350 THE NUESERY. [APRIL 



having of few fruit, and these of a bad and insipid quality. Keep- 

 ing the earth loose and pulverized by frequent working, will cause it 

 to attract the dews, imbibe the rains freely, when such occur, and 

 consequently to be constantly stored with a sufficient supply of nour- 

 ishment for the plants and fruit; and moreover, the reflection of the 

 sun from the clean surface, will dry and dissipate the damps that 

 would otherwise cause the fruit to become mildewed, and render its 

 quality crude and insipid. 



In looking over the vines about the end of the month, observe to 

 displace such young shoots or prominent buds as appear useless, or 

 promise to be injurious to those intended for bearing fruit. Many 

 small weakly shoots generally arise from the old stocks or branches, 

 that seldom produce fruit, and are supernumerary ; such should be 

 rubbed off close, except in places where a supply of new wood or 

 shoots for next year's bearing are wanted ; in which case a suitable 

 number should be carefully preserved. This operation ought, at this 

 time, to be performed with the finger and thumb, nipping or rubbing 

 them off close to where produced. 



Where two shoots arise from one bud, take the worst away, the 

 remaining one will grow stronger, and its fruit be numerous and large 

 in proportion. 



The vines should now have stakes placed to them, such as are di- 

 rected to be made on page 60, and any old or decayed poles replaced 

 with new, if not done in the former months, in order to tie and train 

 the young advancing shoots thereto. 



Any very long shoots of the last year, left upon strong and estab- 

 lished stocks, for fruiting more abundantly, as directed before, may, 

 about the first of this month, when the sap has arisen, and the 

 shoots become pliant, be bent round the stake, in the form of a hoop, 

 and made fast thereto with a willow twig, &c. ; by this method it will 

 break out into fruit more abundantly, and produce a less luxuriancy 

 of wood than if left in the ordinary way ; but it must be bent gently, 

 so as not to crack the bark, lest it should bleed and be weakened 

 thereby, or become totally abortive. 



THE NURSERY. 



As it is my plan to avoid repetitions as much as possible, in order 

 to make room for more important matter, and having gone pretty 

 extensively into the nursery business in March, I must refer you to 

 that month for general instructions respecting the culture of trees 

 and shrubs. You will there find the various methods and proper 

 periods for grafting ; the modes of raising, planting, and training all 

 sorts of live hedges ; the different ways of cultivating various kinds 

 of shrubby plants, forest and fruit-trees, by layers, suckers, cuttings, 

 seeds, &c., a repetition of which, in this place, would only swell the 

 book to no purpose. 



