{SN: Grafts must be fenced.} It is meet your sets and grafts be fenced, till they be as big as your arme, for feare of annoyances. Many waies may sets receiue dammages, after they be set, whether grafted or vngrafted. For although we suppose, that no noysome beast, or other thing must haue accesse among your trees: yet by casualty, a Dog, Cat, or such like, or your selfe, or negligent friend bearing you company, or a shrewd boy, may tread or fall vpon a young and tender plant or graft. To auoid these and many such chances, you must stake them round a pretty distance from the set, neither so neere, nor so thicke, but that it may haue the benefit of Sun, raine, and ayre. Your stakes (small or great) would be so surely put, or driuen into the earth, that they breake not, if any thing happen to leane vpon them, else may the fall be more hurtfull, then the want of the fence. Let not your stakes shelter any weeds about your sets, for want of Sunne is a great hinderance. Let them stand so farre off, that your grafts spreading receiue no hurt, either by rubbing on them, or of any other thing passing by. If your stocke be long, and high grafted (which I must discommend (except in need) because there the sap is weake, and they are subiect to strong wind, and the lighting of birds) tie easily with a soft list three or foure prickes vnder the clay, and let their tops stand aboue the grafts, to auoid the lighting of Crowes, Pyes, &c. vpon your grafts. If you sticke some sharpe thornes at the roots of your stakes, they will make hurtfull things keepe off the better. Other better fences for your grafts I know none. And thus much for sets and setting. CHAP. 8. _Of the distance of Trees._ {SN: Hurts of too neere planting.} I Know not to what end you should prouide good ground, well fenced, & plant good sets; and when your trees should come to profit, haue all your labours lost, for want of due regard to the distance of placing your trees. I haue seene many trees stand so thicke, that one could not thriue for the throng of his neighbours. If you doe marke it, you shall see the tops of trees rubd off, their sides galled like a galled horses backe, and many trees haue more stumps then boughes, and most trees no well thriuing, but short, stumpish, and euill thriuing boughes: like a Corne field ouer seeded, or a towne ouer peopled, or a pasture ouer-laid, which the Gardiner must either let grow, or leaue the tree very few boughes to beare fruit. Hence small thrift, galls, wounds, diseases, and short life to the trees: and while they liue greene, little, hard, worme-eaten, and euill thriuing fruit arise, to the discomfort of the owners.