SECT. XII. OF PRUNING. 149 



this, the thinning of old wood, young being ready (or 

 easily to be procured) to follow, nas already been 

 mentioned; but the principal step is the shortening 

 of the shoots, which occasions them to throw out 

 below the cut, for future use. If they were not to 

 be shortened, the tree would presently extend a 

 great way, bearing chiefly at tne extremities, and 

 all over the middle it would be very thin of fruit, 

 and thus a great part of the wall lost; which not to 

 suffer, is an art of a pruner that shews he has indeed 

 skill. 



The mode of bearing in peaches, nectarines, and 

 apricots, is on the last year's wood, which makes, it 

 necessary to shorten, in order to a certain supply of 

 shoots for bearing the next year ; and thus to have 

 succession wood in every part of the tree. 



The rule for shortening is this : Consider the 



O 



strength of the tree, and the more vigorous the shoots 

 are, cut off the less. If a luxuriant tree were to 

 have its shoots much shortened, it would throw out 

 nothing but wood; and if a \veak tree were not 

 pretty much cut, it would not have strength to bear. 

 From vigorous shoots one-fourth may be cut off; 

 from middling ones one-third; and from weak ones 

 one half. 



In shortening, make the cut at a leading shoot bud, 

 which is known by having a blossom bud on the side 

 of itj or, which is better, one on each side. Blossom 

 buds are rounder and fuller than leaf buds, and are 

 discernible even at the fall of the leaf, and plainly 

 seen early in the spring. It is desirable to make the 

 cut at twin blossoms, yet as this cannot always be 

 done, the due proportion of length must generally 

 determine. It often happens that the blossom buds 

 are chiefly, and sometimes all, at the end of the 

 shoot; but still it should be shortened, if it is at all 

 long. Never cut where there is only a blossom bud> 



