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Such Sorts whofe Fruit are fmall, 

 may be allow'd five or fix Inches ; 

 but the larger Sorts mart: not be lefs 

 than feven or eight Inches afunder. 

 If this be duly obferv'd, and the 

 Branches carefully train'd horizon- 

 tally as they are produe'd, there will 

 be no Occafion for fo much cutting 

 as is commonly practised on thefe 

 Trees ; which, initead of checking 

 their Growth, docs, on the contrary, 

 caufe them to ihoot the Wronger. 



It is very furprifing to read the 

 tedious Methods which moll of the 

 Writers on Fruit-trees have directed 

 for pruning of thefe Trets ; for, by 

 their prolix and perplexed Methods, 

 one would imagine they had endea- 

 vour'd to render themfelves as unin- 

 telligible as pofiible : and this, I am 

 fure, may be arnrm'd, That it is next 

 to impoluble for a Learner ever to 

 arrive at any tolerable Skill in prune- 

 ing, by the* tedious and perplexed 

 Directions which are publihYd by 

 Monfjeur Quintiney, and thofe who 

 have copied from him ; for a9 thefe 

 have all let out wrong in the Be- 

 ginning, by allowing their Trees 

 lefs than half the Distance which 

 they mould be planted, fo they nave 

 prefcrihe-1 Rules to keep them with- 

 in that Compak ; which are the molt 

 abfurd, and contrary to ali Reafon; 

 therefore mould not be prachiedby 

 thole Pgrfens who are defirous of 

 paving plenty of Fruit. 



I (hall therefore only lay down a 

 few necelTary Directions for the 

 pruning and managing of thefe 

 Tree ; winch (hall be done in as few 

 Words as poiiible, that a Learner 

 may the more eafily underftand it ; 

 and which (together with proper 

 Oblervations) will be fufficient to in- 

 ftruct any Perfon in the right Ma-' 

 nagement of them. 



Pear-trees generally produce their 

 JMoffom-buds firft at the Extremity 



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of the laft Year's Shoots ; fo that !f 

 thefe are fhortened, the BlolToms are 

 cut off. But this is not all the Da- 

 mage ; for (as I before faid) this oc- 

 cafions the Buds immediately below 

 the Cut to put forth two or more 

 Shoots, whereby the Number of 

 Branches will be increafed, and the 

 Tree crouded too much with Wood: 

 befides, thofe Buds, which by this 

 Management produce Shoots, would 

 have only produe'd Curfons and 

 Spurs, upon which the Bloifom-buds ' 

 are produced, if the leading Branch 

 had not been morten'd ; therefore 

 thefe fhould never be ftopp'd, unlefs 

 to furnifh Wood to fill a Vacancy. 



It is not neceffary to provide a new 

 Supply of Wood in Pear - trees, as 

 mull be done for Peaches, Nectarines, 

 fafr. which only produce their Fruit 

 upon young Wood ; for Pears pro- 

 duce their Fruit upon Curfons or 

 Spurs, which are emitted from 

 Branches which are three or four 

 Years old ; which Curfons continue 

 fruitful many Years : fo that where 

 thefe Trees have been fkilfuUy ma- 

 nag'd, I have feen Branches which 

 have been trained horizontally, 

 upward of twenty Feet from 

 the Trunk of the Tree, and 

 rpve been fruitful their whole 

 Length. And if we do but care- 

 fully obferve the Branches of an 

 healthful Standard- tree, which has 

 been permitted to grow without 

 pruning, we (hall find many that 

 are ten or twelve Years old, or 

 more, which are very full of thefe 

 Curfons ; upon which a good Num- 

 ber of Fruit is annually produe'd. 



During the Summer-feafon thefe 

 Trees mould be often look'd over, 

 to train in the Shoots, as they are 

 produe'd, regularly, to the Wall or 

 Efpalier, and to difplace fore-right 

 and luxuriant Branches as they Ihoot 

 out; whereby the Fruit will be 

 equally 



