THE SCOTS GARDENER 



as is before noted. Also let the frosts be over before 

 you prune your wall- trees and before they bud; 

 only I use to let peaches budfurth a little ere I prune 

 them, otherwayes pieces of their branches some- 

 times perish after the knife. 



And besides, you must rub off all unnecessary 

 buds, and pull up sucker sand weeds from the roots : 

 you must also give all your trees a mid-summer 

 pruning, which is ordinarily the end of June, and 

 beginning of July, a good time to cut any shoots of 

 this year. 



Any shoots or buds as tend not only to the de- 

 forming of your trees, but to rob them of that sap, 

 which may be otherwayes spent in nursing the tree 

 and its fruits, but the spring is the time of cropping 

 or cutting their tops, until the wall be covered; 

 then crop at both seasons. Thin and purge these 

 gently, to let in the sun, but not to scorch your fruit. 

 This is also the time of furnishing your trees with 

 pedalstoolsor bearers. Therefore in re-pruning, save 

 as many of the likelyest shoots as are well placed,and 

 cut them at the third or fourth bud from the tree ; 

 but cut quite off the lustiest and greatest of this 

 year's growth (which ignorants do spare) and nail 

 up such as are for filling up the defects of the wall. 



128 



