P R U 



P R U 



every part equally from the bottom to the top of 

 the wall or espalier with proper branches, capa* 

 1 ! of producing pood fruit, is the principal ob- 

 jeot of this operation. 



In performing it the operator should be care- 

 ful to free the trees of every thing that is super- 

 fluous, irregular, or hurtful, both in the sum- 

 mer and winter primings. Those branches are 

 superfluous, which though good and well placed, 

 are more lhaa wasted or that can be properrv 

 laid in, end those irregular which are m ill 

 placed as not to be trained with regularity to the 

 wall or espalier, such as all fore-right shoots, 

 being such as grow immediately from the front 

 or back of the branches in a fore-right dn - 

 tion ; and those are hurtful which arc of bad 



nrrhj such as all very rank or singularly lux- 

 uriant rude shoots. The superfluous or redund- 

 ant growths should of course be thinned by 

 pruning out all that seem to cause confusion ; 

 anil the irregular and hurtful rank shoots be dis- 

 placed, cutting all these oft" quite close to the 

 place whence iliev proceed, only leaving a pro- 

 per supply of the regular or best placed side- 

 shoots where necessary, so as to preserve every 

 part well furnished with bearing wood, trained 

 straight and close to the wall or espalier, at 

 equal distances. Some sorts of wall-trees, &c., 

 however, require a general annual supply of 

 young wood, such as peach and all other trees 

 which bear only on the shoots of a year old ; 

 others require only an occasional supply of 

 wood, such as apples, pears, &c, and all other 

 kinds that bear on the old wood of from two or 

 three to ten or twenty years old or more; so 

 that the same branches continue in bearing many 

 vears, and the trees require only a supply of 

 young shoots now and then to replace any worn 

 out or dead branches. See Summi;r and Win- 

 tkp Pruning. 



This art chieflv consists in being acquainted 

 with the nature of bearing in the different sorts 

 of trees, and in the forming an early judgment of 

 the future event of shoots and branches, as well 

 as other circumstances, for which some rules 

 may lie given ; but there are particular instances 

 which cannot be judged of but upon the spot, 

 and depend chiefly upon practice and observa- 

 tion. 



With regard to the nature or mode of hearing 

 of the different sorts of wall- and espalier-trees, 

 Etc. peaches, nectarines, apricots, £cc, all pro- 

 duce their fruit principally upon the young wood 

 of a year old ; that is, the shoots produced this 

 year bear fruit the year following, and the same 

 of every year's shoots; so that in all these trees, 

 a general supply of the best regular shoots of 

 each year should be every w here preserved, both 



in the summer and winter primings, at regular 

 distanci Irom ihebtittom to the extremity 



of the trees on ever)' side, in such order as to 

 seem coming up regularly one after another; 

 and trained principally all at full length du 

 their sumnur's growth ; hut in the winter ] 

 ing generally shortened, according to the 

 strength ofttje different shoots, in order to pro* 

 mote their throwing out more effectually a sup- 

 ply of young wood the ensuing summer, from 

 the lateral eyes, in proper places for training in 

 for the next year's bearing; the fruit-buds I 

 mostly produced along their sides immediately 

 from the eyes, as they rarely form any consi- 

 derable fruit-spurs, as in the apple, pear, &c, 

 the same shoots producing the fruit and a supply 

 of shoots at the same lime for the succeeding; 

 year's bearing. All these trees also bear on 

 casual small natural spurs, sometimes arising 

 on the two and three years' wood, one or two 

 inches in length, which are generally well fur- 

 nished with blossom buds in the proper season ; 

 and should be preserved for bearing ; always 

 however depending on the main young shoots 

 as the principal bearers. 



Vines also produce their fruit always upon 

 the young wood, shoots of the same year arising 

 from the eyes of the last year's wood only, and 

 must therefore have a general supply of the best 

 regular shoots of each year trained in, which 

 in the winter pruning should be shortened 

 to a few eyes or joints, in order to force 

 out shoots from their lower parts only, pro- 

 perly situated to lay in for bearing fruit the fol- 

 lowing year. 



Figs bear also only upon the young wood of a 

 year old, a general supply of it is of course ne- 

 cessary every year; but these shoots should at 

 no time be shortened, unless the ends are dead, 

 as they always bear principally towards the ex- 

 treme part of the shoots, which if shortened 

 would take the bearing or fruitful parts away. 

 And these trees mosily throw out naturally a 

 sufficient supply of shoots every year for future 

 bearing without the precaution of shortening 

 them. 



And as to apple-, pear-, plum-, and cherry- 

 trees, they hear principally generally on 

 arising in the general branches, of from two or 

 three "to ten or twenty years old, the same 

 branches and spurs continuing bearing a 

 number of years, as has been seen, so that hav- 

 ing one.' procured a proper set of branches, in 

 the manner already directed, to form a spread- 

 ing head, no further supply of wood is wanted 

 than only some occasional shoots now and then 

 to supply the place of any casual worn-out or 

 dead branch as before suggested ; these spurs or 



