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serve them steady until spring, when thev must 

 have their first pruning, ecc. 



Mr. Forsyth however directs that, •* if the 

 borders wherein the trees are to be planted be 

 new, they should be made two feet and a half 

 or three icet deep, of good light fresh loam ;" 

 and that, "if the trees are to be planted in old 

 borders, where the earth has been injured by 

 the roots of the former trees, it will be neces- 

 sary to take out the old mould at least three feet 

 deep, and four feet wide, filling up the hole 

 with fresh loam, taking care to plant the trees 

 about eight inches higher than the level of the 

 old border, to allow for the sinking of the earth, 

 that they may not be too deep in the ground." 



After being planted, if the trees are only one 

 year old, with their first head from the bud en- 

 tire, they should be headed down in the spring, 

 to four or five eves, to force out branches below ; 

 after which the trees should have water in dry 

 weather, and the shoots from all the remaining 

 eyes should in summer be nailed up regularly 

 to the wall at their full length ; and if any fore- 

 right or back shoots come out, thev should be 

 rubbed off", being careful to continue the regular 

 shoots to the wall all summer and the following 

 winter ; and in spring each shoot should be 

 shortened to about eight, ten, or twelve inches, 

 according to their strength, leaving the lower- 

 most ones, on each side, rather the longest ; 

 this pruning short being still necessary in order 

 to procure a further supplv of lower branches, 

 that every part of the wall may be occupied 

 quite from the bottom ; having particular atten- 

 tion to preserve nearly an equal number of 

 branches arranging on each side of the tree, 

 nailing them close to the wall horizontally, 

 four, five, or six inches asunder. In the sum- 

 mer following, each horizontal branch will push 

 out three or four, or more, new shoots, of 

 which, if any rise fore-right and behind the 

 branches, they should be rubbed off early in 

 the season, nailing in all the regular side- shoots 

 at full length during the summer, except it is 

 necessary to pinch anv particular shoot earlv 

 to (ill a vacancy. In the winter pruning, if 

 there be any superfluities, or irregular growths 

 left in summer, - they should be cut out close, 

 and all the regular-plated necessary shoots he 

 shortened, though thev should not now he 

 pruned so short as in the two first years, only 

 cutting each shoot according to its strength, 

 from about eight or ten to fifteen or eighteen 

 inches long : as the head of the tree is now toler- 

 ably well formed, therefore pruning only so as 

 to obtain a further supplv of wood, and a pro- 

 duction of fruit ; for as these trees bear princi- 



pally upon the year-old Wood, it is proper to 

 train in a general supply of young shoots, o( 

 each year, in every part ; the same shoots pro- 

 ducing at the same time both a crop of fruit 

 and a supply of wood for next yiar's bearing. 

 The annual supply of wood must always, how- 

 ever, be shortened in the winter pruning ; for 

 if lift entire it would produce only some shoot* 

 near the top, and leave the bottom naked, so 

 as in a few years the whole tree would become 

 very thin of bearing-wood below, and bear only 

 a little towards the extreme parts of the branches. 

 In the winter pruning, the shoots should always 

 be shortened according to the strength of the 

 tree and situation and strength of the respective 

 shoots. And as these trees Dear also upon short 

 spurs, arising upon the two-years-old branches, 

 it is proper to preserve them wherever thev ap- 

 pear, only retrenching such as project consi- 

 derably fore-right; leaving all those of one or two 

 inches long, as the young shoots, of one year's 

 growth, are the principal bearers : those produced 

 one year bear fruit the next, and a general supply 

 must be every year retained, and not shortened 

 in summer, which would force out laterals from 

 every eye, arid spoil the shoots for next year's 

 bearing; but in the winter pruning, a general 

 shortening is necessary, and the whole tree 

 should then be regularly nailed to the wall. 



Mr. Forsyth says that, "when the trees are 

 planted, they should by no means he headed 

 down till the month of April or Mav, when 

 they begin to throw out fresh shoots : strong 

 trees should be cut afoot from the ground ; anil 

 those that are weak, about half that length. 

 But in backward seasons, they should not be 

 headed down so early ; never until the buds are 

 fairly broken : always observing to cut sloping 

 towards the wall, and as near loan eye as pos- 

 sible, that the young leading shoot mav cover 

 the cut ; which operation should be again per- 

 formed in the next March or April : the shoots 

 that are then thrown out must be trained hori- 

 zontally, to cover the wall : the number of 

 these to be left ought to be from three to six on 

 each side, according to the strength of the main 

 shoot; taking care to rub off with the linger 

 and thumb the fore-right shoots all ovei 

 tree, except a tew which may be wanted to till 

 up the wall, near the body of it: and in ilu 

 second year the horizontal sh< ots must be 

 shortened in the same manner, according to 

 their growth ; and so on every ye. r till the wall 

 shall be completely covered from top to bottom." 

 He adds that " it is a frequent practice with some 

 gardeners, to head down the trees at the time of 

 planting; which often proves ratal to them." 

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