326 



THE ORCHARD. 



young shoots, and rubbing off all others. 

 In forming the head always endeavour to 

 retain an equal quantity of branches on 

 every side, so that the tree will be equally 

 poised. When wood is wanted, the end of 

 a shoot must be stopped in order to produce 

 a sufficiency. If the upright lead of a tree 

 should at any time be accidentally broken, 

 let a lateral shoot be tied up in a straight 

 direction for a substitute. The second win- 

 ter pruning must be performed at the end of 

 Autumn, and a proper reserve of branches 

 be left, also cut away all others. 



This attention to forming the head must 

 regularly be paid in every future year, but 

 after the third year from planting, never 

 shorten the end of a leading shoot. After 

 the trees come to a bearing condition, they 

 must be regularly pruned every year, keep- 

 ing the branches at the distance directed, 

 and not retaining too much young wood in 

 the interior of the tree; but that the sun 

 and air may have free access amongst the 

 branches. Trees that are regularly pruned 

 every year will bear more abundantly, and 

 have finer fruit than such as are pruned only 

 once in ten or twenty years, as is too gener- 

 ally the case. 



When a tree is weakly or ill shaped, 

 through a bad system of pruning, or by the 

 neglecting of it, the most expeditious remedy 

 is to head it down; in doing which cut every 



