Of Fruit-Gardens. 249 



Truning of the Vine. 



The Vine puts forth the moft and the 

 longeft Shoots of any other Fruit-Tree 5 but 

 the leifer and weaker Shoots never bear an/ 

 Fruit, and therefore they muft be entirely 

 taken away. 



Vines require a firft, fecond, third, and 

 fometimes a fourth Pruning^ the firft Prun- 

 ing muft be done before the End of February^ 

 and herein the Vigour of the Tree is to be 

 regarded : The Number of Branches to be 

 left are to be proportioned fo, as to make no 

 Confufion in the moft vigorous Trees ^ and 

 the thickeft and beft plac'd are to be pre- 

 ferv^d, limiting their Length -to four or five 

 Buds or Eyes, and the firft and fecond only 

 generally bear Fruit. 



The fecond Pruning of the Vine is to be 

 perform'd about the Middle of May^ when 

 the Branches have ftiot two or three Foot, 

 and the Bunches of Grapes are perfedly 

 form'd : The Manner of doing it is by pinch- 

 ing off" the Branch about fix Inches above 

 the Fruit, after which you are to Nail it 

 to the Wall. The third Pruning is to be 

 coramenc'd about Midfitmmer ^ the Defign of 

 this is to reduce the Multitude of luxuri- 

 ant Branches, and to let in the Rays of the 

 Sun, to accelerate the Ripening of the Fruity 

 but in the Operation you are to have a dif- 

 cretionary Regard to Rains and cold Nights, 



which 



