Book I. ALMOND. . 721 



year-old fruit-branches. The Moor Park bears chiefly on the last yearVshoots, and on 

 close spurs formed on the two-year-old wood. The bearing shoots emit the blossom-buds 

 immediately from the eyes along the sides j and the buds have a round and swelling ap- 

 pearance. 



4532. Pruning wall -trees. The general culture of the wall-apricots comprehends a summer and winter 

 course of regulation by pruning and training. 



4533. Summer pruning. Begin the summer pruning in May or early in June, and continue it occasion- 

 ally in July, August, &c. This pruning is principally to regulate the young shoots, of the same year. 

 In the first place, take off close all the fore-right shoots, and others that are ill placed or irregular, or too 

 luxuriant in growth ; taking care to retain a competent supply of choice, well placed, moderately g'rowing 

 side shoots, with a good leader to each mother branch. Continue these mostly at their full length all 

 summer, regularly trained in close to the wall, to procure a sufficiency to choose from in the general win- 

 ter pruning, for new bearers next year. If the summer regulation commence earlv, while the shoots are 

 quite young, and, as it were, herbaceous, one, two, three, or four inches long, those improper to retain may 

 be detached with the finger and thumb; but when of firmer growth, they must be removed with the 

 knife. If any very strong shoot rise in any casually vacant part, it may be topped in June, which will 

 cause it to produce several laterals the same year of more moderate growth, eligible for training in to sup- 

 ply the vacancy. 



4534. Thinning the fruit. Sometimes the fruit are much too numerous, often growing in clusters ; in 

 which case, thin them in May and the beginning of June, in their young green state; leaving the most 

 promising fruit singly, at three or four inches' distance, or from about two to six on the respective shoote 

 according to their strength. The apricots so thinned off, and the first principal green fruit, are esteemed 

 very fine for tarts'. 



4535. Winter pruning. This may be performed either at the fall of the leaf, or in mild intervals 

 from that time until the beginning of March. When it is deferred until the buds begin to swell, the pro- 

 mising shoots can be better distinguished. It comprehends a general regulation both of the last year's 

 shoots and the older branches. A general supply of the most regular-placed young shoots must be every 

 where retained, for successional bearers the ensuing year. Cut out some of the most naked part of the two 

 last years' bearers, and naked old branches not furnis'hed with competent supplies of young wood, or 

 with fruit-spurs, either to their origin, or to some well directed" lateral, as most expedient, to make room 

 for training a general supply of the new bearers retained ; and cut away all decayed wood and old stumps. 

 Generally observe, in this pruning, to retain one leading shoot at the end of each branch ; either a natur- 

 ally placed terminal, or one formed by cutting, where a vacuity is to be furnished, into a proper leader. Let 

 the shoots retained for bearers be moderately shortened : strong shoots reduce in the least proportion cut- 

 ting off one fourth or less of their length ; from weak shoots take away a third, and sometimes half. 'This 

 shortening will conduce to the production of a competency of lateral shoots the ensuing summer, from the 

 lower and middle-placed eyes ; whereas, without it, the new shoots would proceed mostly from the top and 

 leave the under part of the mother branches naked, and the lower and middle parts of the tree unfurnished 

 with proper supplies of bearing wood. Never prune below all the blossom-buds, except to provide wood 

 in which case cut nearer to the origin of the branch. As, in these trees, small fruit-spurs, an inch or two long' 

 often appear on some of the two or three years' branches furnished with blossom-buds ; these spurs should 

 generally be retained for bearing ; but when any project fore-right far from the wall, cut them in accord- 

 ingly ; for spurs projecting above three inches, though they may set their fruit, seldom ripen it, unless the 

 season and situation are both favorable. The thick clusters of spurs which are apt to form on aged trees 

 ought also to be thinned. As each tree is pruned, nail it, laying in the branches and shoots from three to' 

 six inches' distance, straight and close to the wall. 



4536. Pruning espaliers. As directed for wall-trees. 



4537. Pruning standards. Half standards will require only occasional pruning to regulate any branches 

 which are too numerous, too extended, or cross-placed ; and to remove anv casually unfruitful parts and 

 dead wood. At the same time, the regular branches, forming the head of the tree, should not be generally 

 shortened, but permitted to advance in free growth. (Abercrombie.) 



4538. Renovating old decaying trees. Forsyth had the greatest success in this de- 

 partment of fruit-tree culture, by cutting down to within a foot or eighteen inches, or 

 more, of the ground, and then renewing the soil of the border. He says " it has been 

 the general practice to train apricot-trees on walls in the fan form, which occasions the 

 sap to rise too freely to the top, leaving the lower part almost naked ; so that scarcely 

 one quarter of the wall is covered with bearing wood." His remedy for this evil is to 

 " cut down the whole of the tree, as near to the place where it was budded as possible ; 

 remembering always to cut it to an eye or joint. If there should be any young shoots 

 on the lower part of the tree, it will be proper to leave them, training them horizontally, 

 which will check the flow of the sap, and thereby render them much more fruitful." 

 {Tr. on Fr. Tr. ch. i.) Harrison says, " Apricots are very susceptible of injury from 

 pruning away any strong branches." Instead of heading down old peach, apricot, or 

 plum, or even cherry trees, he generally prefers rooting them out and planting young 

 ones. 



4539. Gathering. The fruit is apt to become mealy, if left on the tree till over ripe ; it should be gathered 

 with the peach-gatherer while moderately firm. 



4540. Insects, diseases, &c. As the fruit ripens early, it is very liable to be attacked by wasps and large 

 flies, which should be kept off by a net, stretched a foot or more apart from the wall or trellis. The other 

 insects, and the diseases of this tree, are the same as in the peach-tree ; but it is not nearly so obnoxious 

 to their attacks, probably owing to the comparatively hard nature of its bark and wood, and coriaceous 

 leaves. 



4541. Tlie apricot does not force well; but a few are sometimes tried in pots, and placed in the peach 

 house. See Chap. VII. Sect. III. H 



Subsect. 4. Almond. — Amygdalus, L. Icos. Monog. L. and Rosacea, J. (Plenck. 

 Ic. t. 385.) Amandier, Fr. ; Mandelbaum, Ger. ; and Mandorlo, Ital. 



4542. The common or sweet almond is the A. communis, L. ; and the bitter almond is 

 the A. amara, L. (Rlackw. t. 195.) Both will grow to the height of twenty feet, with 

 spreading branches. The leaves resemble those of the peach, but the lower serratures are 



3 A 



