22 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN. 



nually all superabundant shoots, or that are more than can be trained 

 in with proper regularity ; likewise a considerable part of the old, 

 or two last year's bearers ; and, observing, that as a general supply 

 of the best of the last year's shoots must annually be left in a regu- 

 lar manner in every part of the tree, to bear the fruit the succeed- 

 ing summer, each of the said shoots must be shortened more or less, 

 according to their strength, now in the winter pruning, as directed 

 below, in order to encourage them to produce a more regular suc- 

 cession of bearing wood in the ensuing summer. The wood, which 

 is then produced, will bear fruit in the summer after that ; and the 

 same shoots both bear the fruit and a supply of successional shoots 

 at the same time for future bearers, &c. 



Before you begin to prune, in these trees particularly, it is pro- 

 per generally to unnail and unbind all the young shoots which were 

 nailed or bound, in last summer, and great part of their respective 

 mother branches ; by which means you will have room to examine 

 the shoots, and to use your knife properly. 



In the course of pruning these trees, be careful to select the most 

 promising and best situated shoots at the above distances, in a regu- 

 lar manner, advancing, as it were, one after another, in every part 

 of the tree, making room for them, by cutting out all the other use- 

 less or unnecessary shoots, together with a proportionable share of 

 the former bearers, before intimated, and old naked branches not 

 furnished with bearing wood. 



For example, you are to observe, that these young shoots are, as 

 above hinted, produced principally upon those shoots, which were 

 laid in last winter, and which produced the fruit last summer ; and 

 some casually on the older wood ; but shall suppose many of the said 

 shoots, or branches, which were laid in last winter, to have produced 

 each three shoots in summer, and that they now all remain, but that 

 there may not be room to lay in more than one of the said shoots on 

 each of the branches ; it remains to be considered, which of these 

 three shoots on each branch is proper to be left ; whether the up- 

 permost, middle, or lower of the three : there is no general rule 

 for this, but we will suppose the middlemost ; in which case, cut off 

 the lower one quite close to the branch, and then that part of the 

 branch which hath the upper shoot upon it, must be pruned down 

 to the middle one ; so that there is only the middle shoot now re- 

 maining, which terminates or makes the end of the branch : but, if 

 it is thought most convenient to leave the uppermost of the three, 

 the middle and lower are to be cut away close to the branch : or, 

 on the contrary, if the lower shoot only is to be left, cut off the 

 branch with the middle and upper shoot thereon, close to the lower 

 one : and if thought most proper to leave in any place two out of 

 the three shoots on a branch, then the upper and lower are appa- 

 rently most proper, provided they are the best shoots, and so cut 

 out the middle one : or if two lower shoots appear best for your pur- 

 pose, cut off the upper part of the branch with the top shoot close 

 to the middle one ; and, if to retain the two upper shoots, prune 

 out the lowermost : there may not always happen to be just three 

 young shoots on every year's branches ; but I choose to mention 



