The Conclufton. 371 
the leaves, to keep the growing fruit in 
a fupple dudile (late, by defending it from 
the Sun and drying winds, which by tough- 
ning and hardening its fibres fpoil its growth, 
when too much expofed to them ; but v;hcn 
full grown, or near it, a little more Sun 
is often very needful to ripen it. In hot- 
ter climates fruits want more fliade than 
in this country, and here too, more fliade 
is needful in a hot dry fummer, than in a 
wet cool one. 
The confideration of the ftrong imbibing 
power of the branches of trees, and the rca- 
dinefs with which we fee t he fap pafles to and 
fro, to follow the firongeft attradion, may per- 
haps give fome ufeful hints to the Gardiner, 
in the pruning and fliaping of his trees, in 
checking the too luxuriant, and helping and 
encouraging the unthriving partsof trees. 
It is a conftant rule among Gardiners, foun- 
ded on long experience, to prune w’eak trees 
early in the winter, becaufe they find that 
late pruning checks them 5 and for the 
fame reafon to prune luxuriant trees late in 
the fpring, in order to check their luxuri- 
ancy. Now it is evident that this check docs 
not proceed from any confiderable lofs of 
fap at the wounds of the pruned tree, e^- 
B b z cepting 
