if you haue a Musket or Spar-hawke in Winter to make the Black bird stoope into a bush or hedge.

Other trees. The Gardner must cleanse his soile of all other trees: but fruit-trees aforesaid Chapter 2 for which it is ordained, and I would especially name Oakes, Elmes, Ashes, and such other great wood, but that I doubt it should be taken as an admission of lesser trees: for I admit of nothing to grow in mine Orchard but fruit and flowers. If sap can hardly be good to feed our fruit-trees, why should we allow of any other, especially those, that will becom their Masters, & wrong them in their liuelyhood.

Winds. And although we admit without the fence of Wall-nuts in most plaine places, Trees middle-most, and ashes or Okes, or Elmes vtmost, set in comely rowes equally distant with faire Allies twixt row and row to auoide the boisterous blasts of winds, and within them also others for Bees; yet wee admit none of these into your Orchard-plat: other remedy then this haue wee none against the nipping frosts. Frosts.

Weeds. Weeds in a fertile soile (because the generall curse is so) till your Trees grow great, will be noysome, and deforme your allies, walkes, beds, and squares, your vnder Gardners must labour to keepe all cleanly & handsome from them and all other filth with a Spade, weeding kniues, rake with iron teeth: a skrapple of Iron thus formed.

For Nettles and ground-Iuy after a showre.

Remedy. When weeds, straw, stickes and all other scrapings are gathered together, burne them not, but bury them vnder your crust in any place of your Orchard, and they will dye and fatten your ground.

Wormes.
Moales. Wormes and Moales open the earth, and let in aire to the roots of your trees, and deforme your squares and walkes, and feeding in the earth, being in number infinite, draw on barrennesse.

Remedy. Worms may be easily destroyed. Any Summer euening when it is darke, after a showre with a candle, you may fill bushels, but you must tred nimbly & where you cannot come to catch them so; sift the earth with coale ashes an inch or two thicknes, and that is a plague to them, so is sharpe grauell.

Moales will anger you, if your Gardner or some skilful Moale-catcher ease you not, especially hauing made their fortresses among the roots of your trees: you must watch her wel with a Moal spare, at morne, noon, and night, when you see her vtmost hill, cast a Trench betwixt her and her home (for she hath a principall mansion to dwell and breed in about Aprill, which you may discerne by a principall hill, wherein you may catch her, if you trench it round and sure, and watch well) or wheresoeuer you can discerne a single passage (for such she hath) there trench, and watch, and haue her.

Wilfull annoyances. Wilfull annoyances must be preuented and auoided by the loue of the Master and Fruterer, which they beare to their Orchard.

Remedy. Iustice and liberality will put away euill neighbours or euill neighbour-hood. And then if (God blesse and giue successe to your labours) I see not what hurt your Orchard can sustaine.