142 OF PRUNING. SHCT XII. 



off the lefs. If a luxuriant tree were to have its fhoots 

 much fhortened, it would throw out nothing but wood; 

 and if a weak tree were not pretty much cut, it would 

 not have ftrength to hear. From vigorous {hoots one- 

 four.hmay be cut off; from middling ones, one-third; 

 and from weak ones one half. 



In fhortening, make the cut at a leading moot hud, 

 which is known by having a blofjbm bud on die fide of 

 it, or, which is better, one on each fide. Blo/Jhn buds 

 are rounder and fuller than leaf buds, and are difcern- 

 ible even at the fall of the leaf, and plainly feen early 

 in the fpring. It is defirable to make the cut at twin 

 blojjbtns, yet as this cannot always be done, the due 

 proportion of length muff generally determine. It often 

 happens, that the bloffom buds are chiefly, and fome- 

 times all, at the end of the {hoot ; but ftill it fhould be 

 fhortened, if it is at all long. Never rut where there 

 is only a bloffom bud, and prefer thofe fhoots that are 

 fhorteft jointed, and have the bloffoms moft in the 

 middle. The fhoots that lie well, and are fruitful, or 

 healthy, and but a few inches long, may be left whole. 

 Always contrive to have a good leader at the end ot 

 every principal branch. 



Young trees (as of the firft year of branching) fhould 

 have the lower fhoots left longer in proportion, and the 

 upper fhorter, in order to form the tree better to the 

 filling of the wall : the lower fhoots may have three or 

 four eyes more than the upper. 



In furn'ijhing a tree, confider where it wants wood, 

 and cut the neareft unbearing branch (or if neceffary, 

 a bearing one), down to one, two, or more eyes, ac- 

 cording to the number of fhoots defircd, for in fuch 

 clofe fhortening, a fhoot will come from each eye. 

 With a view to wood for filling up a naked place, a 

 ■fhoot formed after Midjummer may be thus fhortened; 

 though the general rule is, to difplace all fuch late 

 {boot's as uielefs; the dependence for blotfbms being on 

 the earlv formed fhoots. 



The 



