34 The Gardener's New Director. 



otherwife you will occafion a needlefs multiplicity of 

 branches, whofe fhoots cannot be perfecSted or ripened 

 before winter, fo as to withftand its feverities, and there- 

 fore will never be in a good bearing {late. 



So foon as you perceive your trees have done growing, 

 un-nail the fhoots which you laid on the wall in fummer, 

 and, if they are ftrong, cut them to nine inches length ; if 

 weak, to five : whereby the lower part of the wall will be 

 well filled the next or the year following. And I would 

 always choofe to have the under parts of the wall well laid 

 in with branches, before I attempted to lay in branches a- 

 bove, at leafl: before I pinched them for making their late- 

 ral branches fhoot. 



The next fummer's management will be much the fame 

 as the former ; but be fure in May to rub off all fore-right 

 fiioots, and nail the others clofe to the wall horizontally ; 

 at Michaelmas fhorten thefe fhoots as was direfled for the 

 former year, the flrong branches to nine, the weak ones 

 to five inches, but do not fhotten too many of them, 

 whereby you may over-charge your trees with fhoots. 

 Apricots produce their bloffom-buds upon curfons or 

 fpurs, as well as upon the laft year's fhoots : where- 

 fore great care ought to be taken not to injure or rub 

 them off; but, if you want to cut off an ufelefs or luxu- 

 riant branch, cut it out entirely, and do not keep it, 

 in expeffation that it will put out fpurs or fnaggs for 

 bearing ; for if it fliould produce any, they v/ill be woody 

 and unfruitful. 



After your Apricocts are fet, and become as big as 

 hazel nuts, thin them with your hands, taking care in 

 pulling them off, not to bruife the fpurs or fmall buds, 

 which are near the fruit. By obferving thefe rules with 

 difcretion, and fome pra6flce, you will attain to tire me- 

 thod of pruning trees well, which is one of the moft ma- 

 terial qualifications of a good gardener, and is a fcience 

 which has been- by many authors fo perplexed and con- 

 fufed, as to render it entirely unintelligible, and fo much 

 as not to be praclifed by any: but by attending to thefe 

 few general rules, and obferving the different growth of 

 fruit-trees, you will become expert: for inilance. Vines 

 produce on v/ood of the fame year's growth ; Peaches 



and 



