By the Right Hon, William Wickham. 77 



pruning, which should always take place as early as possible, 

 i. e. before the first severe frosts, to continue the practice of 

 cutting clean out, from the parent stem, so many of the bran- 

 ches, as will leave room to train in, along the vacant spaces, 

 caused by their removal, a large supply of foreright shoots, 

 training them all at their full length, so as to preserve, 

 carefully, the latter growth of wood (i. e. the midsummer 

 shoots) at their extremities, and never, on any account, short- 

 ening a shoot of the preceding summer, except where a fresh 

 ' su Pp!y of branches may be wanted to fill the wall. 



It is obvious, however, though a moderate supply of ripe 

 fruit may thus be obtained, that a large portion of wood, viz. 

 the whole of the spring growth of each foreright shoot, thus 

 trained in, will have been preserved to no useful purpose, but 

 that of supporting a very short piece of bearing wood (i. e. 

 the little midsummer shoot) at its extremity. This is an 

 evil that does not admit of any remedy for the first year ; 

 but, in the course of that year, effectual provision must be 

 made against its recurrence. For this purpose, as the fore- 

 right shoots, that have been trained in, shall, in their turn, 

 during the spring and early summer, throw out shoots of the 

 same description, the gardener must, in the course of the 

 month of J une, break several of them in succession,* as they 

 nearly attain their full growth, and just as the spring sap in 

 each begins to abate something of its full vigour. He should 

 break them at moderate distances (6 to 15 inches, according 

 to the strength of each shoot) from the place whence they se- 

 verally spring, taking care that enough of the shoot be left 

 to admit of its being bent back, and nailed close to the wall, 

 * See Note E. 



