P R U 



P R V 



as it is proper that even- tree, as soon as pruned, 

 be dircctlv nailed to the wall, or if espaliers, 

 i or nailed to the treillage, being careful in 

 the winter pruning, as the work of nailing, cce., 

 will require to be performed more or less upon 

 all the branches, to train them with great regu- 

 larity, nailing them along horizontally, as 

 straight and close as possible; never crossing 

 any of the branches, but training them distinctly 

 and parallel four to five or six inches asunder, 

 or in proportion to the size of the leaves and 

 fruit of the different sorts, making the opposite 

 branches of each side arrange equally in the 

 same manner and position. 



Pruning of Standard Trees. — Standard fruit- 

 trees require but very little pruning ; for, as their 

 branches have full scope above to extend them- 

 selves every way, they must not be shortened : 

 besides, as the standard fruit-trees, consisting 

 principally of apples, pears, plums, and cher- 

 ries, bear fruit on natural spurs arising to- 

 wards the upper parts of the branches, this de- 

 termines that they must not be shortened, nor any 

 other pruning be practised than just to reform 

 anv great irregularity, &c, in them. In these 

 trees, the first occasional pruning necessary is 

 the first two years of their growth, in order to 

 form their heads somewhat regular, by retrench- 

 ing anv irregular shoots ; and when designed to 

 have them form more regular spreading heads, to 

 prune the first shoots, when a year old, down 

 to four or live eves, in order to force out lateral 

 shoots from these lower buds the following sum- 

 mer, to give the head a proper formation. After 

 this, the branches should be suffered to take 

 their natural growth, except that, if, while the 

 trees are young, any very luxuriant shoots ram- 

 ble away considerably from all the others, and 

 draw most of the nourishment, it is proper to 

 prune them, either by retrenching entirely verv 

 irregular ones, or shortening others to some re- 

 gularity, to branch out consistently with the re- 

 quisite form of the head of the tree ; but except 

 in such cases of reducing irregularities, the 

 heads of all kinds of standards always should be 

 left to branch away as fast as possible, both in 

 length and laterally, agreeably to their natural 

 mode of growing ; and they will naturally fur- 

 nish themselves abundantly with bearing wood. 



In standard fruit-trees of some years' growth, 

 as irregularities and disorder will occasionally 

 happen, they should be regulated a little by 

 pruning out the most conspicuously irregular 

 and redundant growths in the winter season. 



For instance ; where any considerable branch- 

 es grow right across others, or in anv other 

 awkward direction, to incommode orcau.se cou- 

 fusion, or much irregularity in the heaJ, they 



Vol. II. 



should he retrenched close; likewise any branch 

 that rambles considerably from all the rest, 

 should be reduced to order, bv cutting it down 

 to some convenient lower branch, so u to pre- 

 serve some regularity. Where the head is con- 

 siderably crowded with wood, let the worst of 

 the redundancy be thinned oat at regularly as 

 possible, cutting them close to their origin ; 

 and as sometimes very vigorous shoots ari^e in 

 the heart of the tree, or towards the bottom of 

 the main branches, growing upright, and crowd 

 the middle of the head, they should be con- 

 stantly retrenched to their very bottom ; cutting 

 out also any very cankered parts, and all de- 

 cayed wood ; and clearing off all suckers from 

 the root and stem. The standard trees thus 

 disburthened from any consideiable irregularities 

 and confusion, so as all the proper branches 

 have full scope to spread free and easy in their 

 natural manner, will not fail to repay the trou- 

 ble in the superior quality of their future fruit. 

 See Orchard-Trees. 



Pruning of Forest Trees, &!c. — With respect 

 to pruning of forest and ornamental trees, flow- 

 ering shrubs, &c, it is verv inconsiderable. 

 Forest trees, &c, must be suffered to run up as 

 fast as possible, so that their heads should not 

 be shortened ; all that is necessary is, to prune 

 off the lateral branches occasionally from the 

 stem ; or, if while young, any lateral shoot of 

 the head, which is of a very rude rambling 

 growth; but otherwise suffering the top and ge- 

 neral branches of the head to remain entire, and 

 take their own natural growth ; only pruning 

 the lower stragglers occasionally. It is however 

 very improper to trim up the stem too high, as 

 often practised to forest trees, as scarce to leave 

 any upper branches to form a head : never, there- 

 fore, trim the stem much higher than the full 

 spread of the principal branches, as a full head 

 is both ornamental and essentially necessary to 

 the prosperity of the trie. See Planting. 



And as to the shrub kind, they should, for 

 the general part, take their own growth at top ; 

 and only be pruned occasionally in any lower 

 stragglers, from the interior part of the stem, or 

 any very irregular rambling shoot of the bead, 

 and all dead wood. Except in these cases, their 

 heads mostly should be Buffered to shoot in their 

 own way, according to their different modes (it 

 growth, in which they will appear arwa] 

 most agreeable. Where, however, it is re- 

 quired to keep shrubs low, they must be regu- 

 lated, as convenient, with the pruning-knifc, as 

 being more proper than the garden-shears, 

 which should never be u-ed in that business to 

 shrubs ;;nd trees in rural growth. 



The particular method to be followed with 

 ; N 



