Feb.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. J37 



leave some of the best situated of last summer's shoots, such as 

 directed to be retained in the summer pruning, to till up the vacan- 

 cies; and generally leave a leading one at the end of each branch 

 where you have room to train them. But all others of the last 

 year's shoots, not wanted for the above purpose, should every one 

 be cut off close to the places from whence they proceed, leaving 

 no spurs but what are naturally produced. The proper fruit-spurs 

 are such as were described last month, being produced on the sides 

 and ends of the branches, short, robust, and from about half an 

 inch to an inch or two in length. 



Let these fruit-spurs be well attended to in pruning, carefully 

 preserving all those of a fresh, plump, robust growth; but those of 

 a worn out or rugged unsightly appearance, or that project consi- 

 derably long and irregular from the front of the branches in a fore- 

 right direction, should generally be displaced, in order to preserve 

 the regularity of the trees, taking care to cut them oft' close, bv 

 which new ones will be encouraged in places contiguous. 



Having, in the course of pruning these trees, left most of the 

 general shoots and branches at their natural length, as before ad- 

 vised, in all places where there is full scope to extend them, let 

 them be all trained regularly in that order, and nailed straight and 

 close to the wall, or nailed or tied to the espalier about four, five, 

 or six inches distant. — For the management of young trees of these 

 sorts, see the work of the Fruit Garden in March, and for the 

 methods of pruning and treating your standard fruit trees in this 

 department, see the article Orchard in January, pages 45, 46, and 

 AT, and also the same head, both in this month and March. 



Fig Trees. 



Except in the southern states, it will not be advisable to attempt 

 pruning your fig trees till towards the end of next month, or 

 beginning of April, to which I shall refer you for particular remarks 

 and directions. 



Prune and Plant Gooseberry and Currant Trees. 



Gooseberries and currants should be pruned now, if omitted in 

 the former months, both in the standard bushes and those against 

 walls, fences, &c. 



In pruning the common standards, observe to cut away all cross- 

 growing branches, and regulate such as advance in a straggling 

 manner from the rest. Or where the branches in general stand bo 

 close as to interfere, let them be thinned properly, so that every 

 branch may stand clear of the other, at a regular moderate dis- 

 tance; and prune out the superabundant lateral and other unneces- 

 sary shoots of last summer. — See the Fruit Garden of last month, 

 page 32, and also October. 



Let these shrubs be always trained with a single stem, clear of 

 branches, six or eight inches to a foot from the ground, as directed 

 in the former month. 

 S 



