34 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [Jan. 



ten, or twelves inches; and being careful to retain a requisite supply 

 of the best young shoots properly situated above, to form the head 

 accordingly, cut out the irregular and ill-placed; and the retained 

 proper shoots may in some be moderately shortened, especially 

 such as run away straggling from the rest; and any proper shoots 

 advancing below may be permitted to remain entire till advanced 

 equal with the others above, &c, that the whole may come on as 

 equally as possible, to form a regular head. 



Currants and gooseberries trained against walls, palings, trellises, 

 &c, should also have a necessary pruning and regulation in the 

 general branches, or as maybe required, cutting out the superabun- 

 dant and irregular-placed shoots of last summer, or any casual too 

 crowding and disorderly growing older brandies, or such as appear 

 unfruitful, or any of a worn out or decayed state, and all dead wood; 

 retaining young shoots advancing from below, and in the most 

 vacant parts, shortened more or less, or left entire, according to 

 room for extending them; and train the general branches, &c, 

 three or four, to five or six inches distance. For more particulars — 

 see October. 



Fig Trees. 



Fig-tree pruning is advised to be deferred till March or April, 

 where see the method explained. 



Protecting the Roots of neiv -planted Trees. 



If the weather should now prove severe, it will be proper to pro- 

 tect the roots of new-planted fruit-trees from being hurt by the 

 frost, by laying mulch, or long dung litter, on the surface of the 

 ground; particularly the choicest of the stone-fruit kinds; as 

 peaches, nectarines, apricots, and any principal sorts of cherries 

 and plums. 



Raspberries. 



If you have neglected to afford the protection directed in Novem- 

 ber to your Antwerp Raspberries, you should no longer omit it; 

 especially in those parts of the Union where severe winter frosts 

 prevail. As to pruning and planting the various kinds, when not 

 done in October or November, it will be better to defer this busi- 

 ness till the latter end of February, or beginning of March; except 

 in such of the states as the severity of the frost does not interrupt 

 the tillage of the ground during winter; in which you can perform 

 this business now with safety, agreeably to the directions given in 

 October. 



Forcing carlij Strawberries. 



Now is a proper time, about the latter end of this month, to 

 begin to make a hot-bed to raise a few early strawberries: those 



