20 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN. 



young wood appears necessary, select and retain some best-placed 

 proper shoots of last summer accordingly, either to furnish any- 

 present vacancy, or to train in between the main branches where it 

 may seem expedient, in order to be advancing to a bearing state, 

 ready to supply any apparent future occasion ; but in the morella 

 particularly, above mentioned, retain always a general supply for 

 principal bearers : (see November :) and prune out all irregular and 

 superabundant shoots close to the mother branches ; and if casual 

 worn-out or decayed old unfruitful branches occur, let them now be 

 cut out, retaining young wood of proper growth, &c. to supply their 

 place ; preserving also, in all vacant spaces, a supply of the best 

 young shoots at their natural length, as above advised, and a lead- 

 ing one to each branch ; being careful to preserve all the short na- 

 tural fruit-spurs, and cut away close any remaining naked stumps 

 of former shortened shoots : then, as soon as a tree is thus pruned, 

 proceed to train in all the proper shoots and branches to the wall, 

 or espalier, at their full length, as aforesaid at the above men- 

 tioned distances : and all those thus treated will, in two or three 

 years time, send out many short shoots, or fruit-spurs, about half 

 an inch or an inch in length ; and from these spurs the fruit is al- 

 ways produced. 



These spurs generally appear first toward the upper part, or 

 that which was once the superior part of the one, two, and three 

 years old branches ; and if shortening was to be practised, those 

 parts would consequently be cut away where the blossom-buds 

 would have otherwise first made their appearance. Therefore, in 

 the course of pruning, apple, pear, plum, and cherry trees, never 

 shorten or top the young shoots that are left for a supply of bear- 

 ing wood, nor any of the bearing branches, if there is room to extend 

 them ; and they will thus all gradually form themselves into a plen- 

 tiful bearing state. 



But if shortening was generally practised to these kinds of fruit- 

 trees, as is the case with many primers, it would prove their mani- 

 fest destruction in regard to preventing their fruitfulness: for, in 

 the places where fruit-buds would otherwise naturally appear, there 

 would advance nothing but strong wood shoots ; so that the trees 

 would be continually crowded with useless and unfruitful wood. 



When, however, there is at any time a supply of wood wanted, 

 then shortening particular shoots may be proper, as observed above 

 for the apples and pears. 



General Observations in pruning all the above Trees. 



We observed above, that shortening the branches of apple, pear, 

 plum, and cherry trees, was not proper in the general course of 

 pruning ; it, however, in some particular cases, is most necessary ; 

 for which take the following hints : 



For exam pie, when the trees, for walls and espaliers particularly, 

 are about one year old from the budding or grafting, either in the 

 nursery, or newly planted against walls or espaliers, with their first 

 shoot immediately from the budding or grafting, at full length, it 



