14 On watering the frozen Branches of Peach and 



by the gardener ; and he attributes to it a considerable por- 

 tion of the success which has attended the gardener's labours. 

 The man seems to excel in that part of his business. Mr. 

 Wortley says, he can hardly do him justice in describing 

 it ; for he never saw trees so beautifully trained, and upon 

 such good principles. The chief rule which he follows is, as 

 Mr. Wortley states, never to allow the shoots that are left 

 for bearing fruit, to run to any length from the strong wood ; 

 for which reason, when the trees are pruned in autumn, the 

 gardener shortens the bearing branches, for the next year, as 

 much as he can, taking care not to leave more fruiting-buds 

 than he thinks will come to perfection. The Peach and Nec- 

 tarine blossoms upon the open walls, in other gardens in 

 Mr. Wortley' s neighbourhood, were almost entirely de- 

 stroyed by the frosts last year and the year before ; but in 

 both years Mr. Wortley was equally fortunate in the pre- 

 servation of his produce. I will now subjoin Mr. Wortley's 

 answers to several queries, which I took the liberty of pro- 

 posing. 



Query 1. What is the exact method which the gardener 

 practises, to which he ascribes his success with the fruit- 

 trees ? Is it exclusively the operation of watering the blos- 

 soms and the branches, or has he any accessary means ? 



Answer. The Peach and Nectarine-trees are pruned and 

 nailed in December and January ; when the gardener always 

 takes two-thirds of the young shoots away ; and in two 

 hand-dressings, in May and July, leaves the lowest and 

 weakest shoots for a succession in the year following, pinch- 

 ing off the leading and other shoots. 



This answer implies, that a great deal is supposed to 



