34 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [Jan. 
ten, or twelves inches; and being careful to retain a requisite supply 
of the best young shoots properly situated above, to form the head 
accordingly, cut out the irregular and ill-placed; and the retained 
proper shoots may in some be moderately shortened, especially 
such as run away straggling from the rest; and any proper shoots 
advancing below may be permitted to remain entire till advanced 
equal with the others above, &c., that the whole may come on as 
equally as possible, to form a regular head. 
Currants and gooseberries trained against walls, palings, trellises, 
&c., should also have a necessary pruning and regulation in the 
general branches, or as maybe required, cutting out the superabun- 
dant and irregular-placed shoots of last summer, or any casual too 
crowding and disorderly growing older branches, or such as appear 
unfruitful, or any of a worn out or decayed state, and all dead wood; 
retaining young shoots advancing from below, and in the most 
vacant parts, shortened more or less, or left entire, according to 
room for extending them; and train the general branches, &c., 
three or four, to five or six inches distance. For more particulars — 
see October. 
Fig Trees. 
Fig-tree pruning is advised to be deferred till March or April, 
where see the method explained. 
Protecting the Roots of new-planted Trees. 
If the weather should now prove severe, it will t)e proper to pro- 
tect the roots of new-planted fruit-trees from being hurt by the 
frost, by laying mulch, or long dung litter, on the surface of the 
ground; particularly the choicest of the stone-fruit kinds; as 
peaches, nectarines, apricots, and any principal sorts of cherries 
and plums. 
Raspberries. 
If you have neglected to afford the protection directed in Novem- 
ber to your Antwerp Raspberries, you should no longer omit it; 
especially in those parts of the Union where severe winter frosts 
prevail. As to pruning and planting the various kinds, when not 
done in October or November, it will be better to defer this busi- 
ness till the latter end of February, or beginning of March; except 
in such of the states as the severity of the frost does not interrupt 
the tillage of the ground during winter; in which you can perform 
this business now with safety, agreeably to the directions given in 
October. 
Forcing early Strawberries. 
Now is a proper time, about the latter end of this month, to 
begin to make a hot-bed to raise a few early strawberries: those 
