510 
the next year, and thus to have succession- 
wood in every part of the tree. 
The rule for shortening, is this: Consider 
the strength ol the tree ; and the more vigo- 
tons the shoots are, cut off the less. If a lux- 
uriant tree was to have its shoots much 
shortened, it would throw out nothing but 
wood; and if a weak tree was not pretty 
much cut, it would not have strength to bear. 
From vigorous shoots one-fourth may be cut 
oft; from middling ones one-third ; and from 
weak ones one-half. 
PRUNING. 
In shortening, make the cut at a leading 
shoot-bud, which is known by having a blos- 
som-bud on the side of it, or, which is better, 
one on each side. Blossom-buds are rounder 
and fuller than leaf-buds, and are discernible 
even at the fall of the leaf, and plainly seen 
early in the spring. It is desirable to make 
tiie cut at twin blossoms, yet as this cannot 
always be done, the due proportion of length 
must generally determine, ft often hap- 
pens, that the blossom-buds are chiefly, and 
sometimes all, at the end of the shoot ; but 
?till it should be shortened if it is at all Iona. 
Never cut where there is only a blossom- 
bud ; and prefer those shoots that are shortest- 
jointed, and have the blossoms most in the 
middle. The shoots that lie well and are 
fruitful or healthy, and but a few inches long, 
may be left whole. Always contrive to have 
a good leader at the end ot every principal 
branch. 
Young trees (as of the first year of branch- 
ing) should have the lower shoots left longer 
in proportion, and the upper shorter, in or- 
der to form the tree better to the filling of the 
wall: the lower shoots may have three or 
four eyes more than the upper. 
In furnishing a tree, consider where it 
wants wood, and cut the nearest unbearing 
branch (or if necessary, a bearing one) down 
to one, two, or more eyes, according to the 
number of shoots desired, for in such close, 
shortening, a shoot will come from each eye. j 
W ith a view to wood for filling up a naked 1 
place, a shoot formed after midsummer may j 
be thus shortened ; though the general rule 
is, to displace all such late shoots" as useless, ! 
the dependance for blossoms being on the ' 
early-formed shoots. 
The time for the principal, or winter prun- i 
ing, is by some gardeners held indifferent, if j 
the weather is mild at the time; but a mode- 
rate winter’s day is often quickly followed by 
a severe frost, which may hurt the eye apd 
blossom next the cut. The best time is Fe- 
bruary, it it is mild, or as soon after as possi- 
ble; for when the blossom-buds get swelled, 
they are apt to be knocked off by a little 
touch or jar of the hammer. 
Apricots should not be so much shortened 
as peaches, nor do they so well endure the 
knife. Shoots of the apricot, if under a foot, 
may be left uncut, if there is room. The 
spurs of apricots should be spared, if not too 
long or numerous, for they bear well, and 
continue for years. Some sorts of peaches 
are also apt to put out fruit-spurs, and must 
be managed accordingly. 
Vines require frequent attention, as to 
pruning and training; but all will avail little if 
they have not a warm soil and full sun, or 
some accidental advantage, as being planted 
at the back of a warm chimney ; and though 
they will grow and bear leaves any where, 
they will not fruit well in England without a 
iavourable season, or hot summer. 
h oung new-planted vines should bepruned 
quite short for two or three years, that they 
may get strong. It the plant has a weak 
loot, not above cue shoot ought to grow the 
liist year, which should be cut down in au- 
tumn, or to two or three eyes. 
The best time tor the principal, or winter 
pi uning ot vines, is as soon as the fruit is off, 
01 the leaves tailing. November does very 
\vell, and if this month passes, February 
should be adopted rather than quite in the 
winter. Late in the spring they are apt to 
bleed by cutting, which greatly weakens 
them. J 
The mode of bearing in vines is only on 
shoots ol the present year, proceeding from 
year-old wood. The rule, therefore, at win- 
ter pruning is, to reserve those shoots of the 
year that are best situated as to room, for 
training ot those shoots that are to come 
horn them, which will be almost one from 
every eye. Make choice of those that are 
placed most towards the middle, or stem of 
the vine, that all the wall maybe covered 
w'lth bearing wood ; and every year cut some 
old wmod out that reaches far, to make room 
for younger to follow. 
The shortening of the shoots should be ac- 
cording to their strength, and the soace there 
is for training those shoots that will be pro- 
duced, which always grow very long. if 
tne re is room, three, four, or live eyes may be 
left ; but not more to any shoot, except it is 
desirable to extend some shoot to a distance 
to fill up a particular space : and then eight or 
nine eyes may be left, which being repeated 
again another year, and so on, a vine will 
soon reach far. 
Sometimes vines are trained on low walls 
by a long-extended horizontal branch, a few 
inches from the ground, as a mother-bearer. 
J hose shoots that come from this horizontal 
are to be trained perpendicularly, and cut 
down to one or two eyes every year, that 
tl' v ) im y not encioach too fast on the space 
above them. It the vine is confined to a 
narrow but lofty space, it is to be trained to 
an extended perpendicular mother-bearer, 
having short lateral shoots pruned down to a 
single eye, or at most two. The manage- 
ment of vines requires severe cutting, that 
they may not be too full in the summer, for 
they put out a great deal of wood, and ex- 
tend their shoots to a great length; and 
therefore the young pruner must resolve to 
cut out enough. 
An alternate mode of pruning vines is 
practised by some, one shoot short, and ano- 
ther long, i. e . one with two eyes, and ano- 
ther with four or five. Severe cutting does 
not. hint vines, and make them unfruitful, as 
it does other trees; and therefore, where 
short of room, they may be pruned down to 
a single bud, as the case requires. 
I he summer management of vines must be 
carefully attended to. As soon as the youim 
shoots can be nailed to the wall, let them not 
be neglected ; but remember they are very 
tender, and will not bear much bendim/; 
tram in only the well-placed shoots, rubbing 
or breaking off the others. The embryo 
fruit is soon seen in the bosom of the shoot ; 
and those thus furnished are ot course to be 
laid in, as many as can be found room for, in 
preference to those shoots that are barren ; 
vvhich nevertheless should also be trained if 
they are strong and well placed, and there is 
space lor them. Hub off all shoots from old 
wood, except any tolerable one that pro- 
ceeds from a part where wood is wanting to 
Jill up some vacant space. If two shoots pro- 
ceed from one eye, displace the weakest or 
the outermost if they are both alike, and the 
nuit should not direct otherwise. Vines grow 
rapidly ; and must be nailed to the wall, from 
■ me to time, as they proceed, that there may 
be no rude dangling, which would not onlv 
have a slovenly appearance, but in sevend 
lespects be injurious. 
The stopping of the shoots is to take place 
both as to time and measure, according to 
the strength and situation of them, or whe- 
ther fruitful or barren. Those weak shoots 
that have fruit, and are rather ill placed, or 
confined for room, may be stopped at the 
second, or even first, joint above the fruit 
early in the summer ; but those shoots that 
are strong and have room to grow, should 
not be stopped till they are in flower (in 
y)» and ' d l tlle third or fourth joint above 
. fruit. In shortening the shoots of the 
vine, do it about half an inch above an eye 
Sloping behind a plump and sound one T he 
barren shoots are to be trained at full lenoifi 
and not stopped at all if there is roonfior 
tbeni, or, at least, but a little shortened to- 
wards autumn, as in August, became they 
womd put out a number of useless and strong 
side-shoots it cut before. ® 
■* j he side-shoots, i. e. those little ones put 
out by tiie eyes that are formed for next year 
are commonly directed to be immediately 
displaced by rubbing off, as soon as they ap- 
pear; and if the vine is large, and the shoots- 
slender, it is very proper; but if otherwise, 
their being left to grow awhile (so as not to 
get too rude and crowding) is rather an ad- 
vantage, in detaining the sap from pushing 
the shoots out immoderately long; and when 
tnese are taken off, the lower eye of each may 
be left with the same view. But the side 
shoot that proceeds from the top of each 
shortened branch, should be leit on and 
when it gets long, then shortened down to an 
eye or two. 
In order to fruitfulness, vines will need 
dressing with some sort of manure ; for thomm 
they grow in vineyard countries on rockv 
Inns, and m very shallow soils, and have done 
so on some chalky, hot, gravelly hills in F.n<*- 
land, yet some warm manure they must ge- 
nerally have applied, or they will produce 
little good fruit. 
Some people are very fond of exposing the 
fruit ot the vine to the full sun, by stripping 
oil leaves ; but this should not he practised 
till the bunches have attained their proper 
size, needing only to be ripened, and even 
Jhen but little should be done in this way. 
I he loss of leaves is an injury to every plant, 
as it prevents the elaborating of the saccha- 
rine juices necessary to perfect the fruit. 
fig-trees are best pruned early in spring 
as after an autumn cutting (if late) they are 
apt to die down. 1 lie mode of bearing in 
tne fig is, that fruit chiefly comes the present 
year on the little shoots from wood of the 
preceding, and that towards the ends of the 
branches, which circumstances dictate the 
rules for pruning. Two-vears-old wood will 
bear seme, but older wood never. 
