Feb.] the FRUIT GARDEN. J 37 
leave some of the best situated of last summer's shoots, such as 
directed to be retained in the summer prunino;, to fill up the vacan- 
ciesj and generally leave a leading one at the end of each branch 
where you have room to train them. But all others of the last 
year's shoots, not Avanted for the above purpose, should every one 
be cut off close to the places from whence they proceed, leaving 
no spurs but what are naturally produced. The proper fruit-spurs 
are such as were described last month, being produced on the sides 
and ends of the branches, short, robust, and from about half an 
inch to an inch or two in length. 
Let these fruit-spurs be well attended to in pruning, carefully 
preserving all those of a fresh, plump, robust growth; but those of 
a worn out or rugged unsightly appearance, or that project consi- 
derably long and irregular from the front of the branches in a fore- 
right direction, should generally be displaced, in order to preserve 
the regularity of the trees, taking care to cut them off close, by 
which new ones will be encouraged in places contiguous. 
Having, in the course of pruning these trees, left most of the 
general shoots and branches at their natural length, as before ad- 
vised, in all places where there is full scope to extend them, let 
them be all trained regularly in that order, and nailed straight and 
close to the wall, or nailed or tied to the espalier about four, five, 
or six inches distant. — For the management of young trees of these 
sorts, see the work of the Fruit Garde^i in March, and for the 
methods of pruning and treating your standard fruit trees in this 
department, see the article Orchard in January,ipa.ge& 45, 46, and 
47, and also the same head, both in this month and March. 
Fig Trees. 
Except in the southern states, it will not be advisable to attempt 
pruning your fig trees till towards the end of next month, or 
beginning of April, to which I shall refer you for particular remarks 
and directions. 
Prune and Plant Gooseberry and Currant Trees. 
Gooseberries and currants should be pruned now, if omitted in 
the former months, both in the standard bushes and those against 
walls, fences, &c. 
In pruning the common standards, observe to cut away all cross- 
growing branches, and regulate such as advance in a straggling 
manner from the rest. Or where the branches in general stand so 
close as to interfere, let them be thinned properly, so that every 
branch may stand clear of the other, at a regular moderate dis- 
tance; and prune out the superabundant lateral and other unneces- 
sary shoots of last summer. — See the Fruit Garden of last month, 
page 32, and also October. 
Let these shrubs be always trained with a single stem, clear of 
branches, six or eight inches to a foot from the ground, as directed 
in the former month. 
S 
