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I would never advife this Pradtice 

 in England, unlefs in fuch Places 

 where they have an open airy Glafs- 

 Caie, in which there are no other 

 Sorts of Plants. 



Therefore the furefr Method is, 

 to plant them againft warm V/alls, 

 and upon a dry warm Soil. The 

 piftance thefe Trees fhould be 

 planted ought never to be lefs than 

 twenty Feet, fuppofing the Wall 

 to be fourteen or more Feet in 

 Height ; for when they are plant- 

 ed too near, the Branches are 

 train'd upright, and thereby cover 

 the Walls in a few Years with old 

 "Wood, fo that there are no younger 

 Branches to produce Fruit but what 

 are fituated at the extreme Parts of 

 the Tree, or (land forward from 

 the Wall, which is a very great 

 Fault, as fhall be hereafter demon- 

 ilrated. In the Middle, between 

 the Fig-treesy may be planted a^. 

 Vine, which may be preferv'd To 

 bear Fruit until the Fig-trees do 

 cover the Wall i at SK^'hich time 

 they fhould be intirely taken away i 

 for they fhould by no means be 

 ilifiPer'd to intermix their Shoots 

 amongfl the Figs, which would 

 prevent the Ingrefs of the Air, 

 which is abfolurely neceilary to 

 give the Fruit a fine racy Flavour. 



In the Summer, when the Fig- 

 frees begin to fi^.oat, you fhould 

 train the Branches horizontally to 

 the Wails, (as is direcflcd for other 

 Fruit-trees) for if they are fuffer'd 

 to grow ail the Summer without 

 Management, their Shoots w;ll be 

 too ftubborn to be drawn regularly 

 to the Wall: Nor iliouldyou fufFer 

 any foreright Shoots to be pro- 

 duc'd upoij your young Trees i but, 

 on the contrary, as fall as they 

 appear, you fliould rub off their 

 Buds. At Michaehnasy (as I faid 

 before) is the befl Seafon for prune- 



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ing and nailing thefe Trees, not 

 only for the Reafons before alTign'd, 

 but alfo becaufe their Shoots being 

 nail'd clofe to the Wall before the 

 fevere Frofls come on, will be lefs 

 liable to be injur'd thereby. 



The main Things to be obferv'd 

 in the pruning of older Trees, arc, 

 ill, Always to take care to have a 

 Supply of young Branches in every 

 Part of the Tree, for it is thole 

 only which produce Fruit ; idly, 

 Never to fhorten any of the Shoots 

 at the Autumn Pruning, which 

 would intirely deprive you of Fruit, 

 fince it is chiefly upon the Wood 

 of the lafl two Years that it is pro- 

 duc'd : ^dly, Always obferve to nail 

 your young Fruit-branches cloie to 

 the Wall, whereby they will not 

 be deflroy'd by Froll:, and the Fruit 

 will be forwarded at l.eafl a Fort- 

 night or three Weeks in the Spring, 

 - whith is of great Confequence to 

 us in England: 4thly, Never lay in 

 your old Branches too thick, which 

 is a very common Fault amongft 

 Gardeners j for as the Shoots are 

 vigorous, and the Leaves of thefe 

 Trees very large, fo their Diflance 

 ought never to be lefs than ten or 

 twelve Inches : So that as young 

 Branches increafe,'' the old ones 

 fhould be intirely cut out ; which 

 may be done in the Autumn with 

 as much Safety as to any other 

 Tree : ythly. In order to produce 

 young Branches, you may flop 

 the leading Bud of young vi- 

 gorous Shoots in April, or the Be- 

 ginning of May, which will occa- 

 iion the Side-buds to break out in- 

 to lateral Branches, whereby thq 

 Wall may be kept conflantly fur- 

 nifli'd with young Wood ; but I 

 would by no means advife the do- 

 ing of this too often, nor Diould it 

 be done later in the Year : for 

 multiplying Branches too much, is 



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