A TREATISE OF 



inftanccs given him, that fhortening of 

 branches was an ill pra6lice, both in the 

 peach-tree and many others. 



The fig-tree, of fome kinds, bears plen^ 

 tifully upon ftandards, if their branches be 

 never fhortened ; and I have feen fruit ri- 

 pen well upon them in England, where' 

 the foil was dry and mixt with ftones, in 

 fuch places where they were Iheltered from 

 the winds ; but in others, where they are 

 expofed, the fruit is commonly beaten off 

 by the winds before it arrives to maturity, 

 as it always grows very near the ends of 

 the branches, and on no other parts, ex- 

 cept the prefent years fhoots, or the upper 

 ends of thofe of the laft year ; therefore 

 their fhoots ought not to be ended in tile 

 winter ; and there is no neceffity of fhort- 

 ning to procure young branches, for there 

 is always a fufficient flock of them rifing 

 yearly from the roots,which, when the trees 

 are planted againfl walls, may be trained 

 up to fucceed others 5 and if they grow to 

 the top of the wall, may be taken out clofe 

 to the ground. I fliall fay no more con- 

 cerning the ufefulnefs of pruning, but fliew 

 how it ought to be performed upon the 

 different kinds of trees. 



CHAP, 



