Kinds of trees. Fruit-trees most common, and meetest for our Northerne Countries: (as Apples, Peares, Cheries, Filberds, red and white Plummes, Damsons, and Bulles,) for we meddle not with Apricockes nor Peaches, nor scarcely with Quinces, which will not like in our cold parts, vnlesse they be helped with some reflex of Sunne, or other like meanes, nor with bushes, bearing berries, as Barberies, Goose-berries, or Grosers, Raspe-berries, and such like, though the Barbery be wholesome, and the tree may be made great: doe require (as all other trees doe) a blacke, fat, mellow, cleane and well tempered soyle, wherein they may gather plenty of good sap. Some thinke the Hasell would haue a chanily rocke, and the sallow, and eller a waterish marish. Soyle. The soile is made better by deluing, and other meanes, being well melted, and the wildnesse of the earth and weedes (for euery thing subiect to man, and seruing his vse (not well ordered) is by nature subiect to the curse,) is killed by frosts and drought, by fallowing and laying on heapes, and if it be wild earth, with burning.

Barren earth. If your ground be barren (for some are forced to make an Orchard of barren ground) make a pit three quarters deepe, and two yards wide, and round in such places, where you would set your trees, and fill the same with fat, pure, and mellow earth, one whole foot higher then your Soile, and therein set your Plant. For who is able to manure an whole Orchard plot, if it be barren? But if you determine to manure the whole site, this is your way: digge a trench halfe a yard deepe, all along the lower (if there be a lower) side of your Orchard plot, casting vp all the earth on the inner side, and fill the same with good short, hot, & tender muck, and make such another Trench, and fill the same as the first, and so the third, and so through out your ground. And by this meanes your plot shall be fertile for your life. But be sure you set your trees, neither in dung nor barren earth.

Plaine. Your ground must be plaine, that it may receiue, and keepe moysture, not onely the raine falling thereon, but also water cast vpon it, or descending from higher ground by sluices, Conduits, &c. Moyst. For I account moisture in Summer very needfull in the soile of trees, & drought in Winter. Prouided, that the ground neither be boggy, nor the inundation be past 24. houres at any time, and but twice in the whole Summer, and so oft in the Winter. Therefore if your plot be in a Banke, or haue a descent, make Trenches by degrees, Allyes, Walkes, and such like, so as the Water may be stayed from passage. And if too much water be any hinderance to your walks (for dry walkes doe well become an Orchard, and an Orchard them:) raise your walkes with earth first, and then with stones, as bigge as Walnuts: and lastly, with grauell. In Summer you need not doubt too much water from heauen, either to hurt the health of your body, or of your trees. And if ouerflowing molest you after one day, auoid it then by deepe trenching.

Some for this purpose dig the soile of their Orchard to receiue moisture, which I cannot approue: for the roots with digging are oftentimes hurt, and especially being digged by some vnskilfull seruant: For the Gardiner cannot doe all himselfe. And moreouer, the roots of Apples & Peares being laid neere day, with the heate of the Sun, will put forth suckers, which are a great hinderance, and sometimes with euill guiding, the destruction of trees, vnlesse the deluing be very shallow, and the ground laid very leuell againe. Cherries and Plummes without deluing, will hardly or neuer (after twenty yeares) be kept from such suckers, nor aspes.

Grasse. Grasse also is thought needfull for moisture, so you let it not touch the roots of your trees: for it will breed mosse, and the boall of your tree neere the earth would haue the comfort of the Sunne and Ayre.

Some take their ground to be too moist when it is not so, by reason of waters standing thereon, for except in soure marshes, springs, and continuall ouerflowings, no earth can be too moyst. Sandy & fat earth will auoid all water falling by receit. Indeed a stiffe clay will not receiue the water, and therefore if it be grassie or plaine, especially hollow, the water will abide, and it wil seeme waterish, when the fault is in the want of manuring, and other good dressing.

Naturally plaine. This plainnesse which we require, had need be naturall, because to force an vneuen ground will destroy the fatnesse. For euery soile hath his crust next day wherein trees and herbes put their roots, and whence they draw their sap, which is the best of the soile, and made fertile with heat and cold, moisture and drought, and vnder which by reason of the want of the said temperature, by the said foure qualities, no tree nor herbe (in a manner) will or can put root. As may be seene if in digging your ground, you take the weeds of most growth: as grasse or docks, (which will grow though they lie vpon the earth bare) yet bury them vnder the crust, and they will surely dye and perish, & become manure to your ground. This crust is not past 15. or 18. inches deepe in good ground, in other grounds lesse. Crust of the earth. Hereby appeares the fault of forced plaines, viz. your crust in the lower parts, is couered with the crust of the higher parts, and both with worse earth: your heights hauing the crust taken away, are become meerely barren: so that either you must force a new crust, or haue an euill soile. And be sure you leuell, before you plant, lest you be forced to remoue, or hurt your plants by digging, and casting amongst their roots. Your ground must be cleered as much as you may of stones, and grauell, walls, hedges, bushes, & other weeds.