APRICOTS. 139 



In the next winter's pruning these must be shortened 

 according to their strength ; the leading shoot from each 

 branch is usually the strongest: these may be cut back 

 to nine or twelve inches, and the others to six or nine. 

 In the summer, care must be taken to select and train 

 as many of the best-placed young shoots as are wanted 

 to form the figure of the tree, proceeding thus from 

 year to year till it is completely furnished, both in its 

 sides and middle, for there ought not then to be a blank 

 space in any part within its extent. 



The commencement of summer pruning of Apricots 

 always takes place in May, as soon as the young shoots 

 are two or three inches long : this is generally termed 

 by gardeners the disbudding season ; because the super- 

 fluous shoots are at this time removed, leaving those only 

 which are required to elongate the branches, and to fur- 

 nish fruit for the succeeding season. 



The disbudding of the young shoots is by many gar- 

 deners performed by pinching them off with the finger 

 and thumb : this may be done tolerably well with care ; 

 but I have seen some, who have been gardeners for years, 

 and who have torn them off, lacerating the bark, and 

 leaving holes in the branches whence they were taken \ 

 the consequence has been a diseased state of the tree, 

 with gum flowing from almost every limb. A man 

 possessing a reflecting mind must ever be incapable of 

 practising such a barbarous method. Instead, there- 

 fore, of disbudding by either of the former methods, 

 I would recommend a small, sharp, thin-bladed knife 

 to be made use of, cutting off the supernumerary 

 shoots, close to the bark of the branch, but not into it, 

 and shortening the smaller ones to half an inch, which 

 will occasion many of them to form natural spurs for 

 blossoms at the base. 



In the winter pruning of Apricots, every shoot should 

 be shortened according to its strength : no one should 



