338 FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



form, which will soon furnish the under part of the 

 trellis, and form a handsome tree. I am inclined 

 to think, that if this mode of training were more in 

 general practice, with regard to riders, the spaces 

 assigned for their extension could be kept better 

 supplied with young bearing wood, and the tree 

 possess a more regular equilibrium of branches than 

 we frequently meet with in old trees, that are trained 

 as dwarfs, in consequence of the space of wall, or 

 trellis they have to extend over, and which gene- 

 rally causes that part of the tree, next the stem, to 

 be furnished with strong wood, that is necessary for 

 the support of the smaller bearing shoots. 



PRUNING, &C OF THE PEACH TREE. 



The durability of the Peach and Nectarine, and, I 

 may assert, every other stone-fruit-bearing tree, that 

 is cultivated in this country, depends more on the 

 system of pruning to which they are subjected, than 

 to any other cause ; and when this operation is not 

 performed with discrimination, the bad effects will 

 soon shew themselves, and leave the greater part of 

 the wall, or trellis, furnished only with strong barren 

 wood, unfit for any thing but the fire : therefore,, to 

 keep a stock of trees in a healthy fruit-bearing state, 

 the knife should be judiciously used in the pruning 

 season. It may, however, be necessary to commence 

 by stating, that, after the first year's pruning, the bud 

 or graft of all trees that are intended to be trained, 

 should be cut back to within a couple of eyes of the 

 stock, which will cause strong laterals to be pro- 



