SECT. XII. 



OF PRUNING. 



141 



two, of a very luxuriant tree, may be trained per- 

 pendicular tor a time, to keep the horizontals the more 

 moderate. 



As the pruner is to begin below, and towards the 

 Mem, fo the objeft in thinning mud be, to prefer and to 

 ' leave thole (hoots that are placed lowe/l on the branches, 

 that fo the tree may be furnifned towards the center. 

 wSee that thofe left are found, and not too weak, or over 

 ftrong,' for the moderate fhoots generally bear belt. 

 Weak fboots are always more fruitful than ftrong ones; 

 and if they are furnifned with fair blolfoms, mould be 

 kept where a tree is full of wood, and even preferred to 

 moderate ones, on a very flouriihing tree. 



In this thinning bufinefs, the young pruner mull be 

 content to go on deliberately, that he may confider well 

 before the knife is applied. To make a proper choice 

 is the great point. After hefitating, to be fometimes at 

 a lofs, mult not difcourage a learner, for good primers 

 often are, and no two adepts would chufe juft the 

 lame (hoots for referve. 



The next objeft is to furnifl) a tree. In order to 

 this, the thinning of old wood, young being ready (or 

 eafily to be procured) to follow, has already been 

 mentioned; but the principal Itep is the Jho r ten ing of the 

 fhoots, which occalions them to throw out below the 

 cut, for future ufe. If they were not to be fhortened, 

 the tree would prefently extend a great way, bearing 

 chiefly at the extremities, and all over the middle it 

 would be very thin of fruit, and thus a great part oi the 

 wall loll; which not to fuffer, is the art of a pruner that 

 ihews he has indeed {kill. 



The viode of bearing in peaches, neflarines, and 

 apricots, is on the laft year's wood, which makes it 

 neceffary to Jhortcn, in order to a certain fupply of 

 fhoots for bearing the next year; and thus to have 

 fucceffton wood in every part of the tree. 



The rule for jhortening is this : Confider the ftrength 

 of the tree, and the more vigorous the ihoots are, cut 



off 



