i8 The Fruit Garden. [Jan.' 



effcftually from the frcft, rain, or fnovv ; which fliould not 

 be lefs than twelve inches thick ; and if, by accident, the 

 rain or fnow fliould have penetrated quite through the co- 

 vering, this muli: be removed immediately, or your fpawn 

 will be in danger of perilliing. Replace It with a good co- 

 veriiiQ^ of wheat, or other ftraw ; and if you find' the wet 

 weather likely to continue, it uall be proper to lay fome 

 mats or cloths over the llraw, which will greatly prelerve 

 the beds. 



Mufliroom beds may now be made, if required, thev will 

 nffbrd a full crop in fpring and beginning of fummer : 

 though probably not fo fucccfsfully as the autumnal made 

 beds. See the Kitchen Garden -for Septemher, for the me- 

 thod of making and fpawning the beds, &c. 



The Fruit Garden. 



Pruning Appla and Pear Trees in Efpallers^ and a^ainjl 

 Walls. 



WHERE there are wall and efjTnlier apple and pear 

 trees yet unpruned, that work fhould now be for- 

 warded as much as pollible, and may be fafely performed 

 upon all forts, without fearing any danger from froft, even, 

 if it happens when performing the operation. 



Apple and pear trees being of the fpur-bearing kind, 

 and their mode of bearing fimilar, one method of pruning 

 anfwers for both ; they producing their frxiit upon fliort 

 natural fpurs from the fides and ends of the branches, and 

 the iame branches continue bearing many years, encreaf- 

 ing their quantity of fruit-fpurs as they gradually advance 

 in length, let it therefore be remarked, that in the general 

 courfe of pruning thole trees, their branches are not to be 

 ihortened, but generally trained along horizontally to the ef- 

 palier and wall, at their natural length, at lealt as far as 

 there is fcope of room to extend them j never fhortened ex- 

 cept on particular occafions, below explained ; and the 

 whole trained five or fix inches afunder. 



Keeping therefore this in mind, look over the general 

 branches, and if the tree is young and in training, requir- 

 ing a faifther fupply of young wood to form the head, re- 

 tain a proper quantity of the bed placed lall fummer flioots 

 at full length, and cut out all the fuperfluous and irregular 



onesr 



