Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

i6'&3 O A R D
the fecond of March before they are to be transplanted
into pots. About the middle of April you may prune,
and put earth about the roots of fuch old myrtle-trees
as are in a bad date, and cut the branches off their
heads within three or four inches of the ftem.
The melianthus is a plant propagated wirh eafe from
Sips taken about the roots any time between this month
and AuguCt, planted in a fandy foil, and frequently wa¬
tered.
The pyracantha is raifed from cuttings, planted in May
or June, in pots of fine earth, and watered frequently,
keeping them from the fun till the following winter,
when a warm expofure will be ferviceable to them. This
tree may alfo be raifed from layers and.feeds, and thrives
heft in a dry gravelly foil, unmixed with dung or any
.other rich manure.
The oleander plant has many varieties; Ate moft
.common of which is the fcar’et oleander, which being of
a hardy nature, may be kept abroad all the winter under
a fouth wall ; but the fweet-fcented oleander is more
tender, and fhould be houfed with the orange-tree. Thefe
jlhrubs are raifed by layers in this month or the next, in
a medium foil, and with moderate watering, and will take
root to tranfplant the Auguft following.
Orange and lemon trees may this month be removed and
tranfplanted without danger, as well as brought out of the
nonfervatory: upon bringing out your exotics, and other
plants, brufh and cleanfe them from the duft they have con-
traded in the houfe, give them frdh earth on the furface of
their pots, and water them well, when they are placed m the
order they are to ftand. When you tranfplant or remove
orange-trees, you are to do it carefully, without injuring
their bodies; let the cafes for your trees be filled with a
compofition of two parts in fandy loam, one part rotten
dung, and one part white fand; and when your orange-
trees are fo removed, give them frequent waterings, but
without wetting either the ftem or the leaves ; let them
in the Ihade for a fortnight, and let them have the fun by
degrees ; as, when it is too hot upon them, it turns their
leaves yellow.
Fit U 1 T-G A R T> E N.
In the beginning of this month, look carefully over
■your wall and efpalier trees, and take off all fore-right
ihoots, and fuch as are luxuriant and ill-placed; and train
fuch kindly branches as you would preferve regularly to
the wall or efpalier, which will prevent your trees from
growing into confufion.
Fruit-trees may be tranfplanted in the fummer months,
from May to Auguft, even when the trees are in bloffom:
the method of ttanfplanting them is, by preparing holes
for them before you begin to take them up ; and the earth
taken out of the holes you are to make very fine, and
mix with water in large tubs to the confiftence of thin
batter, with which each bole is to be filled for the tree
to be planted in, before the earthy parts have time to
• fettle or fall to the bottom. A tree, thus planted in
hatter, has its roots immediately clofed, and guarded
Trom the air ; and as the feafon now difpofes every part
.of the ,ree for growth and Ihooting, it lofes very little of
E N i N G '
’its vigour if you are careful of its roots, obfervlng to
wound but few of them at the taking the tree out of
the ground, and not let them dry in the paffage from one
place to another. Though this pap is ofufe in fummer-
.piantations, yet in the ufual winter-plantations it is per¬
nicious, as it will then chill and rot the root of your
trees.
As the cutting and wounding fome roots of a tree, and
among them of the capital ones; cannot be avoided, a
mixture of gum has been contrived to plaifter over the
wounded parts of the great roots, and prevent the air
ard wet penetrating too much into the veffels of the roots;
and if the root be very large, you may at the fame time
mark its correfponding limb or branch in the head, to be
cut off about a -fortnight afterwards in the fame propor¬
tion, and then to be plaiftered in the fame manner as the
root was done before.
In the removal of trees, care muft be taken that it be
fudden ; for if the roots are permitted to grow the leaft
dry, -we may prefently difeern a failure in the top-
branches, which will require time to redrefs ; for which
.reafon, it has been thought impofltble to remove a large
tree to any confiderable diftance.
There is one convenience in this laft way of planting,
which is not in the common way; and that is, that the
tree may be taken up without any earth about the roots,
which makes the tranfportation more eafy; and by this
method, and the alliftance of prepared gums, peach trees,
ne&arines, pear-trees, plumb-trees,^and cherry-trees,
with fruit upon them, either green or ripe, may be re¬
moved, though the trees are fix or feven years old ;
and trees of all forts may be thus tranfplanted in the
fummer.
Kitchen-Garden.
You may now give your melons air in the middle of
the day, and look to your melon-ridges, weeding them,
and carefully pruning off the water-branches, which are
known by their flatnefs and extraordinary breadth ; it is
alfo neceffary to pinch off the tops of the runners that
have fruit upon them, having three or four joints above
the fruit, and taking care that the fruit be well flickered
with Leaves from the power of the fun, otherwife their
growth will he fpoiled; but when the growth is perfected,
you cannot expofe them too much to the fun for ripen¬
ing. If the feafon be dry, rather float the alleys between
the melon-ridges, than pour water upon the plant, or
near the ftems.
About the beginning of this month, fow cucumbers in
the natural ground, both for fallad and pickling : in fow-
ing thofe fof fallads, put about twelve feeds in each hole;
but leave only four or five'’ when they come up ; let the
earth be frefli, and well worked with a fpade, rather
light than ftiff; and a plantation of this kind will produce
twice as much fruit as one of the fame quantity of ground
forced with dung.
To raife cucumbers for pickling, fow them in a drill,
as you do peafe or French beans ; and put a row of
bufliy fticks on each fide of them : the rows muft be four
or five feet afunder; and if fowed in the fouth border,
whets