228 ON THE PROPER MODE OF PRUNING THE PEACH-TREE. 



of the young shoots, which are emitted in a proper direction in early 

 spring by the yearling wood, shortening each where necessary, by pinch- 

 ing off the minute succulent points, generally to the length of one or two 

 inches. Spurs which lie close to the wall are thus made, upon which 

 numerous blossom buds form very early in the ensuing summer; and 

 upon such, after the last most unfavourable season, and in a situation so 

 high and cold that the peach-tree, in the most favourable seasons, had 

 usually produced only a few feeble blossoms, I observed as strong and 

 vigorous blossoms in the present spring, as I have usually seen in the 

 best seasons and situations ; and I am quite confident that if the peach- 

 trees, in the gardens round the metropolis, had been pruned in the 

 manner above described, in the last season, an abundant and vigorous 

 blossom would have appeared in the present spring. I do not, however, 

 mean to recommend to the gardener to trust wholly, in any situation, for 

 his crop of fruit, to the spurs produced by the above-mentioned mode of 

 pruning and training the peach-tree. In every warm and favourable 

 situation, I would advise him to train the larger part of his young wood, 

 according to the ordinary method, and in cold and late situations only, to 

 adopt to a great extent, the mode of management above suggested. A 

 mixture of both modes, in every situation, will be generally found to 

 multiply the chances of success; and therefore neither ought to be 

 exclusively adopted, or wholly rejected in any situation. The spurs must 

 not be shortened in the winter or spring, till it can be ascertained what 

 parts of them are provided with leaf-buds. 



XXXV. OBSERVATIONS ON THE PROPER MANAGEMENT OF FRUIT- 

 TREES, WHICH ARE INTENDED TO BE FORCED VERY EARLY IN 

 THE ENSUING SEASON. 



[Read before the HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, June 3rd, 1817.] 



THE period which any species, or variety, of fruit will require to attain 

 maturity, under any given degrees of temperature, and exposure to the 

 influence of light in the forcing-house, will be regulated to a much greater 

 extent than is generally imagined, by the previous management and 

 consequent state of the tree, when that is first subjected to the operation 

 of artificial heat. Every gardener knows, that when the previous season 

 has been cold, and cloudy, and wet, the wood of his fruit-trees remains 

 immature, and weak abortive blossoms only are produced. The advan- 

 tages of having the wood well ripened are perfectly well understood ; 



