SECT. XII. OF PUUN1NG. 



out much bending. Perfect symmetry indeed is not 

 necessary, but confusion of branches, weak and 

 crossing, crowded and dangling, is to be prevented 

 by pruning ; for a proper, (rather free) use of the 

 knite, is capable of doing much towards the beauty 

 pnd fruitfulness of standard trees. A little pruning 

 of standards every year, and a general one (rather 

 free) every three or four years, to cut out what is 

 Decayed, and some of the older wood, where a sue - 

 sessional supply of young may be obtained to suc- 

 ceed, is the best way to keep them in vigour, and 

 have the best of fruit ; for that which grows on eld 

 wood, gets small and austere. To take off large 

 branches a thin broad chmel is proper ; but if a 

 saw is used, smooth the part with a knife. 



Clear trees from moss, by scraping them with a 

 long narrow bladed blunt knife, on a bit of hard 

 wood, and cut 3 or rub off bits of decayed bark, in 

 which insects are apt to breed, and wipe all quite 

 clean. Some use a scouring brush in this business, 

 the long end hairs of which are well adapted to clean 

 the forky parts. A bit of haircloth is also used for 

 the purpose ; and a finish is properly made to do 

 the business well, with a brush and soap and water. 



In the first year of new r planted standards, they 

 are to be cleared in the springy of all weak and im- 

 proper shpots, reserving only a few of the strongest 

 If there are four regularly placed shoots opposite to 

 each other, it is sufficient to form a good head, short- 

 ening them down to a few eyes each, or, (in general) 

 cutting off about one-third may be a rule. What 

 the head will be, may be pretty well foreseen, by 

 conceiving two or three shoots to come from the 

 buds which are placed below the cut. 



If the shoots of the tree are weak, or the root 

 but a poor one, cut the reserved shoots down to two 

 eyes each. If the head is not regularly furnished with 



