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rest to bear ; by which means there will be a 

 supply of fruit while the other parts of the tree 

 are renovating : it should be remembered, how- 

 ever, that all the cankered bark must be cut oft" 

 without loss of time ; otherwise the new wood 

 will be infected. Old trees thus headed down 

 will, he says, sometimes throw out very strong 

 and vigorous shoots, which it n)ay be necessary 

 to top, as it will cause them to throw out side- 

 shoots, and soon fill up the wall with fine bear- 

 ing wood ; but they should never be suflered to 

 have any fore-right spurs, except little dugs : 

 the topping should be done in the beginning of 

 June, which will cause the tree to produce fine 

 bearing wood for the next year : those trees 

 must be pruned in March following, shortening 

 the shoots from fifteen to six inches, but ac- 

 cording to their strength, always leaving the 

 strongest shoots longest. And wherever the 

 knife has been used, the Composition must, he 

 says, be immediately applied." 



It is also observed that, " after the fall of 

 the leaf, it will be proper to unnail the young 

 shoots, leaving only a few to prevent the tree 

 from being broken by the wind. By this method 

 they will be more exposed to the sun and air, 

 which will ripen and harden the wood much 

 more speedily than if they be left nailed." He 

 adds that " he has a great dislike to autumnal 

 pruning of fruit-trees, of all kinds of stone- 

 iruit in particular ; for by pruning at that season 

 you seldom fail to bring on the canker : and no 

 iVuit-trees are more liable to this disease than 

 the Apricot : the reason is obvious, — the great 

 .acidity in these trees, the exposure of the 

 wounds, and the dormant slate of the sap, pre- 

 .dispose to mortification ; whereas, in sprina;, 

 when the sap is beginnmg to flow, and will fol- 

 low the knife, the lips will quickly grow : if 

 the branches are small, a fresh bark and fresh 

 wood will in one season completely cover the 

 wound ; but if large, a time proportionate to 

 their size will be occupied : this process, how- 

 ever, is manifestly much accelerated by the ap- 

 plication of the composition, which excludes 

 the air and wet from the air- and sap-vessels of 

 the tree." 



In regard to the standard-trees, they some- 

 times in favourable seasons bear plentifully, 

 particularly the Breda and Brussels Apricot, 

 either in half or full standards: the hah stand- 

 ards are more out of the power of the winds 

 and cold air. 



These should be planted in a sheltered warm 

 situation in the full sun, that they may have 

 the greater chance of setting a good crop of 

 fruit, and of ripening more effectually with a 

 rich flavour : their culture is nearly the same as 

 8 



that of other standard fruit-trees: they require 

 but little pruning, only just to reduce or re- 

 trench any very irregular growth or out-grow- 

 ing rambler, or occasionally to regulate eon- 

 fused crowding branches, and to cut uut decayed 

 wood ; all which should be performed generally 

 in winter. 



Covering and protecting the Blossom and young 

 Fruit. — As trees of this kind planted against 

 walls blossom very early, both blossom and 

 young fruit are very liable to be injured by frosts 

 and catting blasts; it is therefore useful to afford 

 occasional protection, in unfavourable seasons, 

 to some of the forwardest and most valuable 

 kinds, either with mats suspended over the 

 trees, or twigs of evergreens stuck between the 

 branches, beginning the covering as soon as 

 the blossom begins to expand, and continuing 

 it till the fruit is fairly get : the mats to be used 

 only on nights and in bad weather, but the 

 evergreens to remain constantly till all danger 

 is past. 



Mr. Forsyth remarks that, ''in severe wea- 

 ther, they ought to be covered before the flowers 

 begin to expand ; for he has often seen the blos- 

 soms drop oft" before they opened : and he as- 

 serts that the best covering is old fish-nets, 

 which should be put on three-fold ; and if a 

 few branches of dry fern are stuck in among 

 the branches before the iiets are put on, they 

 will assist greatly in breaking the force of the 

 high winds." The common practice of cover- 

 ing with mats in the night, and taking them oft" 

 in the day, by frequently exposing ihe trees to 

 the cutting winds, does, he thinks, more harm 

 than good. And the covermg with branches of 

 spruce-fir and yew, by being too close, he sup- 

 poses, encourages a blight, and causes the leaves 

 of the trees to curl, and the shoots to break 

 very weak ; whereas the nets admit a free circu- 

 lation of the air, and at the same time break 

 the force of the wind : when it happens to rain 

 or snow in the fore part of the night, and freeze 

 towards the morning, ihe drops are, he says, 

 found hanging in icicles on the meshes, while 

 the tree is almost dry : when the shoots become 

 pretty long, and the leaves expand to cover the 

 fruit, it will be necessary, he says, to keep the 

 net clear from the tree, by placing forked sticks, 

 from six inches to a foot long, between it and 

 the wall : this will prevent the shoots and leaves 

 from growing through the net : the forked end 

 of the slicks should rest against the meshes of 

 the net. See Amygdalus. 



Thinning out the Fruit. — In some seasons 

 these trees set many more fruit than can attain 

 perfection ; and as they sometimes are placed 

 very close, or often in clusters^ and sit close to 



