20 The Fruit Garden. [Jan. 



For inftaiice, if there is a vacant part of the tree, and 

 two, three, or more flioots, are requilite to furnllli that va- 

 canc_Y, and only one rtioot was produced in that part the 

 preceding fummerj that flioot, in fuch a cafe, mull be 

 Hiortened to four or five buds in the winter pruning ; and if 

 it is a ilrong {boot, it will produce three lateral flioots the 

 fummer following. 



Prnn'mg Flu7ns and Cherries, 



This is alfo a proper feafon to prune and nail plums and 

 cherries, cither againft wails or efpaliers. 



Let it be obferved, in the pruning of thefe trees againft 

 walls or cfpaliers, that, like the apples and pears, they be- 

 ing ot the fpur-bcaring tribe, producing the fruit upon 

 fnort natural fpurs or ftuds, emitted along the lides of the 

 branches, ot from two or three to many years old ; fo muft 

 accordingly retain the fame branches many years for bear- 

 ers, which mull not be Jhortened in the courfe of pruning, 

 but trained horizontally at full length, about Hve or lix inches 

 afunder; alfo all young Ihoots ot the lail year's growth, as 

 are now pro])er to be referved in vacancies, to furnifn the 

 wall or efpalier with bearing wood, muft not be Ihortened ; 

 but every fuch fhoot or branch mull: be left entire; and this 

 fliould at all times be practifed, which is the only way to 

 render tlie branches fruitful ; obferving, in the operation 

 ot pruning thefe, as advifed for the apple and pear trees, 

 to prune away all irregular wood and fiiperabundant (boots, 

 clofe to the mother branches, and if cafual worn-out or de- 

 cayed old unfruitful branches occur, let them now be cut 

 out, retaining young wood of laftfummer's growth, &c. to 

 fupply the place of them; preferving alfo, in all vacant 

 fpaces, a fupply of the beft young Ihoots at their natural 

 length, as above advifed, and a leading one to each branch; 

 being careful to preferve the ftiort natural fruit fpurs, and 

 cut away clofe all Itumps of former fi^.ortened ftioots : then, as 

 foon as a tree is thus pruned, proceed to train in all the pro- 

 per fhoots and branches to the wall and efpalier,at full length, 

 asaforefaid, at the above mentioned diftances : and all thofe 

 thus treated, will, in two or three year's time, fend out many 

 fiiort fhoots or fruit-fpurs, about half an inch or an inch in 

 length, and from thefe fpurs the fruit is always produced. 



Thefe fpurs generally appear firft toward the extreme 

 part of the branches ; and if ihortcning was to be praftifed, 

 thofe parts would confequently be cut away where th« 



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