% 44 0/ Fruit-Gardens. 



they fpritig : And to preferve your Trees in 

 their Beauty and full Health, the utmoft Care 

 is to be taken to keep thera from being crowd-: 

 led with Wood, and it is oftentimes neceiTary 

 to take away even bearing Branches ^ for it is 

 impofTible that a too great Number of Branches 

 can be wellfupply'dwithjuices^whereby either 

 tl e Bloffoms will drop off, or the Fruit will 

 never ripen, but wither on the Tree. 



A convenient Space between one Branch 

 and another is confiftent with Regularity, 

 and conftantly to be obferv'd in all manner of 

 Prunings : And that you may pleafe the Sight, 

 you are to take Care not to let one Branch 

 crofs another, unlefs it be to fill a Space in 

 the Wall, v/hich is more unfeemly 5 though a 

 flender bearing Branch may be fometimes per- 

 mitted to fleal behind the main Body of the 

 Tree, or its larger Branches, and b,e no Of- 

 fence to the Eye, but may gratify the Tafte 

 at the End of the Year. 



The more Horizontally the Branches of a. 

 Tree are carry'd, the more apt and the bet- 

 ter difpos'd that Tree is to bear Fruity and 

 the more perpendicular the Branches are led, 

 the more inclined fuch a Tree is to incre^fe in 

 Wood. When fmall weak Branches flioot 

 from the like, and the third Shoot is ftrong, 

 always ufe them as falfe Wood : And it is very 

 difScult to ftrengthen weak Branches without 

 fometimes cutting away others that are fuperior 

 to them, even the upper Part of thofe from 



which 



