214 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [mAR. 



thiee or four of the best branches, and shortening 

 the last */ear's shoots on each, back to three or four 

 buds. 



Ofhcadhig dorm stinted Fruit-trees. 



When trees become diseased and stinted througli 

 apje, or by improper treatment, and produce bad 

 fruit, few, and irregularly, it is often more proper 

 to liead them quite down to the graft, or bud, than 

 to spend time in trying to recover them by a better 

 mode of culture ; that is to say, threes of a good 

 kind ; for otherwise, it would be more advisable to 

 stub them up, and plant better sorts in their places. 

 If their roots be examined, and be pruned and dress- 

 ed, as noticed below, the success attending su.cK 

 heading down would be the greater. Ihulcr }>roper 

 management afterwards, a fruitful, healthy tree, 

 3night suddenly lill the space occupied by disease 

 and barrenness. 



This operation, however, must be carefully per- 

 formed ; observing to cut to witlu'n a few inches of 

 the graft or bud ; making clean wounds, in a sloping 

 manner, so as to shoot oft'wet ; covering the wounds 

 with a little tar or mild paint, in order to keep 

 out rain and exclude air, until they be cicatri- 

 zed. 



The training of the ncv/ slioots diiTers in no re- 

 spect from that of training tlie shoots of strong, 

 liealthv, young trees of the same sorts ; the rules 

 ibr shortening, for the j)ur})ose of filling the wall, 

 &c. according to their strengtlis, next winter prun- 

 inc:, "lid so ibrtb, being carefully observed. 



