146 or PRUNING. SECT. xir. 



angles againft the wall, towards the eaft, when the 

 wind is ftrong from that quarter, they do good: a long 

 tree might have one fet up againft the middle of it, as 

 well as at the eajl end. Hurdles, covered with a mat, 

 or cloth over them, do very well ; and if too fliort to 

 reach the top of the wall, they may be fet upon forked 

 itakes fall in the ground. 



Poles fixed in the ground to the height of the wall, 

 at fmall diftances, and fix inches from it, might be 

 covered with mats. 



Whatever covering is, u fed, it mould be leftws longer 

 on than neceflary, and it fhould be well fecured from 

 flipping or'rubbing againft the tree by wind. It fhould 

 not be ufed till the bloffoms get a little forward, nor 

 continued longer than while the fruit is well fet, being 

 regularly put up at night, and taken off in the day, 

 except in very bad weather: Trees covered too long 

 get ficklv. 



The thinning of fruit, when too thick upon the tree, 

 is a matter that mufl be attended to, for it will eventually 

 prove lofs, and not gain, to leave too many for ripen-, 

 ing. It weakens the tree, prevents the knitting of fo 

 many, or fo ftrong bloffoms for the next year as are 

 deferable, and hinders the fruit from coming to its fize 

 and flavour. Do this work when the fruit is about 

 the fize of a horfe-bean. 



The rule for thinning fhould be, to leave no two 

 fruits fo clofe as to fwell one againft another; except 

 indeed the tree is generally fhort ol fruit, when twins 

 may be left on fliong branches. Three or four, on a 

 long and ftrong branch, are quite enow, and fo in 

 proportion for weaker wood: this is faid of the larger 

 forts of peaches and neclarines ; apricots may, in general, 

 be left fomewhat thicker on a fiourifhiug tree, and the 

 ] offer kinds of peaches and apricots may it ill be fome- 

 what more numerous, as the early mafculine apricot, the 

 imtrneg peach, and nutmeg neclarine : there may be more 

 neclarines left on a tree than peaches. 



As 



