P R II 



P R U 



as it is proper tliat every tree, as soon as pruned, 

 be directly nailed to the wall, or if espaliers, 

 •ied or nailed to the trcillage, being careful in 

 the winter pruning, as the work of nailing, &c., 

 will re(]nire to be performed more or less upon 

 all the l)ranehes, to train them with great regu- 

 larity, nailing thtni along horizontally, as 

 strai'^ht and close as possible; never crossing 

 any of the branches, but training them distinctly 

 and parallel four to five or six inches asunder, 

 or in proporti.)n to the size of the leaves and 

 fruit of the diflerent sorts, making the opposite 

 branches of each side arrange e(jually in the 

 same manner and position. 



Pruning of Standard Trees. — Standard fruit- 

 trees require but very little pruning ; for, as their 

 branches have full scope above to extend them- 

 selves every way, they must not be shortened : 

 besides, as the standard fruit-trees, consisting 

 principally of apples, pears, plums, and cher- 

 ries. Dear fruit on natural spurs arising to- 

 wards the upper parts of the branches, this de- 

 termines that they must not be shortened, nor any 

 other pruning be practised than just to reform 

 any great irregularity, &c., in them. In these 

 trees, the first occasional pruning necessary is 

 the first two years of their growth, in order to 

 form their heads somewhat regular, by retrench- 

 ing any irregular shoots ; and when designed to 

 have them form more regular spreading heads, to 

 prune the first shoots, when a year old, down 

 to four or five eyes, in order to force out lateral 

 shoots from these lower buds the following sum- 

 mer, to give the head a proper fonnation. After 

 this, the branches should be suffered to take 

 their natural growth, except that, if, w hile the 

 trees are young, any very luxuriant shoots ram- 

 ble away considerably from all the others, and 

 draw most of the nourishment, it is proper to 

 prune them, either by retrenching entirely very 

 irregular ones, or shortening others to some re- 

 gularity, to branch out consistently with the re- 

 quisite form of the head of the tree ; but except 

 in such cases of reducing irregularities, the 

 heads of all kinds of standards always should be 

 left to branch away as fast as possiiile, both in 

 length and laterally, agreeably to their natural 

 mode of growing ; and they will naturally fur- 

 nish themselves abundantly with bearing wood. 



In standard fruit-trees of some vears' growtli, 

 as irregularities and disorder w ill occasionailv 

 happen, thev should be regulated a litiK; by 

 pruning out the most conspicuously irregidar 

 and redundant growths in the winter season. 



For instance ; where any considerable branch- 

 es grow right across others, or in any other 

 awkward direction, to inconnnode or cause con- 

 fusion, or much irregularitv in the head, they 



Vol. II. 



should be retrenched close ; likewise any branch 

 that rambles eonsiderai)ly from all the rest, 

 should be reduced to order, by cutting it down 

 to some convenient lower branch, so as to pre- 

 serve some regularity. Where the head is con- 

 siderably crowded with wood, let the worst of 

 the redundancy be thinned out as regularly as 

 possible, cutting them close to their origin ; 

 and as sometimes very vigorous shoots arise in 

 the heart of the tree, or towards the bottom of 

 the main branches, growing upright, and crowd 

 the middle of the head, they should be con- 

 stantly retrenched to their very bottom ; cutting 

 out also any very cankered parts, and all de- 

 cayed wood ; and clearing off all suckers from 

 the root and stem. The standard trees thus 

 disburthened from any considerable irregularities 

 and confusion, so as all the proper branches 

 have full scope to spread free and easy in their 

 natural manner, will not fail to repay the trou- 

 ble in the superior quality of their future fruit. 

 See Ouchard-Trees. 



Pruning of Forest Trees, C^c. — With respect 

 to pruning of forest and ornamental trees, flow- 

 ering shrubs, &c., it is very inconsiderable. 

 Forest trees, &c., must be sulfered to run up as 

 fast as possible, so that their heads should not 

 be shortened ; all that is necessary is, to prune 

 off the lateral branches occasionally from the 

 stem ; or, if while young, any lateral shoot of 

 the head, which is of a very rude rambling 

 growth; but otherwise suffering the top and ge- 

 neral branches of the head to reniain entire, and 

 take their own natural growth ; only pruning 

 the lower stragglers occasionailv. It is however 

 very improper to trim up tiie stem too high, as 

 often practised to forest trees, as scarce to leave 

 any upper branches to form a head : never, there- 

 fore, trim the stem much higher than the full 

 spread of the principal branches, as a full head 

 is both ornamental and essentially necessary to 

 the prosperitv of the tree. See 1'lanting. 



And as to the shrub kind, they should, for 

 the general part, take their own irrowth at top ; 

 and only be pruned occasionally in any lower 

 stragglers, from the inferior jiart of the stem, or 

 any very irregular rambling shoot of the head, 

 and all dead wood. Except in these cases, their 

 heads mostly shoulil be suffered to shoot in their 

 own way, according to their different modes of 

 growth, in which they will appear always the 

 most agreeable. Where, however, it is re- 

 quired to keep shrubs low, they must be regu- 

 lated, as conveiiient, with the prunint!;-1,.nife, as 

 being more proper than the gardni-shears, 

 which should never be used in that hu.-iness to 

 shrubs and trees in rural growth. 



The particular method to be followed witli 

 2 K 



