353 THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. [JoTt, 



their length ; shorten the weak shoots by taking away one- 

 third, and sometimes one-half, and cut such as are very weak 

 to one or two buds. This shortening will conduce to the pro- 

 duction of a supply of lateral shoots the ensuing summer, from 

 the lower and middle placed eyes, whereas, without it, the new 

 shoots would proceed mostly from the top, and leave the under 

 part of the wall and middle of the tree naked. Never prune 

 below all the blossom-buds, except to produce wood, in which 

 case, cut nearer to the origin of the branch, as noticed above. 

 As on these trees small fruit-spurs, an inch or two long, often 

 appear on the two and three-year old wood, these spurs should 

 generally be retained for bearing ; but when any of them pro- 

 ject foreriglit too far from the wall, cut them clear off; for 

 spurs projecting above two or three inches from the wall, 

 although they may blossom, and even set their fruit, they sel- 

 dom ripen them, and vvlien they do, the fruit is never good 

 in quality, unless the situation and season be both very favor- 

 able. The thick clusters of spurs, which form on old trees, 

 ought also to be either thinned, or if not particularly wanted, 

 cut entirely away. As each tree is pruned, wash them, as 

 directed for peaches and nectarines, and let them be imme- 

 diately nailed in closely and regularly to the wall, observing 

 the same caution, as to driving the nails in a sloping direction, 

 and having the shreds of a proper size, according to the size 

 of the branches. Apricots are generally and very justly trained 

 in the fan manner. 



PRUNING AND TRAINING CHERRIES AND PLUMS. 



Both cherries and plums produce their fruit on spurs, and 

 on the young wood of the preceding year, and therefore, to 

 prevent repetition, may be considered under the same head. 

 Fan-training is also to be preferred to any other, for reasons 

 already given ; the horizontal mode, however, may be with 

 more propriety adopted with cherries and plums, than with 

 either peaches, nectarines, or apricots. Morella cherries we 

 should always prefer fan-trained to any other method, as they 

 produce their fruit chiefly upon young shoots of the last year, 

 or on close spurs formed on the two-year old wood, and should 



