APRICOT. 273 



cross formed, and to remove any casually unfruitful parts 

 and dead wood ; but the regular branches, forming the head 

 of the tree, should not be shortened unless necessary. 



The general culture of the wall Apricots comprehends a 

 Summer and Winter course of regulation, by pruning and 

 training. The fan method is generally adopted, but some 

 prefer training horizontally. With young trees some contrive 

 to fill the wall by heading down twice a year. 



The Winter, or early Spring management, comprehends 

 a general regulation both of the last year's shoots and the 

 older branches. A general supply of the most regularly 

 situated young shoots must be every where retained, for 

 successionul bearers the ensuing year. Cut out such 

 branches as are not furnished with competent supplies of 

 young wood, or with fruit spurs, to make room for training 

 a general supply of the most promising branches retained. 

 Generally observe in this pruning to retain one leading 

 shoot at the end of each branch; either a naturally placed 

 terminal, or one formed by cutting (where a vacancy is to 

 be furnished) into a proper leader. Let the shoots retained 

 for bearers be moderately shortened : reduce strong shoots 

 in the least proportioned cutting off one-fourth or less of 

 their length ; from weak shoots take away a third, and 

 sometimes a half. This shortening will conduce to the 

 production of a competency of lateral shoots the ensuing 

 Summer, from the lower and middle placed eyes ; whereas 

 without it, the new hoots would proceed mostly from the 

 top, and leave the underpartof the principal branches naked, 

 and the lower and middle parts of the tree unfurnished with 

 proper supplies of bearing wood. Never prune below all 

 the blossom buds, except to provide wood, in which case 

 cut nearer to the origin of the branch. As, in these trees, 

 small fruit spurs, an inch or two long, often appear on some 

 of the two or three years' branches furnished with blossom 

 buds, these spurs should generally be retained for bearing. 

 As each tree is pruned, nail it, laying in the branches and 

 shoots from three to six inches distance, straight or close to 

 the fence or wall. 



The Summer pruning is principally to regulate the young 



