410 



THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



[June, 



in May, it will he necessary carefully to look over them, and 

 to regulate them. 



They will now require great care, and must be properly 

 cleared of all unnecessary shoots. All luxuriant, fore-right, or 

 ill-growing shoots must be taken off close, and likewise such 

 as are produced in parts where they cannot regularly be trained 

 in. All that are not absolutely wanted to produce a succession 

 of wood, or to fill up vacant spaces, must be entirely cleared 

 away. 



In managing these trees, it must be observed, that although 

 it is not necessary to leave so large a supply of young wood as 

 for peaches, &c., and those trees which bear their fruit on the 

 one-year-old shoots, yet such a supply is necessary to be left 

 every year as may come round in succession, to fill up those 

 spaces where old useless wood may, from time to time, be 

 pruned off. 



Sometimes the branches of cherry-trees begin bearing at one 

 and two years, those of the apple and plum at two and three, 

 and those of the pear not till they are four and sometimes five 

 years old. Some branches bear at three years, but it is very 

 seldom. After the branches of these trees have once begun to 

 bear, no further necessity exists of leaving so general a supply 

 of young wood, for they will continue to increase in bearing 

 for many years afterwards ; for which reason, when they are 

 well furnished with good wood, it will only be proper to leave 

 here and there, in every tree, a few of the best shoots. This 

 work must not be now omitted, for it is possible some may be 

 wanted to train in, in some part of the trees, at the winter 

 pruning. In any parts of the trees, where there appears to 

 be an absolute want of a supply of young wood, fail not to 

 leave a sufficient number of those shoots which grow well and 

 fit for training. 



It is always the surest method to leave, in a moderate way, 

 a sufficiency of young wood where it is apprehended it may be 

 wanted, that there may be a choice in -winter pruning, to fill 

 up any vacancy occasioned by dead wood, &c. and it will be 

 easy to clear away that which is not then wanted. At the 

 principal pruning time, it is always a good maxim to leave 

 plenty of young wood to choose fi'om, and the branches which 



