A Treatise of Fruit-Trees by Hitt, Thomas

London: Robinson and Roberts, 1768. Third edition (viii, 394, index). Tall 8vo., seven copper engraved plates, six folding, as called for, in contemporary calf with five raised bands, lined gilt decoration, impressed medallions on spine, gilt title on black title label. Fussell says, ‘The major part of his life was... spent in Lincoln and Nottingham, where he had the honour, the great part of his time, to be a servant to some part of the noble family of the Duke of Rutland, who all proved very willing to encourage a person, like himself, desirous of improving his knowledge. He spent sixteen years with Lord Robert Sutton at Kelham House in Nottinghamshire, and when he set up for himself his practice was chiefly within twenty miles of Newark-on-Trent. The Treatise on Fruit Trees was...occasioned and promoted by several gentlemen who liked to spend some time in their gardens. It contains a catalogue of fruit, directions for draining, burning clay, manuring, all the arts of pruning, describes walls and wall-fruit, and instructs the nurseryman how to pack trees for transport. It also contains a list of instruments required by a dresser of fruit- trees. Johnson waxes eloquent in its praise. It seemed to him the result of long experience and decidedly one of our best practical works upon the art of training trees’ (More Old English Farming Books, 30). See also Janson, Pomona’s Harvest. Skillfully rebacked, three fold-outs repaired. A clean, tight, handsome copy of a scarce classic. Scarce, eighteenth century classic