P R U 



Ctdfure.— These plants are increased by seeds, 

 procured from the places of their native growth; 

 which, as soon as obtained, should be sown in 

 pots, filled with sandy loam, and placed in a 

 moderate hot-bed ; and when the plants are 

 come up, moderate air should be given, or they 

 should be placed in an airy glass case, or to- 

 wards the front of a green-house; and be after- 

 wards managed as other similar exotics of that 

 kind. 



They are also sometimes raised bv ciittintrs, in 

 spring and summer, by the assistance of a'hot- 

 bcd, in the same manner. They should not 

 have much water afterwards, nor be treated in 

 too tender a manner. 



Thev are ornamental among other potted plants. 



PRUNING OF TREES. The operation of oc- 

 casionally cuttmg out parts, in order to give them 

 any desired form, and to retrench or reduce ir- 

 regular and redundant or superfluous growths. 



It is particularly necessary to be practised on 

 many sorts of fruit-trees, more especially the 

 dwarf sorts, such as all kinds of wall and espalier 

 fruit-trees ; it is also necessary, occasionally, 

 for standard-trees, both dwarfs and half and full 

 standards, and for some sorts annually, as all 

 kinds of wall-trees, espaliers, and most other 

 dwarf or trained fruit-trees; which is done in 

 order to preserve the proper figure, and to keep 

 ihem within their limited bounds, as well as to 

 promote fruitfulness ; but as to common stand- 

 ards, whose heads have full scope of growth 

 every way, they require but very little prunino-, 

 except just to retrench any occasional redund- 

 ancy, ill-growing branches, and dead wood. 

 Wall-trees and espaliers require a general regu- 

 lation in this way, twice every year : in su°n- 

 mer, to rjtrench the evidently superfluous and 

 ill-placed shoots of the year,'and to train in a 

 supply of the most regular ones ; and in winter 

 to give a general regulation both for the supply 

 of young wood left in summer, and to the old 

 branches where necessary. 



In pruning these sorts' of trees, as they have 

 their branches arranged with regularity to the 

 right and left, one above another, in a' parallel 

 manner, four, five, or six inches asunder, and 

 forming a regular spread, so as the branches 

 of each tree completely cover a certain space of 

 wall, kc, and as the whole spread of branches 

 constantly send forth every year a srrcat number 

 of unnecessary and useless shoots," each should 

 be limited to a certain space. An annual prun- 

 ing is consequently necessary to retrench the re- 

 dundancies, and all irregular and bad shoots, 

 10 give the proper bearing branches due room, 

 as well as to confine each tree within its proper 

 limits, consistent with its regular form. 

 3 



P R U 



The first pruning for wall fruit-trees, to give 

 the head its first regular formation, is effected 

 by pruning short or heading down in spring all 

 the shoots produced the firs't year from budding 

 and grafting, and when a year old being mostly 

 pruned down in March, within four or "live eye's 

 of the bottom, to throw the sap more Into the 

 remaining lower buds, and thus, instead of run- 

 ning up to one stem, to push forth several 

 strong shoots from the lower part the ensuing 

 summer, so as to fill the necessary space of wall- 

 ing and es))alier regularly quite from the bottom, 

 which shoots being trained straight and regular 

 in a spreading manner, each at'full length all 

 summer; and in the winter or spring followine, 

 where a supply of more principal shoots shall 

 seem necessary to form the head more eflectu- 

 ally, pruning short also these shoots, each to 

 four or five eyes, when they will throw out the 

 same number of shoots the same year, which, 

 according as they advance in length, should be 

 trained at regular distances at full length during 

 the summer, for the shoots of wall-trees should 

 not in general be shortened in the summer sea- 

 son, as that would cause them to push forth 

 many superfluous unnecessary lateral shoots ; 

 though sometimes, in order to fill a vacancy as 

 soon as possible, strong young shoots, by being 

 pinched or pruned early in the season, as May 

 or beginning of June, to four or five eyes, will 

 throw out several proper shoots the same sum- 

 mer. The work of pruning short should be oc- 

 casionally repeated one or two years, cither in 

 general or on particular shoots, as may seem 

 necessary, till a proper set of branches are by 

 that means obtained to give the head of the tree a 

 proper formation ; afterwards it may be omitted, 

 except occasionally to any particular shoot to fill 

 a vacant space ; but some sorts of wall-trees re- 

 quire almost a general shortening of their sup- 

 ply of shoots, such as peaches, nectarines, &c., 

 which bear only on the young wood, have that 

 of each year shortened, to force out a supply of 

 shoots for future bearing : other sorts of wall- 

 trees and espaliers are not, in the general course 

 of pruning, to be shortened, such as pears, ap- 

 ples, plums, and cherries, which continue bear- 

 ing in the same wood of from two or three to 

 many years' growth. See Espaliers. 



When the trees have been tlii^s furnished with 

 a proper spread of branches trained regularly to 

 the wall and espalier, they every year throw out 

 many more shoots than are wanted, or can be 

 converted to use, by some being too numerous, 

 others ill placed, and others of a bad growth; 

 all of which must therefore be regulated ac- 

 cordingly by proper pruning; as the regular 

 figure of the tree, by being well furnished in 



