P RU 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



PRU 



407 





toothed. Root perennial; stems hard, small, and branched, 

 from three to six inches in height, but in one variety creep- 

 ing on the ground ; flowers not larger than those of the com- 

 mon sort; but more commonly white or yellow than blue or 

 purple. Native of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Dau- 

 phiny, Piedmont, in the lower mountains, in dry pastures, 

 and by the side of cultivated grounds. 



3. Prunella Hyssopifolia ; Hyssop-leaved Self-heal. Leaves 

 lanceolate, quite entire, sessile ; stem erect. Flowers large, 

 generally blue, but sometimes white. The erect stem is that 

 which principally distinguishes it from the first species. It 

 flowers from July to October. Native of the south of France, 

 about Montpellier. 



Pruning of Trees. There is no part of gardening of more 

 general use than pruning, and yet it is not common to see 

 fruit-trees skilfully managed. Almost every gardener will 

 pretend to be a master of this business, though very few 

 rightly understand it; because it is not to be learnt by rote, 

 but requires a strict observation of the different manners of 

 growth in the several sorts of fruit-trees, which must be dif- 

 ferently treated, according as they are naturally disposed to 

 produce their fruit. Some sorts produce it on the same 

 year's wood, as Vines; others oftenest upon the former 

 year's wood, as Peaches, Nectarines, &c. and others upon 

 cursons or spurs, which are produced upon wood of three, 

 four, or five, to fifteen or twenty years' old, as Pears, Plums, 

 Cherries, &c. In order to ensure the right management of 

 fruit-trees, there should always be provision made for a 

 sufficient quantity or bearing wood in every part of the tree ; 

 and yet there should be no superfluous branches, which 

 would exhaust its strength, and produce decay in a few years. 

 The objects for which fruit-trees are pruned are, first, to pre- 

 serve them longer in a vigorous bearing state ; secondly, 

 to render them more beautiful to the eye ; and, thirdly, to 

 cause the fruit to be larger and better tasted. 1. Then it 

 preserves a tree longer in a healthy bearing state, for, by 

 pruning off all superfluous branches, the root is not drawn 

 upon by such as are useless, and which must finally be cut 

 out. 2. By skilful pruning, a tree is rendered much more 

 pleasing to the eye. We are no advocates for drawing a 

 regular line along the wall, according to the shape into which 

 the tree is to be reduced, and then cutting all the branches, 

 strong or weak, exactly to the chalked line : the absurdity 

 of that practice will soon appear to any one who observes 

 the difference of the shooting of those branches in the next 

 spring after their mutilation. All, therefore, that is meant 

 by proposing to render a tree more beautiful by pruning is, 

 that the branches should be all cut according to their several 

 strengths, and nailed at equal distances, in proportion to 

 the different sizes of their leaves and fruit, and that no part 

 of the wall, so far as the trees are advanced, be left unfur- 

 nished with bearing wood. A tree well managed, though it 

 does not represent any regular figure, yet will appear very 

 beautiful to the eye, when thus dressed and nailed to the 

 wall. 3. It is of great advantage to the fruit ; for the cutting 

 away all useless branches, and shortening all the bearing 

 shoots according to the strength of the tree, will render ii 

 more capable to nourish those fruit and branches which are 

 left remaining, so that the fruit will be much larger anc 

 better tasted. And this is the advantage which those trees 

 against walls or espaliers have over such as are standards 

 and are permitted to grow as they are naturally inclined 

 for it is not their being trained either to a wall or espalier 

 which renders their fruit so much better than standards 

 but because the roots have a less quantity of branches anc 

 fruit to nourish, which therefore will be larger and better 



VOL. II. 100. 



asted. The reasons for pruning being thus distinctly stated, 

 the next point is the methods of performing it; for which the 

 reader is referred to the different kinds of operation under 

 .he various kinds of fruit-trees, and in the articles Grafting 

 and Inoculating. In this place we shall merely add some 

 inportant directions concerning the right management of 

 'ruit-trees. There are many persons who suppose, that if 

 :heir fruit-trees are but kept up to the wall or espalier during 

 the summer season, so as not to hang in very great disorder, 

 and in winter to get a gardener to prune them, it is sufficient: 

 t>ut this is a mistake : for the greatest care ought to be 

 mployed about them in the spring, when the trees are in 

 vigorous growth, which is the only proper season to procure 

 a quantity of good wood in the different parts of the tree, 

 and to displace all useless branches as soon as they are pro- 

 duced, that the vigour of the tree may supply such branches 

 only as are designed to remain, which will render them 

 strong, and more capable of producing good fruit. If all the 

 branches were permitted to remain, the most vigorous would 

 imbibe the greatest share of the sap, while the rest would 

 be starved, and only produce blossoms and leaves : for it is 

 impossible that any person, however well skilled in fruit- 

 trees, can reduce them into any tolerable order by winter prun- 

 ing only, if they have been wholly neglected in the spring. 

 There are individuals who do not entirely neglect their trees 

 during the summer season, as those before mentioned, but 

 yet do little more good to them, by what they call summer 

 pruning ; for these persons neglect their trees at the proper 

 season, which is in April and May, when their shoots are 

 produced, and only about Midsummer go over them, nailing 

 all their branches, except such as are produced fore-right 

 from the wall, which they cut out, and at the same time 

 often shorten most of the other branches. This is an entirely 

 wrong practice, for those branches which are intended to 

 bear in the succeeding year should not be shortened during 

 the time of their growth, which will cause them to produce 

 one or two lateral shoots from the eyes below the place where 

 they were stopped. These shoots will draw much of the 

 strength from the buds of the first shoot, whereby they are 

 often flat, and do not produce their blossoms ; and if those 

 two lateral shoots are not entirely cut away at the winter 

 pruning, they will prove injurious to the tree, as the shoots 

 which they produce will be what the French gardeners call 

 water-shoots, and if suffered to remain upon the tree until 

 Midsummer, will, as already observed, rob the other branches 

 of their support. Besides this, by shading the fruit all the 

 spring season, when they are cut away, and the other 

 branches fastened to the wall, the fruit," by being so sud- 

 denly exposed, will receive a very great check, which will 

 cause their skins to become tough, and render their pulp 

 less delicate. This remark applies principally to stone fruits 

 and Grapes. Pears and Apples being much hardier, suffer 

 not so much, though it is a great disadvantage to those also 

 to be thus managed. It must be observed, that Peaches, 

 Nectarines, Apricots, Cherries, and Plums, are always in the 

 greatest vigour when they are the least maimed by the knife: 

 for where these trees have undergone large amputations, 

 they are very subject to gum and decay : so that it certainly 

 is the most prudent method carefully to rub off all useless 

 buds when they are first produced, and pinch others, where 

 new shoots are wanted to supply the vacancies of the wall. 

 By these precautions, the trees may be so ordered as to want 

 but little of the knife in winter pruning; and the less of that 

 the better. The management of Pears and Apples is much 

 the same with these trees in summer, but in winter they must 

 be very differently pruned ; because, as Peaches and Necta- 

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