An Oak Spring Pomona: A Selection of the Rare Books on Fruit in the Oak Spring Garden Library 9780300242546

Table of contents :
CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
DESCRIPTIVE METHOD
FRUIT IN FRANCE AND BRITAIN
FRUIT IN FRANCE AND BRITAIN
FRUIT IN FRANCE AND BRITAIN
FRUIT ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE
FRUIT IN AMERICA
CITRUS FRUIT
APPLES AND PEARS
PEACHES AND SOFT FRUIT
GRAPES
MELONS
TROPICAL FRUIT
INDEX

Citation preview

AN OAK SPRING POMONA

AN OAK SPRING

POMONA A SELECTION OF THE RARE BOOKS ON Fl{UIT IN THE OAK SPRING GARDEN LIBRARY Dr)CRIIH: D nY

SANDRA RAPHAEL

OAK S PRI NG GARDEN

Lll3HAI~Y

UPPEHVILLE VIR(;lNIA

1990

©

I .ue prorecrtnlfllterdam only two years later. in 1692. The dedication, after praising the King's knowledge of his garden~. poiiH'> out tlw .wrhor's systematic presentation of directions for pruning, 'm cs principcs de b taille des Arbres (matic:re jusqu'a present asscz vague & assez inconnuc'. in the hope that his book will help ro educate

7

f R U I ·1 I N I R A N ( F A N D B R I T A I N

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IS II

/r.< Jmli11 .< /niiiH'r' 1f>IJO volunw 11 pl.n~· t:tnng p.l)!l' 1~·> Pnm1ng w dun out lmtr11011>11 ('''"'

t.mgk•d

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future gardeners. 'je pourray :m moms me fbtcr de cette esperance. que le Traitc, que j'ay .lUJOurd'huy l'honneur de luy presenter. comnbura ,1 lui former des Jardinicrs. · Later editions, both French and Dutch, added SL'CtlOn'> onmdom (via En:lyn's English translation in 1 f>Y3) and flower!) (not the work of L1 Qumtmu:) to the basiC s1x books. five of them on thL· culuvauon of fruit trees, with more derailed directions than any known before. and the last an account of a kitchen garden, v.:irh a month-by-month almanac of necessary work. Among fruit trees, pears arc given more attention than any othl'fs. La Qumtinie's advice on dealing with orangl' m:es and his reflections on agriculture wen: alc;o adckd eo the six main sections. The advice on pruning and thinning out bucb, especially the latter, was novel, and patience was rccommcndrd: ·Retarder

1 A QUJNTINTE

vos jouissances pour en jouir plus longtemps. · Parts IV and v hold most of rhc relevant instructions, with the aim of making beautiful, shapely trees "vi rh fine, large fruit, that is, seeking quality as well as quantity. Pruning at the right time must take out useless branches, trim those that are too long, and be adapted to the state of the tree in order to keep it in good health year by year. 'Je suis persuade que la Taille est w1c chose non scukmem fort utile, mais aussi fort curieuse, &: capable de donner du plaisir aqui l'entend: Mais en meme temps il fam convenir qu'elle est assez pemicicuse, quand ellc t.>st faite par des mains ignoranres.' As Stephcn Switzer said later in his Practical Fntit-Cardener (second edition, 173 I, page 23 s) .. Monsieur de la Quinrinic may be jusdy said to be one of the first that ever wrote distinctly of pruning.' La Quintinie praised his own predecessors too, among them Anroinc Le Gendre, the ·cure d'Hcnouville'. who published La Maniere de atltir,er les arbres fmitiers in 16 52. Le Gendre was 'inspectcur des jardins · to Louis Xlll before becoming a country priest near Rouen, where he was visited by Pierre Comeille. the playwright, who enjoyed the fruit from his garden. La Quintinic gives him credit for being the first to suggest training fruit trees as espaliers and grafting pears on quince stocks. The book was prefaced by a Latin poem, Pe>111

--------------------------n 1 NO ING: Comcmporary p~ncUed calf, inscnbed 'Marknach' on rorn fly-leaf and 'R. Cc{·· on p:~ge i, with occaston:U annorattons in rht> latter hand throughout.

I

m her cngravt•d plate~ repeat most of those of E ,.eJ yn \ C:Jrltcr rr.msl.nion; om· them is 'lgnl'd. M B. and .umrher 'M. Uurg. ·. prt'sumably ftlr Mu. had Burgher~. An t:ngr.lwd vignew: of rwo garden pl.m-, on pagl' 22 •., '>(Ill numberl·d 'p 3+ J'> 111 rhe Eve!) n wr~ton, while rht: mdon vigl1l'ttl' on pagr ~07 is .mmha l'Cho

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P 1 A TES: The unsigned engraved fronttsptcce use~ ~omc of the dcments from L:1 Qumnnie's original ngncrtes, wirh additional parterres. to form a garden o;n•nc. The

E

VEL YN'S 1693 translation of Tltc ColllfJiear Card'tu'r was never reprinted. bur a shoncr version, 'Compendiously Abridg 'd, and made of more Use, v:ith \'cry Considerable Im-

provements' by Gcorgc London and Henry Wise, was issued by the o.,amc publisher. Matthew Gillyflower, in 1699. This revision \vas explained by its authors: 'In the first place \\'L' rhmk tit to remark that we have gone through the Works of our Lcamcd Author \V1th all the cxannc!->::. we possibly could. abstracting ... all rhat is U!->eful: and h:1w reduc'J imo a proper 11ll'thod. that in which the Original is so prolix and imcrv.ovcn. that the Reader\\ as rather tir'd than m form 'd.· I

3

1>1: I \ IJ l I;-.. I I:-.' [ E

Tht• Ct•mplrar Card'rm tran~lared b) London and Wtse 161J"Crc recommended to discrimin:ltc carefu ll y, according to the fruit, rhe \'J ril.'ty. and the season. before attacking their trees.

rs. [FAT IO DE DU ILLIER, Nicholas ( t66-t-I753 )] ]within a border of double

with m .1 bonkr of double· ruk:-...1 cirl le lndo~ing cht: ~un shmmg on thL' e.1nh. ~urrnundcd l:n anotha nn:k wnh the mmro I "/1rc> ,·x fli, /;,,,,,,,. har·1t. r·Dnnk from d1I~ ft)llntJin If you will.") T. L. ('>l'Wn '>t..lr'>) v. ~ 1 London: Pnntcd hy R. 1: wrmgh.1m ..mJ .m.: to hL ~old h John

ruk~l

Fruu-Walls Improved. By 1ndinmg them to tht: Horizon: or, A W:~y eo btu Id Walls for FrUit-Trees: Whereby the) may rcreiw more Sun Shmc, ,1nd Heat, tlun o rdm.try. I ruk·]l3) .1 Mt:•m bt:r of the Hnyal Smiety. ]rule; ,;gnt:rce 4 x 4 cm. shtm mg,

35

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FATIO DE DUILLIER Taylor, at the Sign of the Ship, in St. Paul's Church-Yard. MDCXCIX. 4° 25.5 x I9 cm. TI 2 a4 b 2 c-d 4 A 4 C-R 4 i-iiiii-xxviii xxix-xxx I-!28 and a frontispiece and 2 folding engraved plates.

With which is bound: Nicolas Fatii Duillierii, R.s.s. Linea: brevissimi descensus investigatio geometrica duplex. Cui addita est investigatio geometrica solidi rotundi, in quod minima fiat resistentia. [vignette 2. 5 x 2. 5 cm. of three rows of printers' flowers] Londini: Typis R. Everingham: Prostant apud Johannem Taylor, ad lnsigne Navis, in Ca:meterio Divi Pauli, M DC XC IX. 4° A-C 4 1-2 3-24 and I folding engraved plate. BINDING: Red morocco with gilt decoration; all edges

gilt. At the top of the spine are the letters 'a. s.' and at the foot 'F. 9 51.' Armorial bookplate of William Arthur Cavendish-Bentinck, sixth Duke of Portland (I857I943). Large-paper copy. PLATES: The frontispiece and the first folding plate are signed S. Gribelin, the second folding plate and the mathematical oneS. G., so all four were the work of Simon Gribelin (I66I-I733), a French Huguenot engraver who settled in London in I68o. Within a border ofleaves, the frontispiece shows Hermes and Athena. She is holding a bunch of grapes from the vine spread on a sloping wall in the background. The first folding plate shows a series of fruit walls, the second diagrams illustrating their construction. Engraved vignettes on pages iii and I are also signed by Gribelin, and the capitals M on page iii and A on page 1, as well as the tail-piece on page 128, are also his work.

N

ICHOLAS FATIO DE DUILLIER was bominBasleandeducatedin Geneva before moving on to Paris, The Hague, and eventually London, where he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in I688. He was also a friend of Sir Isaac Newton, another F.R.S. Later in his life he lived at Worcester, in a region still noted for fruit-growing, where he died. His book on fruit walls describes a new kind of sloping terrace to help the cultivation of espalier fruits. This invention did not impress John Laurence, the country clergyman who published several books on fruit-growing about twenty years later (see page 44), for he thought the theory was not supported by practical trials. This is a wry comment, as Fruit Walls carries the imprimatur of the Royal Society, which was associated with the promotion of science tested by experiment and observation. Stephen Switzer also doubted the value of this idea (see page 55). The book was dedicated to the Marquess of Tavistock, that is, Wriothesley Russell (I 68oI7I I), Fatio's former pupil, who succeeded his father to become the second Duke of Bedford in I 700. 'While your Lordship fits Your Self, in Your Travels, to follow the Footsteps of so many glorious Ancestors, I prepare for You, in the Culture of Fruits, a Diversion to those great Occupations, which Your Birth will hereafter bring upon Your Lordship. I was walking with Your Lordship, when I first thought of this Way, to make our Gardens yield better Fruits.' The author's preface explains his 'mixture of Gardening and Geometry', thoughtfully telling readers unacquainted with mathematics that 'I have all along set, in the Margin, some Commas, over against such Places, as any one, not skilled in the Mathematicks, may freely avoid.' For the rest, it should be understood by 'any Lovers, of Gardening; even Ladies themselves not excepted.' Some basic advice about fruit is also recommended: 'Let the Rules and Directions given by Mounsieur La Quintinye be supposed here, as the main Foundation of our Hopes, in raising Fruit Trees.' These directions were by now available in English (see pages I I-14). 37

FR U I T I N 1--Rt\ NCE AN D BRIT A IN I

Above the directions to the book-binder on page xxx there is an 'ad vertisem en t' mentioning 'rhc Latin Mathema tical Treatise, which will be bound at the end of some Copies of the p resent Discourse,' as in the Oak Spring copy. Facio 's m ain studies were concem cd w ith mathematics and astronomy. al though his w ho lehearted support of the Protestan t religion was also a major facto r in his life. This should be seen against the background of the persecution of the refo rmed faith in France and the exodus o f H uguenots from that counrry. especially after Louis X fV 's revocation of the Edict o f N antes in 16R5. Facio's fe rvou r in the cause of the so-called 'Ccvcnncs prophets' is said w have prompted Anchony Ashlcy Cooper. the third Ea rl o f Shaftcsbury, J ohn Locke's pupil , to com pose his 'Letter concerning En thusiasm' in 1707. Fatio 's zeal even led him to undertake a j ourney to Asia, in an effort to convert its inhabitants to C h ristianity.

FllU I T-W:A L LS

118

So111t 1)irtaiom reLJting to ffflit U't~Us. N. r A r 1 o rn nu r r r r r. H Fl'lm- l ~;r/1.< IIIIJII'wr, ~t the c,.oft·lryJ> IM:twecn the1 rmplrGoJtU in f.l~t'f-jlrnr, 17:1.6.

OHN LAURENCE (who preferred this spelling of his name) WJ~ rhc ~on of a country clergyman. Fol lowing his brher's p:.mcrn of life, he became rector of Yclvcrroft, Northamptonshire, not far from Ru gby, in 1700. He moved there from Cambridge. \\'here he had been a Fellow of C lare H all (now Clare College). OnCL' scttkd at Ydvertoft hc took to gardening. especially the culti vation of fruit trees, which had rhc advantage nf producing borh flowers and food. The ti.rst of his trio of books on the subject. The Ch•l;l!y-.\lall ~ Rccrcafl£111. appcarcd in 1714. and was so popular th.lt it ran throu gh five editions in three years. w ith a ~ixrh in 172.o. as wdl as formin g part of several collections of the author's own or od1er works. lr v..·as b.1sed t1rmly on his own achievement in reclaiming J garden 'tjuire over-run with Couch or Twitch-grass,

J

43

Ponratt fronnspll'CI: b\ the engr JYer. Gcorge Verrue. and tide-pa!,(e ~tgned

FRUIT IN FRANCE AND BRITAIN 11

Nettles and Goose-berry Bushes; and, which was a great deal worse, upon a wet white Clay, lying within half a Foot of the Surface' (preface). To those who thought clergymen might spend their time more usefully he explained, also in his preface: that the Diversions and Amusements of a Garden, with moderate Exercise, are not only most delightful to those that love them, but most wholsom to those that use them .... Most of the Time that I can spare from the necessary Care and Business of a large Parish, and from my other Studies, is spent in my Garden, and making Observations towards the farther Improvement thereof. For I thank God this sort of Diversion has tended very much to the Ease and Quiet of my own Mind. He tackled the difficult patch at Yelvertoft as soon as possible, building a nine-foot brick wall and planting fruit trees along it. By the time he published his advice for other gardeners he was able to recommend pruning trees against walls (preferably brick ones) for horizontal growth, keeping the strong shoots and cutting out all the weak ones. A nursery of young trees was an almost essential adjunct to any garden, especially if evergreen hedges were wanted. Yew was Laurence's favourite plant for these: 'To make one in love with these Hedges, you need only take a walk either in Paradise or the Physick-Gardens at Oxford, where you are presented with all that Art and Nature can do to make these things most agreeable to the Eye.' The Oxford Botanic Garden is still on the same site, but without its yew hedges. The choice of trees was important too: 'It is thought adviseable not to perplex a Lover of Fruit with an unnecessary number and variety of Sorts, when he has room only for a few good ones of each Kind. He that has room, and would encrease his collection, may have recourse to Monsieur Quintinye, or to the Abridgement by Mr. London and Wise, and he will quickly have his Curiosity satisfied.' The sixth edition has an advertisement on page 84, saying 'Mr Laurence ... has here laid down such Rules and Observations, founded upon his own Experience, as may be of great advantage to the Improvement of Fruit-Trees.' The author lacked patience with theorists whose ideas did not work in practice, for on page 46 he reproved Fatio de Duillier thus: 'To so little Purpose is it for Men of Theory to philosophize about these Matters, without having had some Experience and Knowledge in the Practice .... As an ingenious Author has done, who has wrote a Book in Quarto, to shew in a Mathematical Way the great Advantage of Slope-Walls.' So much for Fruit-Walls Improved (see page 37): Laurence admitted that sloping walls allowed more sun to reach the fruit, but the effect of the extra warmth was cancelled out by the retention of more rain, dew, or frost. His own experiment on transmitting variegation in jasmine, reported on page 6 5 of his book, attracted the attention of other botanists, including Richard Bradley, who reprinted it. In retrospect this experiment has been seen as an early record of a virus being passed on by grafting. A dedication to Henry Grey, Duke ofKent (1671-1740) was added to some copies of the 44

LAURENCE

fifth and sixth editions of The Clergy-Man's Recreation, usually removed from copies of The Fruit-Garden Kalendar bound with them. The estate of this courtier and 'great Lover and Encourager of vegetable Nature' was near Brackley, not far from Yelvertoft. Laurence dedicated his Fruit-Garden Kalendar to him, but this dedication was often transferred to copies of The ClergyMan's Recreation at the start of collections of Laurence's books in the same binding. All editions of The Clergy-Man's Recreation were also supplied with a note from Robert Lumley Lloyd (d. I730), the rector ofSt Paul's, Covent Garden, who had a famous garden at Cheam in Surrey. Bernard Lintot, the publisher, to whom the note was addressed, inserted it on the back of the title-page in all editions, reasonably enough, for it said, in its entirety: 'So far as I am Judge, there is more of the Art of Gardening in this little Tract, then in all I have yet seen on this Subject.' The little book was so successful that Laurence and Lintot supplemented it with two more on the same subject, The Gentleman's Recreation (see below) and The Fruit-Garden Kalendar (see page 4 7). After writing these three books, Laurence moved in I 72 I to the richer parish of Bishops Wearmouth, near Durham, where he set to work on the improvement of a cold and exposed garden. In I726 he published a larger book, A New System of Agriculture, over half of which is concerned with gardening rather than husbandry.

18. LA URENCE, John (1668-1732) [within a border of double rules] The Gentleman's Recreation: or the Second Part of the Art of Gardening Improved. Containing several New Experiments and Curious Observations relating to Fruit-Trees: Particularly a New Method of building Walls with Horizontal Shelters. [rule] Illustrated with Copper Plates. [rule] - - Si quid novisti rectius istis, Candidus imperti; si non, his utere mecum. Hor. ['If you know something better than these precepts, pass it on. If not, join me in following these.' Horace Epistularum r: rule] By John Laurence, M. A. Rector of Yelvertoft in Northamptonshire. [rule] To which is added by way of Appendix, A new and familiar way to fmd a most exact Meridian Line by the Pole-Star: whereby Gentlemen may know the true Bearings of their Houses and Garden Walls, and regulate their Clocks and Watches, &c. By Edward Laurence, Brother to the Author of this Book. [rule] The Second Edition. [rule] London: Printed for Bernard Lintott between the Temple-Gates in Fleetstreet. I 7 I 7. 8° I9. 5 x I2 cm. A 8 a2 B-H 8 F i-xx 1 2-I I5 116 including an engraved frontispiece, plus 3 folding engravings.

45

BINDING: Bound with The Clergy-Man's Recreation, fifth edition, I7I7.

Both the frontispiece of a fruit garden and the three folding plates (two of fruit-garden plans, with the trees named, the third of a tree against a wall) are unsigned.

PLATES:

. . . By John Laurence, M.A. Rector of BishopsWeremouth in the Bishoprick of Durham, and Prebendary of the Church of Sarum ... The Third Edition. [rule] London; Printed for Bernard Lintot, between the TempleGates in Fleetstreet. I723. Collation as second edition, I7I7, except for the addition of a fourth folding plate holding a diagram to illustrate Edward Laurence's directions. The unsigned headpiece on page I of the second edition was replaced by one signed 'F. H.' for Francis Hoffman, in the third. Hoffman's decoration was also used in Robert Furber's Catalogue of I727, and his work appears again in Furber's Short Introduction to Gardening (see page 66). BINDING:

Bound with The Clergy-Man's Recreation, sixth

edition, I 726.

FRUIT IN FRANCE AND BRITAIN 11

THE

I

Gentleman's l?ecreation:

JOIIN LAURENCE

The Ccutlelllflll's Recrc!1C!OII second edirion 1717 Frontisprcce ttnd title-page

.,

OR

11£

SE CON D PAR T OF TilE ART of GARDENING I M p R 0 V E D. Ccmt:~ininp; feveral Ne\V FxnRtMESTS Cud(ln~ Ou:. t;R v" r 1 oN s relollmg to Ft~llll·l'tu t-.s:

and

Porticulnrly, a New Mt. T Ho n nf hui!Jing WJJI~ With

fft,,·i::.ontal ,\bdt n

lliullr ttd "

--···-Si rc haw been gcm·rally so unfortunate, as to insert their Errors and Mistakes, as well as their useful Rule'>.' Later in the preface (page iii) he went on: ' Indeed it seems

T

LAURENCE

to me no small Reproach to the English Nation, that we suffer so many French Books of Gardening to be obtruded upon us, containing Rules calculated for another Climate, and which tend to lead us into many Errors.' The Kalendar virtually replaced the parts of Evelyn's Kalendarium Hortense relating to fruit, dealing with each kind, except apples, month by month. At this time apples were always grown as standards, needing less specialized attention than wall fruit. Grapes were particularly well cared for, as at Belvoir Castle in Lincolnshire, where the Duke ofRutland heated the sloping walls on which they grew from Lady Day to Michaelmas, 'whereby he is rewarded with the largest Grapes, and even the best Frontignacs in July' (page 22). A little later the Belvoir grapes were protected by glazed houses, on the advice of Stephen Switzer. An exchange of letters with Richard Bradley about a blight caused by insects on pear trees occupies pages 121 to 13 I, while an appendix 'Of the Usefulness of the Barometer, with some short Directions how to make a right Judgment of the Weather' completes the book. Lintot filled every blank space with advertisements for his other publications, one list at the end of the preface, another before the appendix (including poems by Mr Pope and Mr Gay), and a third filling the last three pages. Laurence and Bradley were also associated in support of Stephen Switzer's The Practical Fruit-Gardener (see page 53), 'revised and recommended by the Rev~ Mr.Laurence and Mr.Bradley' and first published in 1724, though it is not clear how much help they gave Switzer, beyond providing the short notes of commendation printed in the book. In the first of the Oak Spring copies of The Fruit-Garden Kalendar the dedication to Henry Grey, Duke of Kent (see pages 44-45) is in its proper place; in the second it has been removed and inserted in The Clergy-Man's Recreation, sixth edition, 1726, which begins the volume.

20.

'E VEL YN, Charles' (fi. 1717)

[within a border of double rules] The Lady's Recreation: or, The Third and Last Part Of the Art of Gardening Improv'd. Containing, I. The Flower-Garden; shewing the best Ways of propagating all Sorts ofFlowers, FlowerTrees, and Shrubs; with exact Directions for their Preservation and Culture in all Particulars. 11. The most commodious Methods oferecting Conservatories, GreenHouses, and Orangeries; with the Culture and Management of Exoticks, Fine-Greens, Ever-Greens, &c. Ill. The Nature of Plantations in Avenues, Walks, Wildernesses, &c. with Directions for the Raising, Pruning, and Disposing of all lofty Vegetables. IV. Mr. John Evelyn's

Kalendarium Hortense, methodically reduc'd: lnterspers'd with many useful Additions. [rule] By Charles Evelyn, Esq; [rule] To which are added, Some curious Observations concerning Variegated Greens, by the Reverend Mr. Laurence. [rule] London: Printed for]. Roberts, near the Oxford-Arms in Warwick-Lane, I7I7. Price 25. stitch'd.

49

8°inhalf-sheetsr9.sxr2cm. a4 (-a3)b 4 B-2B 4 2C 4 [2] i-iv v-xii (gathering b forming the contents list bound before the frontispiece) 1 2-200 and an engraved frontisplece.

F R U IT I N F R ANC E AN D BRIT A I N IH NI >IN I

Ar"------------------------------------------------------~0c

Tll 11 :0.1 e\ \ Ill I I

.4 'Ji,•,JtiH' •!( /"mit-'fi,·n 1755 platl' 1 A dc\ign ltlr .1 frUil gJnkn. l'll~r.wcd

Jctli.-rys

A FT ER HI S TRAIN ING at 13eh·oir Ca~de. hnmL' of rh~.· duh·s of Rurland. Thomas Hitt ~ wa!> gardener to Lord Robat Manner!>. a llll'lllhcr nf th1.· ....11111.' f..nnil~. Jt Bloxholm. Lincolnshin:, before movin g !>Outh ro Kem. H e bl'ctmc .1 nurs1.'r) man .tt Uromky. -;pccializing in fruit trees 111 :1 coumy still t:mwus for its frUit crop.... Jft, car h traming 'll'Cms ro han.' led hun towards this imcrcst. for in the prefa ce to l1is book (p.tgl' '') h~.· "·'Y": 01

by ThonlJ'

FRUIT IN FRANCE AND BRITAIN 11

At Bel voir-Castle, there was in the time of my apprenticeship at that place, a greater number of good sorts than those I have mentioned; the greatest part of them having been sent from abroad by the right honourable the earl of Stair to his late grace the Duke of Rutland, and improved by his present grace, by adding other new and good sorts, when they were to be met with.

His book, which ran into three London editions and a Dublin one within fifteen years, included directions for the packing and safe transport of trees from their nurseries 'to places remote from whence they are raised'. Hitt recommended large hampers, especially for carefully shaped espaliers, though he had to admit that trees sent off in more usual and less lavish wrappings of straw and matting had survived and flourished. The book was aimed at less experienced gardeners. To quote the preface again (page viii): 'Several practitioners ... despise books, and take a pleasure in rendering them useless to others; but there are many young men who love to read for the sake of improvement, and to such, I hope this work will be serviceable.'

25. LA RIVIERE,- de, and DU MOULIN,Methode pour bien cultiver les arbres a fruit, et pour elever des treilles. Par les Sieurs de la Riviere & du Moulin. [rule 6 cm.] Nouvelle edition. [rule 6 cm.; decoration 2 X 2. 5 cm.] A Paris, Chez Des Ventes de la Doue, Libraire, rue S. Jacques, vis-a-vis le College de Louis-le-Grand. [decorated double rule 5 cm.] M. DCC. LXX. Avec Approbation & Privilege du Roi. I2° 15.5 x 9.5 cm. a6 A-2C in alternate 8s and 4s 2D 6 i-xii 1 2-319 320-324 and 2 folding engravings.

E

BINDING: Half vellum, marbled paper sides; all edges red. Armorial bookplate of Sir Thomas Neame (18851973), a fruit farmer from Kent. PLATES: Opposite page 155 is an unsigned engraving of a ladder on a triangular frame, and opposite page 305 another showing the pruning of a vine trained against a wall.

ARLIER EDITIONS of this book were published in Utrecht in 1738 and 1739. The authors offer the fruits of their long experience, as they say in the 'Avertissement':

Les deux Auteurs de cette Methode ne se sont etudies pendant plus de vingt ans, qu'a rechercher les causes, & qu'a donner dejustes raisons de tout ce qu'ils voyoient arriver aux Arbres qu'ils cultivoient par plaisir ... Ces deux Auteurs se sont persuades qu'ils ne deplairoient pas au Public, s'ils enseignoient d'une maniere claire, courte & aisee a mettre en pratique tout ce que !'experience de tant d'annees leur a fait connoitre etre necessaire pour bien cultiver les Arbres a fruit.

They begin with the soil, nursery gardens, all kinds of grafting, planting and transplanting, trellis, espaliers, and pruning. Their folding ladder is described and illustrated before a section on dwarf trees and bush fruits. Warning is given of possible diseases, as well as requirements for an ideal fruit house (page 230): 62

METHODE POUR

DU 'v\Ol:ll~

.\ft'th,,d, mltii't Walb: bm arc not so large and beautiful. ' Furbcr's own descriptio n o f this little book in his pref.1cc sum s ir up v.:irh proper pride: Havin g at ll'ngth , by m y o\\"n umwJrit'd Applicario11 . •md dlt' ki nd A-. ...io.,tJtK 0 .!\1 M I ER hvh•· icl,~. PO.l\l.l\11I, &c. lllustr.1tcd wi th Designs for HotWalls .md Forcing-Hmi~L'S. By H;~lph Preston. G:~rdent'r :Jt Chc:lsea. Ivignette of a b.1skt't of grape~ 2. 5 x 3· 5 cnL I London: Primed fiw John F1ddmg. (No. 23) Parcr-NostL'f-rt)\'-'. 17X ': (Entered :u Sranoners-Hall.)

x 9 nn. A 1' B-K ' : i-1' vi-xii foldmg. engraved fronrisptcce. 12" Jf>.s

1 2-2 1 _ _/ 0 ..1-7/?L..

'I'HP. M ODF.Rif

Englilh Frn'it-Gardcncr, Aft,_

P.At:TilAL

WALL-'I'REE PRUNER:

•.,.......,. ,...•..•,.... ,.,

The folding fronmpiec(· with Lh:signs for hothou~e~. drawn by 'Preston & Dodd' and ~·n­ ~raved by John Lod~c:. and rhe title- page

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as separate watercolours. A copy of M. R. Besler's Gazophylacium Rerum Naturalium (I642), annotated and inscribed by J. van Huerne, is described in the Hunt Library catalogue (volume I (I958) number 238, pages 255-56).

36. PARRY, Sarah Matilda (fl. 1818-1850) written label 'Fruits from the Gardens of Summer Hill' are both presumably from an earlier binding. Signed 'Sarah Matilda Parry Dunannie Augst 2nd I85o' on a tipped-in fly-leaf, followed by a pencil note 'Bought by me from a 2nd hand bookshop in Tunbridge Wells I 6/4/ I93I. F.S.P. (i.e. Hall's)'. Sold to Oak Spring Garden Library by Harry W Pratley, another bookseller of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on 28 October I966.

Fruits from the Gardens of Summer Hill. [I794-I828.] Scrap-book 53 x 36 cm. containing watercolours of fruit, mostly two or three on sheets 22 x 27 cm. which are mounted two to a page on 6I brown-paper leaves. BINDING: Later half green leather, green cloth. Binder's title: 'Fruits grown at Summer Hill, Bath, by Caleb Hillier Parry'. Armorial bookplate of C. H. Parry (I755-I822). A leather label saying 'Sarah Matilda Parry' and a hand-

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ARAH MATILDA PARRY was one of many childrenofCaleb Hillier Parry (I755-I822), a Cheltenham doctor. Another ofhis offspring was Rear-Admiral Sir William Edward Parry (I790-I855), the Arctic explorer who was the first to make his way through the North-West Passage. Dr Parry spent the last part of his life in Bath, moving from one spa town to another, where he built a large house called Summer Hill. With the large house went a large orchard, well stocked with all the usual fruits, which were recorded in their due seasons by Sarah Matilda Parry from I 8 I 8 to I 822. A few earlier drawings of apples and peaches are signed by Mary Parry and

dated July I 794· Over eighty different apples are illustrated, each with its name and the date of the portrait. Local anonymous varieties with labels like 'Fine Cyder Apple' or 'Aromatic Pippin' are represented among more familiar kinds like 'Ribstone Pippins' and 'Winter Pearmain', each apple given its exact colouring and markings, with any blemishes the chosen specimen may have had. On folio I 8 an 'Unknown' and a 'Golden Harvey,' dated I 7 and 23 September I 822 are annotated 'My dear father did not live to see the produce of either of these, being amongst the last he planted in Autumn of I 820.' Apples are followed by pears, forty-two of them, with 'Crassane' and 'Winter Bergamot' of October I 8 I9 captioned 'My dear Father approved these drawings more highly than any in the Collection.' After the pears come twenty cherries, a couple of apricots, eight green, red, or yellow gooseberries, twenty-five plums and a damson, sixteen peaches, six nectarines, two figs, and a medlar. The whole collection makes a splendid sampler of the kinds of fruit in cultivation early in the nineteenth century, thanks to the precision of the artist's style, though this became more sophisticated over the years, with careful shadows and the elegant curves of cherry stalks 97

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becoming more prominent. Her colouring seems marvellously accurate, even to the subtle variations among the russet apples or furry peaches. A plan of the 'Upper Garden' dated September 1828 is mounted on the book's second leaf It shows the location of the tree bearing each variety. A three- page index at the end of the book also gives the locations of the trees as well as the picrures of their products. During Caleb Parry's life Summer Hill was Yisitcd by Wordsworth and other eminent friends, like Edward Jenncr and other scientists. After rus death the house was almost bought by William Beckford when he left Fonthill. but he eventually sctded elsewhere in Bath. The house was demolished late in the nineteenth cencury.

37· F ORSYTH, William (1737-rSo4) A Trc~risc on rhc Culrurc and Managcmem ofFruir-Trees; in which a new Mcrhod of Pruning to figures of the huits.]:.\wlkd ntlc .2. 5 cm.] London: PruJtcd for Longm.1n. Hur!>t, Rec~. Ormc, and Brown, Patcrnosrer-Row. And T. CJddl and W. Davics. Strand. 1 X1 X.

R" .21 x 1.2. 5 cm. A' a'' B- 1H' .!1- (- .!l.z) i-iii Iv-xx,·i xxl'ii-.\',\ ,.;;; 1 .2- 4 ~ 1 48ii and a fromispiecl' portrait .md 1J

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A T'rcatist· tlll the Ct~ltllrc a11d 1\lmw.r:('flll.'llf 4 FmirTrccs sixth edition r ~ 1 ~ plate v11 'An old decayed Pear-tree. with four stems, whiCh w ;h he.tdcd down. . . .md the young wood tramcd in the common way. or fan-fashion '

lLLIAM FORSYTH was one of that legion of Scottish gardeners who spent their working lives south of the border. His career began at the Chelsea Physic Garden and continued at Syon House, w1til he retumed to Chelsea in 1771 to take over the care of the garden from Philip Miller, who had been in charge of it for nearly half a century. In t774 Forsyth construcn:d one of the earliest English rock-gardens there, using a mixture of old stone from the Tower of London and lava brought back from [ccland by Sir Joseph Banks. Ten years later he took charge of the royal gardens at St James's and Kensington. His eminence in the gardening world made him one of the founder members of the Royal Horticultural Society on 7 March I 804, when John Wedgwood's proposal of 29 June 180 L at last led to an inaugural meeting in the house of Mr Hatchard, the bookseller, in Piccadilly. The current Hatchard's bookshop bears a tablet commemorating the occasion. Forsyth's study of the growth of trees led to the production of a plaster alleged to produce new growth from diseased wood, a remedy adopted by the Admiralty in an effort to maintain

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100

FORSYTH

its supply of oak for ships. Although Forsyth received the thanks of both houses of parliament and an official reward for the manufacture of this corn pound, it was later proved to be quite useless, after a prolonged argument among gardeners and scientists, conducted in part in the columns of the Gentleman's Magazine. The recipe for the plaster was published, with further information, in Observations on the Diseases, Defects, and Injuries of Fruit and Forest Trees (I 79 I) and again in Forsyth's later book, A Treatise on the Culture and Management of Fruit-Trees, which first This Treatise ran through seven editions in twenty-two years, the first three in only two years, and two American adaptations of it were also published (see pages I47-I 5 I). Some of its readers thought the book greatly indebted to Thomas Hitt's Treatise of Fruit- Trees, appeared in

I 802.

first published in I755 (see page 6o), but E. A. Bunyard, in his 'Guide to the Literature of Pomology' (I 9 I 5) explains the lack of originality of 'the voluble Forsyth' by saying that 'the details of culture had been well thrashed out by previous authors, and little room for innovations was left.' There is a certain charm in the author of The Anatomy of Dessert (I 929) reproving one of his predecessors for volubility, for his own book contains a series of rhapsodies in highly flavoured prose, which is hard to avoid in distinguishing and describing the different tastes of many varieties of each fruit, from apples to strawberries.

38. MAJOR, Joshua (c.I787-r866) A Treatise on the Insects most prevalent on Fruit Trees, and Garden Produce, giving an account of the different states they pass through, the depredations they commit, and recipes for their destruction, including the recipes of various authors, with remarks on their utility; also, A Few Hints on the Causes and Treatment of Mildew and Canker on Fruit Trees and Cucumbers, &c. &c. &c. [rule 3. 5 cm.] By Joshua Major, Landscape Gardener. [rule 3. 5 cm.]

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London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-row; and John Baines & Co., and ]. Y. Knight, Leeds. [rule o. 5 cm.] 1 829. go 23 X 14 cm. A 8 B-S 8 T 4 V 2 i-v vi vii viii-xv xvi 9 10-288 299 300-302 (i.e. 289 290-292, as no text is missing). BINDING: Original grey boards, green cloth spine, and label (price 10s.6d.). Bookplate ofWilliam M. Maude.

OSHUA MAJOR was a landscape gardener at Knowsthorpe, near Leeds, who later wrote

The Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening (I 8 52) and The Ladies' Assistant in the Formation of their Flower Gardens (I 86 I). His Treatise on Insects, in spite of its title, concentrates on the plants

and not the pests, for it is arranged according to the plants affected, starting with fruit trees. After the trees come several soft fruits and vegetables, a section on forcing houses, 'various trees and shrubs', and cucumbers. An appendix describes bellows and other instruments of attack, giving recipes for the sprays to be used. The author's preface (page v) sets the scene: Every one who has been engaged in Horticultural pursuits must be fully aware, from painful experience, that the Horticulturist has to struggle against almost innumerable enemies of the insect IOI

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FRUIT IN FRANCE AND BRITAIN Ill rule, lower one heavier, I r. 5 cm.] London: Published as the Act directs, by R. Ackermann, Repository of Arts, Strand. Printed by G. Hayden, Brydges Street, Covent Garden. (double rule, upper one heavier, I cm.] I8o8. 2° 36x29cm. A 2 B 2 C 2 i-iv 12-78 and Ioengravings. BINDING: Grey paper wrappers, the front and spine modern, the mottled back, possibly part of the original

one, pasted to the later spine; blue-grey buckram case. PLATES: Henderson's plates were coloured by hand, possibly by the artist himself. Six of them (numbers I, 2, 5, 6, 9, and IO) are dated January I I809 and the other four (numbers 3, 4, 7, and 8) January r I8o8, so it seems possible that the collection was issued in I 809 rather than I8o8.

ETER HENDERSON was responsible for about half the plates in Robert Thornton's Temple of Flora (I 799- I 807), that odd book combining showy flower pictures with theatrical scenic backgrounds, but he painted portraits of human subjects as well as flowers and fruit. His Pomona concentrates on soft fruit-grapes, plums, currants, cherries, with one nut, a couple of apples, and a pear added to plate 9, the first of two groups that form the last two plates.

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40a. BROOKSHAW, George (fi. 1804-1822) Pomona Britannica; or, A Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits at present cultivated in the country; together with the Blossoms and Leaves of such as are necessary to distinguish the various sorts from each other. Selected principally from the Royal Gardens at Hampton Court, and the remainder from the most celebrated gardens round London. Accurately drawn and coloured from Nature, with Full Descriptions of their various Qualities, Seasons, &c. By George Brookshaw, Esq. (swelled rule 5 cm.] London: Printed for the Author, by T. Bensley, Bolt Court, Fleet Street. Published by White, Cochrane, and Co. Fleet Street; E. Lloyd, Harley Street; and W. Lindsell, Corner of Wigmore Street. r 8 12. 1 I 0 57 x 45 cm. 71' 1 271' 1 a-c' B-2H 2F (4] iii-vvi 12-60 61-62 and 90 coloured plates. BINDING: Contemporary Russia leather, blind-stamped border within gilt one on sides, rebacked; all edges gilt.

Bookplate ofWilliam Legge, 4th Earl ofDartmouth, with a label saying 'Patshull Case vm', presumably referring to the library ofPatshull House, near Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, the family seat. PLATEs: The aquatint plates with some stipple engraving were printed in colour and finished by hand. Only one of them (XLVIII, the Royal Muscadine grape) carries an engraver's name, that of H. Merke, though Nissen (Die botanische Buchillustration, page 1 24) also credits the artist's older brother, Richard Brookshaw, with some of the work, particularly the dark-coloured grounds. The numbering of the ninety plates, I to XCIII but lacking XXXIX, XLII, and XL VI, the Montserrat Pine, an unknown new pineapple from the Duke of York's garden, and the Striped Sugar-Loaf Pine, as suitable specimens were not available, is explained on page 32. The plates are dated from March I 804 to I 8 I 2.

ROOKSHAW'S Pomona, described in I909 by S. T. Prideaux (Aquatint Engraving, page 295) as 'one of the finest colour-plate books in existence', is surely the only fruit book to rival the showy quality of the flowers in Thornton's Temple of Flora (I799-I807). It seems appropriate, considering its size and ostentation, that it should have been dedicated to 'His Royal Highness George, Prince Regent' (later George IV), who acquired that title only in I8II, the year before the book was completed. In I8I2 the book cost 59 pounds I8 shillings, though

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Prideaux states that it was also issued in thirty parts, which would fit in with the dates on the plates and the author's statement at the beginning of the introduction that 'This work ... has occupied nearly ten years constant attention and labour.' The plates show 256 varieties of fifteen fruits, beginning with strawberries and going on through soft fruit and stone fruit to pineapples, grapes, melons, nuts, figs, pears, and apples. Pineapples and grapes occupy almost as many plates as apples and pears, and peaches have rather more, for Brookshaw's descriptions were intended for gardeners well supplied with both greenhouses and the skilled hands needed to use them properly to produce fine fruit. Many of the plates show the fruit, sometimes with leaves and flowers, against the dark backgrounds that have come to be considered Brookshaw's trademark. The contrast they provide certainly adds a theatrical effect that makes these plates so popular as single decorative pictures from dismembered copies of the book. The artist's studies of fruits were adapted for a second book, a quarto using the same title but published in a smaller format in I 8 I 6 and I 8 I 7 (see below), and a third time in an even smaller book, the octavo Horticultural Repository, which was issued posthumously in I 823. The anonymous writer of a preface to the Repository recorded Brookshaw's death the previous winter and mourned 'this able artist, and observing horticulturist', one of those 'persons of genius and of talent who labour for the pleasures and conveniences of their species; yet, who live almost unknown, and sink into the tomb unheard of and undistinguished'. The Pomona was intended to be an accurate record of the best available varieties of fruit and to encourage people to cultivate them. Brookshaw's introduction underlines the importance of the subject by recommending it to the infant Horticultural Society (founded in I 804): 'It should be the business of the Horticultural Society, to try experiments to improve the growth of fruit. How much soever the subject has been neglected, it is of sufficient importance to demand attention.' It also expresses the author's and artist's own hopes for his book's value: 'If any hints that have been given in the course of these sheets, should induce the lovers of fruit to make any discovery, or be the means of improving their gardens, the end will have been in a great measure answered for which this Work was executed.'

40b.

BROOKSHAW, George (fi. I804-I822)

Pomona Britannica, or A Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits at present cultivated in Great Britain; selected principally from the Royal Gardens at Hampton Court, and the Remainder from the most celebrated Gardens round London. Accurately Drawn and Coloured from Nature. With full descriptions of their various qualities, seasons, &c. [swelled rule 3. 5 cm.] by George

Brookshaw, Esq. Vol. I. [swelled rule 4 cm.] London: Printed by Bensley and Son, Bolt Court, Fleet Street; for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, Paternoster Row; and John Lepard, ro8, Strand. [rule 2 cm.] r8r7. 4° 33-5 X 27 cm. A 2 B4 C 2 and 33 unsigned leaves i-v vi-xii 1 2-4 and 66 unnumbered pages and 30 coloured plates.

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... Vol. II ... 2 and 33 unsigned leaves 70 unnumbered pages and 30 colored plates. BINDING: Diced Russia leather, blind-stamped border within gilt one on sides (similar to the Patshull copy of the larger Pomona Britannica: see page I04); marbled edges. 7T

Label of the binder Benedict, N:' 4 Mays Buildings, St Martins Lane, London. The sixty line and stipple engravings were partially printed in colour and finished by hand. Many are adaptations of plates in the larger edition. PLATES:

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HIS quarto edition of Brookshaw's huge Pomona began to be issued six years after the completion of its larger sibling, which it often echoes in both text and illustrations. A prospectus with the Oak Spring copy is dated 6 May I 8 I 6 and promised publication of the first part on I June, with the others following at the beginning of the next eleven months, each part containing five plates and the appropriate text. The parts were priced at 'One guinea each to Subscribers'. There are no pineapples in this edition, which is probably an indication of the more modest gardeners Brookshaw hoped to attract with this less expensive edition. The plates illustrate I74 varieties of other fruits, about eighty less than the large Pomona, and the preface (page vi) uses the name of Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society and a founder member of the Horticultural Society, as a recommendation: 'When, long ago, I first communicated my plan to Sir Joseph Banks, he told me he was so deeply convinced of the necessity and great utility of the undertaking, that he had for twenty years been wishing to have such a work executed', that is, a practical book with 'clear, characteristic descriptions, and exact coloured delineations drawn from the best specimens to be found in nature, of the most select varieties of Garden-fruits'. The last four pages in volume u contain a 'Table of Reference to the Gardens from which the most curious and rare specimens were obtained', from the royal ones of Hampton Court, Windsor, and Kensington Palace, to noble ones like Sion House, Strawberry Hill, Osterley, and Chiswick, and those of knowledgeable connoisseurs like 'Mr Maddox', that is,James Maddock the younger, the nurseryman ofWalworth, Dr John Coakley Lettsom, of Grove Hill in Camberwell, and Sir Joseph Banks himself.

41. BROOKSHAW, George (.fi. 1804-1822) Groups of Fruits, accurately drawn and coloured after nature, with full directions for the young artist: designed as a companion to the treatises on flowers and birds. [double rule, upper one heavier, 4 cm.] By George Brookshaw, Esq. author of the Pomona Britannica, Treatise on Flower Painting, &c. [double rule, lower one heavier, 4 cm.] Lon-

don: [double rule, lower one heavier, 2 cm.] Printed for William Stockdale, I 8 I, Piccadilly; by Augustus Applegath and Henry Mitton, 24, Nelson-square, Great Surreystreet. [rule I cm.] I 8 I 7· I 0 36 x 26 cm. 20 unsigned and unnumbered leaves including I2 engravings, 6 coloured by hand.

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rwo st·crmns of t~xt. ~cpa ratt•d by the: plar~s of procc~'~' and wols. in Ollt' ''olurm·, .md rh~ coloured fruir pi.HC\ m '' s~cond. The un:.1g ned fnm plates of the tirsr cdirron of rhc Jnrc/i, .fi·uitin a rc nearl y all copied from rhose of the r 7f1X h rsr t•diuon of Duhamcl \ limit' di's Arbrcs .fnllltcrs (sec p.1g~ 71 ), v. lurh wne bast·d on drawmgs by lknl- Lt· Ucrry.us, Ma(g)dckin~ B.Jsst•porre. and Claudt· Aubrit•r Onl~ tht• qumres (pl.m·s IJ Jml I)/lis), rhc: nur~ (pl.ttes 15 .md 1f1), ,, f~w .tppks .md pt·ar~. and mo~r of tlw gr.tpt• pl.m·s (flo. fll'-77) .trt•nm linked ,,;rh Duhamc:l dra\\ m~s. Tlw .ttbpr.Hions. often ren-rsed•.md somt·rinK''> usin~ emir p.ms of tht frau,· picture~. an~ uslwlh printed four m .1 platt' m rht• Noisctte book Mosr of rh~ )t1rdiu pl.m·s bt•ar no engr.1ver's n.une either, bur Theodor ~u~cmihl s1~ned most o f tht• gr.1~x.-s (6o-63 and 7o-77) ..\s wdl .1s rhe spreJdmg t·spalrercd trt•t• on plate IV of the It'll m volume 1 (rt•pt•.ued .ls pl.ltt 11 m the st·cond edition) showing pnmmg lllt•thods ami tools. 1'1 A 11' \:

I I

A 1though N ISSt'n \ Dtr btl/ti/1/Sdu.' Budullusrrmion ( 1') \ 1) g1ws P.m~r.ICe Bt'•>\,1 rill' credit for rlw dra\\1ngs rc:product•d 111 rht• fir't cdlllllll of the } pon-.lble for ,tdaprmg the fi·,u'tt' d r.t\\'l l l~s. though tht ne\\ gr.tpt pl.Hes lnok much mort• likl· his work . Till' IIILhtr.trinm of rhe -,econd edmon .lrt· undoubted] v b\' Ut•s-,.1. '' ho \\ Js also workmg on pi.Ht·s fi1r tiK· ,\,>i/1'1'•11; Dult.tllt.-1 (\l't' p.t~e ':i) \\ hjll' dw p.lns 1>f rht trN nhmm 111' tlw f,udill wt>re bcm~ publishl·d. Onl't' •1g.tm ~r.tpt·~ show th~· do,l':-t rt'!>l'lllblances thoug.h tht· ,\ 1,111 ·f•"' Duh.uu.-1 tllll'' han· morl· fohagt' dun those m rlw f,udut timtin . Tht• two ni1tiono, of the '\!o tsettl' book Jlso ·,lure ·,llllll' of tht• ,,,me grapt". for mstanr:t. '\!lu,l·.u rnu~l· · (pl.tte' fq .md c \. X III) and 'lbi,u1 d'Akp, J\lonllml p.m:Kh~· (pl.lCt'' 7 5 .mJ < \. x '1). contin~1in~ ~~~ imprl-...sion tlur Be"·' .llhkd thl gr.lpt'' to the hr~t t•dmnn. Tlw ,,llllt' pub I j,hl'r, Audm. issut·d rill' first St'rlc-. of rlw Hrr/Jin de 1: \ut./1 from the original publishn. J. Moyes. and reissued it in three volumes with a more .tppc.tling tide. The authors used their situation to dl..'scribe nt'\\ imports, among them sl'\ l'ral ,·aricncs sem to the H orticultural Society from America. Platt' q in volume 11 is the President Peach. a rare exception to thl' author''i opinion thar pc.:aches from North Amenca were 'almm.r uniformly worthless in the climate of Great Britain. 'In rl1l· s.tml' \'Olumc. platt' 71 illustratl''> the Scckk Pt\tr and the text is much more enthusiastic. qummg Wtll!am Coxc (sec p.l~t· 1 s 1) .md Da,·id Ho'>Jl k. who sent this variety to the Society in 1 X 1 X and dcscrilxd it in the Hclt/totltllrtll Sc,cicty 1i'tl11Stl((tc111.' m I g I 9. 'Subscqucm t•xpt•ricnce in this country has am pi) contirmcd the Amcncan accoum. Ir Ill

FRUIT IN FRANCE AND BRITAIN Ill

is found to exceed in excellence of flavour the very richest of our autumn Pears, possessing a high vinous aroma, which can scarcely be compared with anything in fruits.' Earlier writers on fruit were consulted too, sometimes unsuccessfully, as in volume m, plate I29, 'The Purple Gage Plum ... The origin of this variety is unknown; it must, however, be recent, as it is not mentioned by Duhamel [see page 7 I], or any of the older French writers, and is even omitted by Noisette in his Jardin Fruitier [see page I I2 ]. '

45· Le Panier de Fruits, ou Descriptions botaniques et notices historiques des principaux fruits cultives en France; sui vies de differens morceaux de litterature et de morale; ouvrage orne de vingt-quatre planches coloriees; des tine aux jeunes gens. [rule I. 5 cm.] A Paris, Chez Perlet,rue de Tournon, n? 6. 1807. 8 8 8 8 6 8° 21.5 x 13.5 cm. a4 1-4 5 6-15 s 17-24 i-iii ivviii 1 2-3 84 and 24 plates.

Original green boards, red leather label; uncut. of Bookplate Anne W Kavangh and her signature 'Anne' on title-page. BINDING:

All are stipple engravings, printed in colour and finished by hand. They were engraved by Maradan from drawings by]. G. Pretre (_fi.18oo-184o), except for the first, an almond, which is signed by Mademoiselle Josephine Pretre. PLATES:

HE BOOK was first published in twelve parts, according to the signatures. The pretty plates show fruits with their leaves and flowers, from the apple to the pineapple, and the book was a sequel or rather a companion piece to La Corbeille de Fleurs, issued by the same publisher in the same year, though with the addition of' I 2 romances gravees avec accompagnement de piano. Destine aux jeunes demoiselles'. Le Panier de Fruits would have been no less suitable as an amusement for young ladies, as the foreword makes clear:

T

En publiant la Corbeille de Fleurs, nous avons fait connaitre le but que nous avait diriges clans cette entreprise; celui d'offrir auxjeunes personnes des distractions innocentes et sans aucun danger, mais qui ne fuissent pas sans utilite. Cet ouvrage, destine aux Demoiselles du premier age, devait necessairement etre plus varie, et contenir un plus grand nombre de morceaux agreables que le Panier de

Fruits, destine a celles d'un age plus avance.

The book is sometimes attributed to Louis Franancran· Bc~~a 117-2-J'\, d rawn by Pancrace Bessa

'

~"(

•t·n('.c,ta...... ~;,.,.,,;

. • )iir,.._t~Y;7~~~,...,, 'l'/-,.-;9 .

124

FRUIT ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE

This page intentionally le.ft blank

47 - BUSSATO, Marco (jf. I5 7R-r593) Giardino di Agricolrura di Marco Bussato da Ravenna. Nd quale con bdlissimo ordinc Si trarra di rutto qucllo. chc s'apparticnc asapcrc a Ull pcrfcttO Giardiniero: E s'inscgna per praticha la vera maniera di planrare & incalmare arbori e viri di rum le sorti. & 1 varii c divcrs1 modi eh 'm cio si rengono. Dimostrandoli oltra che con i ragionamcnti, anco con :tppropriati Disegni c Figure. con modo ranro facile. eh 'a cia~cuno porra commodamente servire: & in olm: s'insegna medicare ogni sorrc di Frumrc. Jcciochc conscrvmo bene 1 lor frutti. Si mostra il modo di lavorar le terre, di mieterc, e barren• i Gram, & acconciar le viti, e far i vini, & altrc cose ncccssane all'Af,rrlCOltura. AggJOilCOlll nel sine una visna, che far si devc ogni mcse alia campagna, con alcuni utilissimi ricordi; opera in vero mol to utile e diletteuole. Con Privilegio. [vignette of

Flora 5 x 5 cm.: rule] In Vcnetia, M D XCII. Apprcsso Giovanni Fionna. 4" in gathl·rings of R 21 x 15.5 cm. a4 A-B 4 C-H" ,_,,, 1-53 54-56 folio~. that i~. 120 pages. BINOING:

Half\'cllum, marbled paper sides.

1' 1 ,\TFS: 20 woodcut~.

each one tilling ;Jbout thn>t~quar­ tcrs of a pJge, art' scancrcd rh rough the text, in identical fr::~mes of primers' flowt·rs . A favounrl' illustration of a horscm:m talking to two men walkmg by hm1 appear) three times, on folios 1 o~. 12'. and +1 '- The n:st are more dm:ctly rdared eo the tcxr, wtth a sdccuon of tools on folio il'' and drawings of grafuug and budding. The ten pictures methods of graftmg are free copk~ Q( tho~~· in llussato ·~ 157R book (s.:e below).

or

Page 1 3 verso Pruning Page 27 recto Grafcmg trees

127

FRUIT ElSEWHEHE I N l:UROPE

N SPITE 0 F its tide. Bussato ·s main subject is fi·uit trees. from seedling~ in their nurscr~ to the careful pruning of mature trees. illustrated with -;ome of the fir'>t .1cc:urare and derailed diagrams of methods of gra fring. These illmtrarions first appeared m thc aurhor 's Pnmtccl hi$f: tl.!J 101\ .\!'ID 101.1> BY' Do Af fit I 4l&.A•'I a N& &fOal, ae, 4J• I Ocl. fo.l-10 •t TIIO~At

8t 1. \\'IIITIJIIC, lfA1'.1 Hala t.

•ane• 1 •• 4 A If A lilt. aw 1 • • 1'.0"1 1 I r 0«.'t .tre S"'

fotd~:d. 1\INIJINV

Conrcmporary calf.

COBBETT

ILLIAM COBBETT annotated Forsyth's Treatise (see page I47) for American gardeners and published the result in New York and Philadelphia in I802, the same year as the first edition of the original book. In I 803 another edition was published in Albany too. The Epitome of Mr. Forsyth's Treatise by 'An American Farmer' has also been attributed to Cobbett, though it seems strange that he should publish an anonymous abbreviation after using his own name on another version of the same book. lan MacPhail (in Huntia I965, volume 2, page 88) suggested that John Beale Bordley (I727-I8o4) who was indeed an American farmer and a lawyer, might have been the man behind the pseudonym, but the case is not conclusively proved. Meanwhile, it seems reasonable to allow Cobbett the credit for cutting back Forsyth's verbiage to reveal the essence of his message.

W

57· COXE, William (I762-183I) A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees, and the Management of Orchards and Cider; with accurate descriptions of the most estimable varieties of native and foreign Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, and Cherries, cultivated in the middle states of America: illustrated by Cuts of two hundred kinds of Fruits of the natural size; intended to explain Some of the errors which exist relative to the origin, popular names, and character of many of our fruits; to identify them by accurate descriptions of their properties, and correct delineations of the full size and natural formation of each variety; and to exhibit a system of practice adapted to our climate, in the successive stages of a nursery, orchard, and cider establishment. [swelled rule I cm.] By William Coxe, Esq., OfBurlington, New Jersey. [swelled rule I cm.] Philadelphia: Published by

M. Carey and Son. Nov. I, I8I7. [swelled rule I cm.] D. Allinson, Printer. 4°2I.5XI3.5cm. 1l'2 I-33 4 i-iiiiv56-253254-268 and 77 plates. BINDING: Contemporary calf. Signature of Matthew Comstock on front pastedown and pencil notes in his hand on fly-leaf and throughout, especially in the section on pears. Each one contains two or more woodcuts. There are 44 of apples (Ioo varieties), 22 of pears (63 varieties), 6 of peaches (I 5 varieties), 3 of pi urns (I 7 varieties), and I each of apricots (3varieties) and nectarines (2 varieties). PLATES:

ILLIAM COXE, who was born in Philadelphia, wrotethefirsthome-grownAmerican book on fruit-growing. He was a merchant, though his fruit farm at Burlington, New Jersey, was one of his main interests. There he grew most European and American varieties available, importing several from France or Holland besides developing new ones. He was also a member of the New Jersey state legislature and later of Congress, where he became a friend of Daniel Webster, 'a horticulturist of note' as well as a politician. In New Jersey there were large orchards, as the nearby cities, including Philadelphia and Baltimore, offered markets for their crops. Nurseries to supply the orchards also flourished. In Burlington in I 8o6 David Smith's catalogue offered I 5 I apple varieties, 98 pears, 67 peaches, 43 cherries, 20 plums, I6 nectarines, and IO apricots.

W

I

5I

FRUIT IN AMERICA

WILLIAM CUXJ:

A View of rhe Cttlril'tllW/1

4 Fruit Tr11es

1 R1 7 plates bctwt·cn pages 104 and 105 Five apples

Coxe used his own experience to provide relevant advice for others, as he explained in his preface (page 6): 'Having been for many years actively engaged in the rearing, planting, and cultivating fruit trees, on a scale more extensive than has been attempted by any other individual of this country, I have too often had occasion to regret the difficulty, and not unfrequently the impossibility of obtaining from my own countrymen, information on which I could rely respecting the objects of my pursuit.· His elaborate descriptions arc linked to the relevant drawings. though not all the varieties described are illustrated. Cider was an important by-product of apple orchards from the early settlements in America to well intO the nineteenth century, as many fanners had cider presses and used their own fruit. N ew England even exported cider tO the southern colonies and the West Indies. In October r823 the plant-collector David Douglas visited Coxc's orchard, where he was given 'several varieties of fruit trees as well as two bottles of seventeen-year- old cider-presents to the President and the Secretary of the [Horticulturall Society' of which Coxe was an honorary member. The gifts arc recorded in H. R. Fletcher's history of the Royal H orticultural Society (1969, page roo). 152

58 . MANNIN G. Robert Book of Fruit-.: bcm~ a descnpnve catalogue of the most valuable vancnes of the Pear, Apple. Peach. Plum &. Cherry, for Nl'\v-England rulrure.[rulc 1 cm ] B\· Robcrr Mannmg. [rule 1 cm.] To wh1ch IS added the Gooseberry, Currant. Raspbcrr}. Strawberry, and the Grape; wah m ode~ of culmre. Also, hardy omamemal Tree~ and Shru bs. [rule 1 cm.J W1th Pl.ne~. [rule 1 cm.] First Series for 1 !\3!1. [double n•le, upper one heavier, 1 cm.] Sak m: Published by Ives&: Jewt'tc. And fo r sale at the d1fferem book-store:~ and seed establishments m New- England [rule 1.5 cm . [ 1H3!!. 12" in s1xes. 1Nx 1 1. 5 cm . .4~ B-f' K" 1-5 6-1 2.0 and an 'Ad w rming Sheet' of 12 pages. t he last one blank. plus a fronnsp1ece and 3 other pl.ucs.

( 1 7~L4--1R.p)

UI!\I>IJSJ unnumbered lcaws, 5 blank, _

Cl. ANI>RtWS

A CollecCJon of Fnut

Plates c. 1 SS 1 folded set in

its case

Th~'

ANDREWS company in the I87os. Most bear the name of]. W Thompson & Co., a company active in Rochester, New York, from I 876 to I 89I, or the Nicholson company, for Charles F. Nicholson was a local competitor and the even-

T

tual successor of John W Thompson. One of the gaps in the set has been filled by a later, inferior, chromolithograph of the Winchell Grape, its name added in shaky capitals beneath the inserted picture.

HIS large collection of fruit plates, showing the stock of 0. Andrews of Great Barrington, a town in the south-western corner of Massachusetts, reflects similar preferences to the

smaller groups described above. The favourite fruit is the apple, with fifty-seven plates in the upper section of this folding display. The lower part holds pictures of plums, pears, cherries, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, currants, gooseberries, quinces, a dewberry, a mulberry, 'Eaton's New Peach Flavored Pie Plant' (or rhubarb), and a solitary vegetable, 'Conover's Colossal Asparagus', just the thing for anyone misguided enough to want asparagus stalks that might grow to as much as an inch and a half in diameter. Some of the brief captions beneath the glowing pictures of the fruit help to date this collection. The Russian mulberry is said to have been introduced from seed sown in I 87 5, bearing fruit from the time the little trees were two years old, while the Hansell raspberry, a variety grown for its early fruit, had ripe berries by the middle ofJune in I 88 I. The two plates showing the Cuthbert or Queen of the Market red raspberry and the Golden Queen yellow one are also embellished with lace-cuffed hands, one to each plate, holding little heaps of red or yellow berries.

66. STUART, Charles W & Co. [A collection of coloured plates, mostly fruit, c. I 888.] x I4. 5 cm. 76 coloured plates.

22.5

BINDING: Brown calf, front cover lettered 'Chas. W Stuart & Co. Newark, N. Y. No. 967'. A large label on the front pastedown reads: 'Special. Do not mark prices on plates, under any circumstances. Chas. W Stuart & Co.'

PLATES: 76 chromolithographs, one signed 'The Henderson-Achert Co. Lith. Cin'ti' and nearly all the rest either 'Stecher Lith. Co. Roch. N. Y.' or 'F. A. Stecher Lith. Roch. N. Y.' The Stecher Lithographic Company of Rochester published the Horticultural Art Journal from I 886 to I 89 I, and a few of these plates also bear the journal's name. Four also bear copyright dates of I 887 or

r888.

T

HE firm direction inside the front cover, instructing the salesman using the plates never to add prices to them, would have allowed the illustrations to be used year after year without prospective customers making embarrassing comparisons between current prices and those of earlier seasons. During the I 87os chromolithographed plates of fruit and flowers frequently replaced handcoloured ones, as they were less expensive to produce in the quantities needed. Twenty-one of I73

FRUIT IN AMEniCA

the plates in this selection are devoted w ornamenral plams-ctghr roo.,cs. six orher shrubs, and seven trees. the last group shov\'11 with the addition of seats and lirtk landscapes round thctr trunks. Among rhe fruit arc a dozen varieties of apple, L'ight pcachc~. ::.ix pears, ~ix grape~. six raspberries (black. red, or white). fi\'c cherries, tin: plum~. two quince::., rwo curr~nts (black and white), two goos Cm-

nd"

Ulocm.t~·n

FER R A R I

G. H. fl:RRARI

ft ' HNpin~s

and orhcr exotic imporrs.

was easily able ro keep track of the plants from Dutch colonies chat \ll:ere imporred with

more commercial cargoes. Most of rh cm came from rhe East or West In dies or the Cape of Good Hope, and the Amsterdam botanic garden became one of rhe foremost in Europe, recei\'ing these newcomers and in some cases passing on seeds or cuttings of them to other gardens, especially the university one at Leidrn. Abour 1ML?-, when the Amsterdam garden \\'as re-c~tablished on a new site, Commclin took charge of it on behalf of the city X

To the Rigl;t Honorable Thom.ls l:khl)de, Lord Vif coHilt Fauconberg, Barro11 of Y;.uomc, LtJrd Lielttcn.mt of the North-Riding rifY,xklhin:, aiJ(/ one of f.,ir !v!,'lj~/fit:r moft HotlOr,lblt: Privy Council.

3 Wilh.Hn

hligcd Servant,

A

Tl1e place whence rhcy must be fetched, is

St.RI!IIIO,

1

g.

T''. N.

Situated by or upon the River Nen;i, whence

they an: brought to Ccnoa. We must bring no Trees out of any other climates to Pl:mt or Order here in our Netherland!>. because the Condition of that place, doth, above all other places in fwly, agree best with our Climate .. . lfTrec~ be brought out of :my other Countries. as Spain, or Portugal, it will certainly bl' in Vain and to no Purpose: bccau~c they cannot well endure our cold changeable and uncertain Air.

The Mediterranean coast on either side of the border between France and Italy is still thickly scattered with lemon and orange trees, and San Remo wou ld still be a good place to look for healthy young ones. The first chapter of the book sums up its purpose: Bl·ing the Ordering or Management of the Limon and Orange Trees ts much increased within these few Years, by many inhabitants of our Country, and would yet Increase more, if Ignorance and

COMME LIN umkilfulm·s~

were not in the Cause. To open the Door to this Science. rhis Hesperidc:: i::. come to

Lighr, offering he r Golden Apples ro cwry one, rho nor without prudent Llbour: Which we shall here Propound in order. Firs!, A short Introductio n shall be given to till' Knowlcdg of the Tree::. and Fruits, which arc l)escribcd every one in their particular Kinds ami Pan s. Seto11dly. the Ordering and

Use of the Fruits, with their most t·xcdknt Profit and Usefulness. which .trc ,dl shortly and plamlv Communicated to all Managers.

70. STEIU3EECK, Frans van (1631-1693) Citricultum o fr Hcgeringhc Jer u yrhemsche 13tlomm r~· wctcn Oranicn. Cirrocncn. Limoencn, Gr.m.trum. Llllriercn en nndert•. Waa in bcschn.•vc:n is de- gcdacnrc cndc kcnnissc dt·r 13oomen. nh.'t hunne bkK'llll'n. bl:tdert•n en vruchrcn: van icdcr gcfbchr in her besonder. AI~ oock van den Ranc;k-appcl , oprechten Laurier van Amctic:t. Den Cancel-boom: Endc besondcrlijck van den Verboden Adams oft Paradys-:1ppel. Daer bt•ndK·n:. de n.ltucn:, kracht, en ghcbruyck, hacr dt•ughr en o ndcught v.111 k·tkr Vrtl cht m pl.mt. Waer by oock grondigh ghdcert word t het Zat·ycn, Mt•stcn, Planrcn, Oculcren, Inrcn, Af.~uy­ ghen, Jnlc:gghcn, Besnoey~·n, en lkgietcn . Oock. d~· kcnnisse van het rrcuren oftt: sieckrcn dt•r Uoome. endt· hacrc bchulp-rnidddcn . Met alle het ghl.'ne dese Boomcn (soo wd in den winra. als in den ~omc r) tor wdstandr ztjn vcp;occkcnde. Endc dar allcs ll:ll'r den cvsch van ons Ncdcrlandrs Clim:tl'r. By lanckdurighc ondcrvindinght· in het lichr ghcgheven cnde met kopcre platen vc:rCJLTt

door FmnchCll~ \',m Stcrbt•cck Pnc~t~·r. l M.tltc~e ems ... o. ~ ' 0. 5 cm J TA IH\Wrpen. u~ Jos~·ph j.tce'lps. in dt• 13orst·~t r;tct n:Jc:st den htwck \',lll de Lmgh~· NicU-'>trJcl. Anno I oX~. Met GrJtic en Pri\'llqpc. ~" :!0.5 X f).) Clll. r."(-r.:!) ~-~ ~ 4 (~~3 \\r011~.d) '>1!!11Cd ****) *****·'(*****! wrongh, ~igncd ~~~~) A-IJ K 4(K 1+ 1) L-~ IP :!S: 1-x/ii 1-74 j.2 j 75-2~(1 .!Q(-V.f (56 prim~·J upsJdt....down. co rrt•cted bv h.md; 17-1 prnncd a... '+7· l'OITt'ctcd by h.md) ;tnd an cngrawd h.llf-titk .md 16 mhcr engrJ\1ngs. Modt•rn vdlum . Uookpl.ues of V. de !.1 i\1t)J1tagnc. Fr:tn~ and Jollp Vcrdoorn. Professor Fr.ms Verdoom ( 11J06-I •Jl-:~) wa~ a Dutch bot.11mt anJ hi!>ton.m narural h1~£0r) An eJrher l.t bc:l re.1d~ ' l k~en llocck hoort toe .ten dt• ~od.liirvr dcr GcrrJud11'\ V

or

A t.nl- pie(t: of J ha.,kl't of flmwr' fn,m rhc prcf.1tmy poem-.

CITRUS FRUIT in the name of the Annunciation of Our Lady, representing the Society of Jesus in Antwerp, 1721'). PLATES: The engraved half-title, showing a tree being tucked into a tub, with smaller potted trees on balustrades and walls in the background, is signed by the artist Charles Emmanuel Biset (r633-c.r686) and the engraver Frans Ertinger (r640-I7Io), who also signed the coat of arms facing the start of the dedication. Ertinger also worked in Rome and Paris, where he was a 'graveur du roi' in I667. Both signatures appear on the portrait of Sterbeeck following the list of contents. Ertinger's name alone is on plates I to 3 and 5 to 7, and for several of these he made the drawings as well as engraving them. The rest are un-

signed. Plates I, 2, 3, and 5 appear to be based on parts of several illustrations of citrus fruit in Ferrari's Hesperides (see page I77), Sterbeeck's plater echoing Ferrari's pages 369 and 377, plate 2 pages 59, 6r, and 63, plate 3 pages 307, 3II, 3I3, and 3I5, and plate 5 pages I89 and 229. Plate 4 is a banana, both plant and fruit, plate 6 shows methods of grafting, with a garden background, plate 7 equipment for taking unwanted curves out of the trunks of trees in pots, plate 8 a pomegranate (branch, flowers, and fruit), plate 9 a passionflower and its fruit, plates IO to I 3 various laurels, from the classical bay to the more exotic kinds, as twigs or potted trees, and plate I4 cinnamon twigs, leaves, flowers, and fruit.

V

AN STERBEECK was aJesuit priest, though the English botanist John Ray, who visited his garden on 5 May 1663 ('We saw many rare plants') described him as a Franciscan. His book about citrus fruit and other exotic plants starts with five congratulatory poems, some in Flemish, some in Latin, all by various local worthies of Antwerp praising their friend for his achievement. The extra leaf between pages 74 and 75 contains another poem, in couplets, called 'Weeninge van Adam', a lament for Eden, following a chapter of speculation on the identity of Adam's apple, the forbidden fruit-an apple, a fig, or even a banana? A lengthy bibliography and a list of contents follow before the main text, a first part on oranges, a second on citrons and grapefruit, a third on lemons, and a fourth on exotic trees, grafting, and pests. The last section deals with pomegranates, passionflowers, laurels, cinnamon, and the oleander. Just as Ferrari began by describing citrus fruit in Italy, his own country, van Sterbeeck starts with the Netherlands, acknowledging local predecessors like Clusius, Dodoens, and l'Obel. He also mentions the work of his friend in Amsterdam, J an Commelin, whose Nederlantze Hesperides (see page 180) was published in Amsterdam in 1676, after its author had borrowed van Sterbeeck's manuscript for an early view of his work. According to Citricultura's preface, their correspondence left Sterbeeck unable to refuse the loan of his notes, which he had been collecting for a long time. They were returned on 16 April 1677 with gratitude and a copy ofCommelin's Hesperides. The preface continues (in translation): I thought it necessary to add the details above solely in order to prevent the slander that my Description of Exotic Trees has been borrowed or copied from these Dutch Hesperides, for my notes and experiments in this matter go back thirty years, as will be clear to the reader. Hence everything I have borrowed from other esteemed authors and experienced practitioners is mentioned and noted in its proper place, not concealed or suppressed.

The text is very well stuffed with historical references too. 186

FRANS \.-\'I STER-

Cirriwlwra t(i~z plate facing page 1-s Trammg tree~ m tubs. drawn and cmgra\·ed by Frans Ertingcr BEE< 1\

Plate fJang page :q6 A bay tree w1th mothed leaYeS m an omamentJI por

The part of the book on the management of exotic trees, indoors in winter or out of doors in summer, describes how to keep them happy in tubs or pots, and even how to cope with insects, mice, or rats in greenhouses. The whole book is dedicated to Jusrus de Nobclaer. Knight, whose palatial greenhouse is described on page r 67, where Commclin 's is also mentioned. This copy of Citrimltum is frequently interleaved wirh extra notes, and there is a great deal of marginal annotation throughout, with extra cross-references inserted and misprints corrected. The whole effect is that of an author thinking of a possible new edition of his book. and keeping the printed text up to date as well as he could. The Jesuit connccrion mcmioncd in the label on the front pastcdown makes it seem very likely indeed that this \.\'as the author's copy. A second edition, so-called, of his book was published in Antwerp in 1 712, but nor revised at all, for it is only the printed sheets of the original edition bound up with a ne\\' ride-page. The same publisher brought our in the same year another edition of van Srerbecck 's Thcmn1111 Fttll,\!(>/'tt/11, his pioneering book on mushrooms first published in 1675.

CTTHU S F H U I T

71. [M 0 R l N, Pierre (j1. 1(> 19 - 1o5S) alkgcd autho r J N ouvcau Trairc des Orang ers e t Cirro nnicrs, com en:.u u L a m anil~re de lcs connoim ·. lcs fa\Oil!> lj u'il leur f.1ur fain· po ur les bien cu lri w r. & la vr;1ie 111l' th od e q u'on doir ga rder po ur k~ come rve r. I\'i!;m' nl· J x 3 cm . o f crowm·d clasped hands holdm g a m edallio n bl·arin~ rlw minals CDSI A Pari~. Chez C harles dt· Se rcy. M illt>r H u m ( 1 '".l- 1')(>3 ) . \\ IHh.

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orcph J Montalcgrc (./1. 170X-171 5) s1gncd a s111gk plarc 111 volume t and over half-(i7-111 volume 11, 111 which Paul n~·cka rhc younger ( 16!< 5- 1742) sigm·d the fronti~piece .md om· mhcr pl.1te. Others 1dcmificd .1s :1rti~rs or mgravcrs of occasional plates include J. C. Srcinbergcr. C. F. Krieger. L. C. Glorsch, B. Kcnkd. S. Leonhard, W l'f:lll, T. G. Bcckh, J. A. Dcbl'Jlbach. J. C. Ddmc. and F. P. Lmdm:r, but m,my of the plan:-~ arc ba~cd on Volkamer's own Jr:~wmgs or chose of his younger brother (sec bduw). The v1gncttcs .wJ t.ulpicccs. abour JO of them, Jrc so .tttraetivc th.u they have ofrt·n been borr()wt·d to decorate IJtcr bnoks.

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OHANN CHR TSTOPH VOLKAMER was thesonofJohannGeorgVolkamerr (I6T6I693), physician, botanist, and gardener, who visited Italy and studied at Padua from 1638 to 1641, soon after the establishment of the botanic garden there. When he returned to Nuremberg he built a large greenhouse in his garden at Gostenhof, the house and garden later inherited by his oldest son, Johann Christoph, who shared his father's love of both Italy and gardening. During his youth he spent several years in Italy, perhaps as many as ten after arriving in Verona in 1660. He visited many gardens in the neighbourhood and further afield as far as Venice and Bologna, begitming to study the endless varieties of citrus fruit he saw. Even after his return to Germany his friends among Italian gardeners and nurserymen supplied him with citrus trees and kept him informed of new developments. The Nlimbergische Hesperides was a slow-growing book. Its genesis is reflected in two albums of Volkamer's drawings for it in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg. About two hundred of these drawings have survived, and others were probably destroyed during World War Il with parts of the family archive. As well as collecting and commissioning the work of other artists, both Johann Christoph Volkamer and his brother, Joharm Georg II, another naturalist, drew some of the fruit and gardens illustrated in the Hesperides. It is clear that the book was modelled on an earlier Hesperides, Fcrrari's of r646 (sec page 177), the first book entirely devoted to citrus fruit. Not only the title but the divisions, the allegorical plates referring to appropriate myths, and the style of the fruit drawings echo the earlier book, but the perspective drawings of gardens added to the fruit plates-mostly German gardens from the Nuremberg region in the first volume and Italian ones in the second-demonstrate Volkamer's broader

VOI.KAMER

J. voluml' are mosrly taken from the country round Venice, the Brcnta, the Euganean hills and those near Bologna. So valuable arc they as records of early cighcecnth-ccmury Italy that a selection of them was reprinted there in 1979. Among the non-ltalian gardens in this volume arc Schonbrunn in Vienna and Volkamer's own garden in Nuremberg, a town that welcomed both French and Italian influences in the design of its gardens and the plants used to furnish them. Directions for the cultivation of citrus fruit show little advance on Fcrrari or Commclin (scl' page 1 8o), bm many more varieties arc illustrated, among them quantities of the ornamental oddities produced in Italy during the seventeenth century and introduced into Germany to test the skill of gardeners there. Other botanical treasures arc drawn and described too-olive and bay trees, the strawberry tree, a vast aubergine or egg-planr, and a double pbtc of the nightblooming cercus in volume 1, with favourites from Volkamer's garden like choice Juriculas and 193

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