ON TRAINING AND PRUNING. 



not so material how near the young shoots be placed to the 

 old, even though they sometimes cross them. Choose 

 strands of fresh matting, or pack thread, to tie with ; and 

 observe to leave sufficient room for the swelling of the shoots 

 and branches next season. 



By attending to the proper pruning of fruit trees, every 

 advantage is promoted, and by a judicious management in 

 other respects, wood may not only be obtained but preserved 

 in every part of the tree, and so that it will bear down to the 

 very bole, which will evidently be greatly to the credit of the 

 gardener, the benefit of the proprietor, and will be equally 

 conducive to the beauty and welfare of the tree. While trees 

 are young, it is necessary to lay a good foundation for a supply 

 of bearing wood in future years, for when this is neglected, 

 and they become naked, it is, some time before a supply can 

 be recovered. In shortening a branch, always take care to 

 cut in a direction a little sloping, and the middles of all 

 standard trees should be kept as open as possible. It is re- 

 quisite to have a very sharp knife, that the cut may not be rag- 

 ged, but clean, and in the operation be careful that the knife 

 does not slip, so that another branch be cut or damaged. 



The general pruning of fruit trees is indifferently per- 

 formed by many persons at any time from Autumn to Spring, 

 and it may be so done without any great injury to them, 

 provided that mild weather be chosen for the purpose, and 

 the wood be well ripened. Although it may be advantageous 

 to prune trees early in the Winter, when the wood is well 

 ripened, yet when the wood is green and the buds have not 

 arrived at a mature state, it is requisite in such instances to 

 defer pruning until Spring, taking care, however, that it is 

 performed before the moving of the sap. The necessity of 

 this arises from the circumstance, that as the wood is not 

 ripened in Autumn, the sap is then in an active state, 

 and will continue so until the frost, &c. cause it to become 

 stagnant, and if the shoots were shortened whilst the sap 

 was in motion, the buds would be considerably injured, 

 and the tree weakened ; such unripe shoots are also more 

 liable to suffer by the severity of Winter, and when the pru- 

 ning is deferred nntil Spring, all such parts as may have 



