Mar.] The Fruit Garden* 141 



funny fituation, permitting their heads to branch away- 

 regularly around like other ftandard trees ; and they will, 

 in favourable feafons, bear plenty of good figs. 



Pruning Ap7-icoty Peachy and Nedarine Trees, 



Where a; ricoc, peach, and n'^darine-trees Hill remain 

 uhpruned, let tnem now be pruned and nailed, as foon as 

 poliible; th-ey Ihould be riniPaed by the msudl- of the 

 month at fartheft. 



The buds of thefa trees being now pretty mtichiwelled 

 for bloom, are thereby liable to be rubbed olt vyHfi the- 

 leaft touch ; therefore, great care fhould be taken when 

 you prune them, otherwife many of ihe buds will be dif- 

 placed. 



In pruning thefe trees, let the fame iQcthod be obferved 

 as in the former months* 



Nail the branches even, and clofe to tiie wall^ at equal 

 diilances, taking particuL^r care of the buds, for they are 

 more liable to be rubbed off in nailing than pruning. 



Prefer'ving ihe Blo/JetHS and^ ytung fruit of Wall-trees. 



When apricot, peach, and ne<fiarlne ti-ees are in bloom, 

 feme of the choice kinds fliould be defended from froft, if 

 it ihould happen at that time, by covering the trees with 

 mats, &c. 



The mats for this purpofe flj.ould be of the largefl fize \ 

 one end of them fliould be taflened with nails or hooks, ta 

 the top of the wall, and let them hang down over the trees. 

 The lower end of the mat fhould alfo be fallened down, 

 to prevent their being blown to and fro by the wihd^ 

 which would beat the bloflbms off. 



When the weather is mild, the mats ihould b6 taken 

 off: for it is only in fharp frofts that the bloffom requires 

 to be thus fheltered. 



To preferve the bloffoms of young fruit, I have feme* 

 times'iluck the trees with cuttings of the branches of 

 hardy evergreen trees and fiirubs, that are furnilhed with 

 leaves-, to afford protection to the bloffom, and which I 

 have found to be often ferviceable. 



This fhould alfo be done jufl when the trees are coming 

 into bloffom. The proper materials for this, are pieces of 

 the branches of laurel, ye%v, fir, and fome other hardy 

 evergreens^ preferving the kaves to th^m> and obferving 



to 



