MAY.] THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 377 



in greater quantities, than they can supply with a sufficiency of nour- 

 ishment ; and which, if suffered to remain, would not only be poor 

 and miserable, but would so exhaust the trees, as to render it im- 

 possible for them, to produce good and sufficient shoots, capable of 

 bearing any tolerable quantity of fruit the ensuing season, or per- 

 haps ever after. 



Therefore, let them now be thinned, leaving only a good, mode- 

 rate, regular crop, on each tree, and the sooner it is done, the bet- 

 ter, both for the trees and remaining fruit ; always leaving the best 

 placed and most promising. 



The young fruit that are thinned off, are excellent for tarts, &c. 

 particularly the apricots, but the others are also very good for that 

 purpose. 



Some people will consider this a very disagreeable task, both on 

 account of casting away so many fruit, which they might think 

 would do very well, and also, on account of the time spent in per- 

 forming the work ; but this is a mistake, as the loss in number, 

 will be more than repaid by the size, flavour, and excellence of the 

 remaining fruit ; and besides, the trees will be preserved in health 

 and vigour, for the production of future crops. 



This thinning should not be confined only, to wall and espalier 

 trees, but ought to be extended generally, and for the same reasons, 

 to all your standard peach, nectarine and apricots, but more parti- 

 cularly to such as are young. 



When trees are suffered to bear a superabundant crop, the extra- 

 ordinary efforts made to support their too numerous offspring, of- 

 ten so exhaust them, as to bring on diseases, of which several do 

 not recover, at least for two or three years. 



Protecting Cherries from Birds. 



As soon as your cherries begin to ripen, hang up nets before the 

 wall trees, and cast some over the espaliers, supporting them with 

 sticks or branches at a sufficient distance to prevent the birds from 

 reaching the fruit. Likewise, the casting of large nets, over stand- 

 ard cherry trees, will prevent the depredations of birds. 



Cleaning the fruit-Tree Borders. 



The borders where wall and espalier-trees grow, should be kept 

 remarkably clear from weeds ; for these not only appear disagree- 

 able and exhaust the nourishment, but afford harbour for snails, 

 slugs, and other crawling insects, to the detriment of the fruit. 



Therefore, when weeds appear in these parts, ad where there is 

 room to admit of hoeing between any crops that are growing 

 on the borders, let a sharp hoe be applied to them in a dry day, by 

 which you may stop their progress ; and as soon as hoed, rake off 

 all the weeds and rubbish, leaving a clean smooth surface. 



3 c 



