G6 WALL-TRAINING. 



inches from the lateral branches already laid in, 

 taking care to cut immediately over a bud and not 

 to injure it. That bud will grow up for your next 

 upright shoot; and in consequence of the amputa- 

 tion you will in general be sure of a choice for 

 laying horizontally. There is the whole mystery; 

 and yet how often do you see large pieces of valu- 

 able wall quite naked, and the branches at other 

 places so crowded as not to allow the flower buds 

 to ripen, or the fruit to acquire its proper size and 

 flavour; and whilst it is vexing thus to have the 

 end so frustrated, there is this additional aggrava- 

 tion, that a tree ill conducted in the horizontal 

 mode of training does not easily admit of any future 

 reformation. But it is certainly easy not to lay 

 the branches too thick; and to avoid, blanks it is 

 only necessary further to observe, that as you may 

 not in some cases have the requisite trio of shoots 

 in the middle of the tree, a supply for the deficiency 

 may be found by reserving the most convenient of 

 the superflous shoots growing from the next lateral 

 branch, to be carried first upright to the required 

 height, and then set off on its proper destination. 

 The fractures that often take place in laying the 

 young wood in its proper position, when the shoots 

 have gained too much strength and hardness, will 

 soon teach the inexperienced practitioner the advan- 

 tage of bending trees at a more tender age. 



And as to the fit time of summer pruning, there 

 is this difficulty, that if too late the tree loses the 

 benefit of sun and air; and if too early, you have 



