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serve them stcadv until spring, when they must 

 liave their first pruning, ice. 



Mr. Forsyth however directs that, " if the 

 borders wherein the trees are to be planted be 

 new, thev should be made two feet and a half 

 or three feet deep, of good light fresh loam ;" 

 and that, "if the trees a"e to be planted in old 

 borders, where the earth has been injured bv 

 the roots of the f(jrnier trees, it will be neces- 

 sary to take out the old mould at least three feet 

 iieep, and four feet wide, filling up the hole 

 with fresh loam, taking care to plant the trees 

 about eie,ht inches higher than the level of the 

 old border, to allow for the sinking of the earth, 

 that they may not be too deep in the ground." 



After being planted, if the trees are only one 

 year old, with their first head from the bud en- 

 tire, they should be headed down in the spring, 

 to four or five eyes, to force out branches below ; 

 after which the trees should have water in dry 

 weather, and the shoots from all the remaining 

 eyes should in summer be nailed up regularly 

 to the wall at their full length ; and if any fore- 

 rifht or back shoots come out, they should be 

 rubbed off, being careful to continue the regular 

 shoots to the wall all summer and the following 

 winter ; and in spring each shoot should be 

 shortened to about eight, ten, or twelve inches, 

 according to their strength, leaving the lower- 

 most ones, on each side, rather the longest ; 

 this pruning short being still necessary in order 

 to procure a further supply of lower branches, 

 that every part of the wall may be occupied 

 quite from the bottom ; having particular atten- 

 tion to preserve nearly an equal number of 

 branches arranging on each side of the tree, 

 nailing them close to the wall horizontally, 

 four, five, or six inches asunder. In the sum- 

 mer following, each horizontal branch will push 

 out three or four, or more, new shoots, of 

 which, if any rise fore-right and behind the 

 branches, they should be rubbed off earlv in 

 the season, nailing iu all the regular side-shoois 

 at full length during the summer, except it is 

 necessary to pinch any particular shoot eailv 

 to fill a vacancy. In the winter prunin-r, if 

 there be any superfluities, or irregular growths 

 left in summer, thev should be cut out close, 

 and all the regular-placed necessary shoots bu 

 shortened, though they should not now be 

 pruned so short as in the two first years, only 

 cutting each shoot according to its strength, 

 from about eight or ten to fifteen or ei<ihtoen 

 inches long : as the head of the tree is how toler- 

 ably well formed, therefore pruning only so as 

 to obtam a further supply of wood, and a pro- 

 duction of fruit ; for as these trees bear princi- 



pally upon the year-old wood, it is proper to 

 train in a general supply of yovuig shoots, of 

 each year, in every part ; the same shoots pro- 

 ducing at the same time both a crop of fruit 

 and a supply of wood for next year's bearinsr- 

 The annual supply of wood must always, how- 

 ever, be shortened in the winter pruning ; for 

 if left entire it would produce only some shoots 

 near the top, and leave the botlon) naked, so 

 as in a few years the whole tree would become 

 very thin of beai ing-wood below, and bear only 

 a little towards the extreme parts of the branches. 

 In the winter pruning, the shoots should always 

 be shortened according to the strength of the 

 tree and situation and strength of the respective 

 shoots. And as these trees bear also upon short 

 spurs, arising upon the two-years-old branches 

 it is proper to preserve them wherever they ap- 

 pear, only retrenching such as project consi- 

 derably fore-right; leaving all those of one or two 

 inches long, as the young shoots, of one year's 

 growth, are the principal bearers : (hose produced 

 one year l"ar fruit the next, and a general supply 

 must be every year retained, and not shortened 

 in summer, which would force out laterals from 

 every eye, and spoil the shoots for next year's 

 bearing; but in the winter pruning, a general 

 shortening is necessary, and (he whole tree 

 should then be regularly nailed to the wall. 



Mr. Forsyth says that, "when the trees are 

 planted, they should by no means he headed 

 down till the month of April or Mav, when 

 they begin to throw out fresh shoots : strono- 

 trees should be cut a foot from the ground ; and 

 those that are weak, about half that leninh. 

 But in backw-ard seasons, they should not be 

 headed down so early ; never until the buds are 

 fairly broken : always observing to cut slopinff 

 towards the wall, and as near to an eye as pos"^ 

 sible, that the young leading shoot may cover 

 the cut ; which operafion should be again per- 

 formed in the next March or April : the shonlii 

 that are then thrown out must be traiticd hori- 

 zontally, to cover the wall .» the niuiiher o'f 

 these to be left ought to be from three to six «n 

 each side, according to the strength of the main 

 shoot; taking care to rub -off with the finger 

 and thumb the fore-right shoots all over the 

 tree, except a few which may be wanted to fiH 

 up the wall, near the body of it : and in the 

 second year the horizontal sh( ots must he 

 shortened in the same manner, according to 

 their growth ; and so on every vc, r till the wall 

 shall be completely covered from top to bottom." 

 He adds that " it is a frequent practice with some 

 gardeners^ to head down the trees at the time of 

 planting; which often proves fatal to them.*' 

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