The Gardener*s New Director. 27 



Preferve carefully the main ftem, which grows per- 

 pendicular, and Ihorten it every year, fo as flill to pre- 

 ferve it the ftrongefl part of the tree> as from it the 

 whole derives its fupport. Shorten the lateral bearing 

 branches, cutting immediately above a leaf-hud, fo as 

 to ftrengthen their fruit-buds, and fit them for bearing. 

 Encourage not too many bearing branches, as the fruit 

 on fuch trees does not come to its proper degree of 

 perfection. 



Prune Peach-trees lafl; of all, at the time when you 

 can diftinguifh the flower-buds ; for if the tender branches 

 are pruned too early, they are apt to fuffer from the 

 froft, which will oblige you to prune them a fecond 

 time. 



In dwarf-trees, fhorten vigorous branches, and flop 

 fhort thofe that are weak, in order to render then Wrong- 

 er : cut clofe to the tree all ufelefs branches. If the tree 

 does not grow of the fliape you defire, conflrain it, by 

 tying it to a model, which may give it the fliape re- 

 quired. 



Plum and Cherry- trees cannot be kept regular as 

 they do not agree with the knife. 



Le Genre underftood and praflifed fummer-pruning to 

 good purpofe : he alfo put in practice that of pinching 

 flrong flioots, in order to fill up empty fpaces on the 

 walls ; and to keep the figure of dwarf-trees, by means 

 of fome of the good branches that this method produced. 



He obferves, that in a vigorous tree, reftraining the 

 growth too much by rubbing off buds, pinching, or cut- 

 ting off branches, the flower-buds which fhouid be nou- 

 rifhed for producing fruit next year, are by the efforts 

 of the fap forced to blow ; by which they arc ruined, and 

 the bearing branches much hurt. 



A particular attention ought to be paid to the kind of 

 Pear-tree which is pruned, becaufe the branches of fome 

 kinds do not produce bearing fpurs fo readily as others ; 

 fuch are the Rouffelet, Cuiffe Madame, and Jargonelle. 

 All the above kinds fliould be frequently pinched, with a 

 view of making them produce numerous branches to fill 

 up the wall, &c. Peaches and Apricots mufl have their 

 branches pinched and (hortcncd for the f.imc rcafons, 



as 



