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CHAPTER XV. 



The advantages of thinning the leaves of fruit trees. 



Thinning away the leaves of fruit trees 

 is a practice which I have adopted for many 

 years with very great advantage. The kind 

 of trees which 1 have found it necessary to 

 treat in the manner hereafter described, are 

 Peaches and Nectarines, and occasionally 

 Apricots. The benefits resulting from this 

 are, that by it the fruit is brought to a 

 richer flavour, and the buds are greatly im- 

 proved in boldness and attaining a proper 

 state of perfection. 



This treatment is particularly required in 

 the northern and colder parts of this king- 

 dom, because the general warmth of the 

 climate, even with the assistance of walls, 

 does not afford such a degree of heat as is 

 equal to that of the native country of some 

 of the sorts of fruit trees, consequently as 

 near an approximation as possible to their 

 native temperature must be endeavoured, in 

 order to get the tree and its fruit to a proper 

 state of perfection. 



Such of the tender kinds of fruit trees as 

 the general warmth of this country appears 

 congenial to, will certainly require less of 



