Alexander?, which it is at che Readers choice to ac- 

 count as a Weed or cultivated Plant. 



The time of pruning generally is the dead of Win- 

 ter, for fuch Plants as confiti of a Woody fubftance : 

 Pompions are deprived of their fuperfluous creepers, 

 and other Gourds likewife, at their firft time of 

 fp ringing and divarication of their Branches. The 

 feafon of pruning for acceleration of ripenefs, is 

 when the fruit is made, and begins to grow to -fome 

 bignefs, as generally they are, about Mid-Sum- 

 mer : Some have a third time of pruning Wall- 

 Fruit, viz,, at the time when the Fruit is taken off, 

 as they doRofes likewife, when the Flowers arc 

 newly gone. 



To cut the Branches or Sprigs of a Flower or Tree 

 quite off, cannot properly be called pruning, yec 

 fome times it proves an uieful operation for fuch Plants 

 as areftunted, as they call it, in their growth ; Trees 

 that are crooked, or have been bitten with Cattle, ot 

 are grown old :. Thus Wood-men count it beft to cut 

 jhole Stools of under- Wood down to the Root, that 

 it may begin to fhoot afrefri, that have been much 

 brow fed by Cattle ; and cut down their hedges to the 

 Roots when they grow old and Moflfy- 



Gardiners likewife, if by reafen of a (harp Win- 

 ter their Anemone's are pinched with cold, and ftar- 

 ved, let them not immediately run to flower, but cut 

 off the firft Springs to the ground, that in a better 

 Seafon they may lay a ftronger Foundation for the 

 bearing of fuller and fairer Flowers, 



Nu m< 



