, a famous French gardener, was born at Poietiers in 1626. After
, a famous French gardener,
was born at Poietiers in 1626. After a course of philosophy, he applied himself to the law, and went to Paris in
order to be admitted an advocate. He had much natural
eloquence, improved by learning; and acquitted himself
so well at the bar as to gain the admiration and esteem of
the chief magistrates. Tamboneau, president of the chamber of accounts, being informed of his merit, engaged him
to undertake the preceptorship of his only son, which Quiutinie executed entirely to his satisfaction applying his
leisure hours in the mean time to the study of agriculture,
towards which he always had a strong inclination. He
read Columella, Varro, Virgil, and all authors ancient or
modern, who had written on the subject and gained new
lights by a journey which he made with his pupil into Italy.
All the gardens in Rome and about it were open to him;
and he never failed to make the most useful observations,
constantly joining practice with theory. On his return to
Paris, Tamboneau entirely gave up to him his garden, to
manage as he pleased; and Quintinie applied himself to
so intense a study of the operations of nature in this way,
that he soon became famous all over France. He made
many curious and useful experiments. He was the first
who proved it useless to join fibres to the roots of trees
when transplanted, and discovered a sure and infallible
method of pruning trees, so as to make them not only bear
fruit, but bear it in whatever part the owner chuses, and
even produce it equally throughout all the branches; which
had never before been tried, nor even believed to be possible. The prince of Condé, who is said to have joined
the pacific love of agriculture to a restless spirit for war,
took great pleasure in conversing with Quintinie. He came
to England about 1673; and, during his stay here paid a
visit to Mr.Evelyn, who prevailed on him to communicate
some directions concerning melons, for the cultivation of
which Quintinie was remarkably famous. They were transmitted to Mr. Evelyn from Pans; and afterwards, in 1693,
published by him in the Philosophical Transactions. Charles
II. or, as his biographers say, James II. made Quintinie an
offer of a considerable pension if he would stay and take
upon him the direction of his gardens; but Quintinie chose
to serve his own king, Louis XIV. who erected for him a
new office of director-general of all his majesty’s fruit and
kitchen gardens. The royal gardens, while Quintinie
lived, were the admiration of the curious; and when he
died, the king himself was much affected, and could not
forbear saying to his widow, that “he had as great a loss as
she had, and never expected to have it repaired.
” Quintinie died veryold, but we know not in what year. He
greatly improved the art of gardening, and transplanting
trees and his book, entitled " Directions for the Management of Fruit and Kitchen Gardens, 7 ' 1725, 2 vols. 4to,
contains precepts which have been followed by all Europe.