A M Y 



AMY 



shoots that arc cut off, and running them in 

 among the small branches of the trees to prevent 

 them from being broken by the wind, the mid- 

 dle of the branch run in, being on the outside of 

 the shoot that is wished to be preserved, and the 

 ends tucked under the two adjoining branches, a 

 great deal of the second summer nailing maybe 

 saved. Immediately after the fall of the leaf it will 

 be necessary to take out these loose branches ; by 

 which the shoots may have more liberty, and the 

 sun and air be more fully admitted to ripen the 

 wood before the spring pruning commences. 



At the time this nailing is performed, carefully 

 take off all the side shoots that come out from 

 the tops of the young shoots. In performing the 

 second nailing, if any very strong shoots are 

 found, they should be cut out, leaving the fine 

 kind side shoots that have been produced since the 

 first topping, hut only such as will bear fruit. 



When the autumn proves fine, the trees mostly 

 continue in full leaf to the end of October, and 

 sometimes to the end of November. At the 

 time the leaves begin to fall, a soft broom 

 should be employed, brushing it gently over the 

 branches of the trees, in order to take off as ma- 

 ny of the leaves as possible, without hurting the 

 buds. The brushing should however be per- 

 formed upwards, for in the contrary direction it 

 will be liable to break and destroy the buds. 



When all the leaves are removed, Mr. Forsvth 

 advises the unnailing of the young branches that 

 were nailed in during the summer, leaving the 

 strong ones to keep the tree fast to the wall, as, 

 by these means, from the branches being loose 

 from the wall, they will receive the benefit of the 

 sun and air more fully, to ripen and harden 

 the young wood, which, in that case, will not 

 be so liable to be killed by the severity of the win- 

 ter season ; and, by leaving the trees so till the 

 spring, when the pruning is to be performed, 

 there will be a great choice of fine bearing wood 

 to cover the walls with. 



He also advises the nails and shreds laid up in 

 autumn, when the branches were unnailed, to be 

 pointed and picked during the wet weather in 

 v inter, in order to be fit for use again ; and that 

 such shreds as have been used in summer be 

 soaked in boiling-hot soapsuds for three or four 

 days, in order to destroy the eggs of earwigs and 

 other insects, which are highly destructive to this 

 sort of trees. 



These trees, from their coming early into blos- 

 som, should be protected from the frosts to se- 

 cure the fruit : various means have been attempt- 

 ed for this purpose ; the most effectual are, by 

 nailing light mats or strong open canvass over 

 them, which should be removed in the middle of 

 the day, but kept close in the night and when the 



weather is severe. Mr. Forsyth finds old netting 

 the best covering, which should be put on three- 

 fold, as for apricots. When the leaves begin to 

 cover the fruit, and the weather appears to be fine 

 and settled, the netting may be taken off by de- 

 grees, but by no means all at once. By means 

 of forked sticks, the nets may be kept at any di- 

 stance required ; but he advises, never to be in 

 too great haste to uncover the trees, or suffer the 

 shoots to grow through the meshes of the nets ; 

 as when that is the case, many of them will be 

 broken in taking them off. He thinks it best 

 to uncover the trees in cloudy weather, or when 

 it is likely to rain ; as when the nets are taken 

 off in clear weather the leaves are liable to be 

 injured by the sun. In taking off the fore- right 

 and side shoots care is necessary not to expose 

 the fruit ; the best method is to rub them off near 

 the extremities, leaving those which are wanted 

 to fill up the wall as low on the branch as possi- 

 ble, ancl only one as a leading shoot. 



When the fruit of these trees sets too thick, 

 thinning becomes necessary, according to the 

 vigour and size of the tree. The largest and best 

 placed should be left ; if the leaves cover too much 

 they should also be pinched off. 



Mr. Forsyth advises this to be done when the 

 fruit is about the size of a small marble, which 

 must be left much to the judgment of the person 

 who performs it ; but it should be according to 

 the strength of the tree, and be done very regu- 

 larly, that the fruit may be equally dispersed over 

 the tree. When left too thick, it will not have 

 room to swell, as frequently happens ; but, if 

 the tree be very strong, from three to six peaches 

 may be left on each shoot, according to the 

 strength and length of the branch or shoot. 



It is remarked, by the ingenious author just 

 noticed, that " he has observed, that where the 

 composition he recommends was applied to pre- 

 vent the sap from being exhaled by the sun and air, 

 all the trees that were very much loaded with fruit 

 were not in the least hurt, while the trees that 

 were treated in the common way were greatly in- 

 jured, and often killed when they had a great 

 crop." 



It is of great advantage, in the opinion of this 

 writer, in very dry seasons, to make a large bason 

 round each tree; or, what is better, make up an 

 edge along the whole border with mould, as for a 

 bed to bed out plants in a nursery, and then give 

 the trees a good watering, and mulch the border 

 with some perfectly rotten dung or leaves, which 

 will keep the roots of the trees moist, and pre- 

 vent the ground from cracking. The trees should 

 be watered once a week during dry weather, and 

 the branches and leaves sprinkled every other day 

 in the afternoon^ with an engine, pressing the 



