£38 THE FRUIT-GARDEN. [Feb. 
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 in 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 Garden in March, and for the B»e- 
thods of pruning and treating your standard fruit-trees in this de- 
partment, see the article Orchard in January, pages 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 adviseable to attempt 
pruning your fig-trees, till towards the end of next month, or be- 
ginning 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 strag- 
gling 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 unne- 
cessary 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, dear of 
branches, six or eight inches to a foot from the ground, as directed 
in the former month. 
Likewise to currants, &c. against walls, give a necessary pruning 
and regulation, as directed in January, &c. 
Gooseberry and currant trees may be planted towards the end of 
this month, if the weather permits, both in standards for the gene- 
ral plantation, at six to seven or eight feet distance, and some 
against walls, board fences, &c. for earlier fruit, but principally cur- 
rants; and let these, for the most part, be of the best red and white 
sorts. 
You may occasionally plant a few of the best kinds of gooseber- 
ries to north walls, which is the most suitable situation for them, 
in our climates; next to that, east or west walls; but plant only very 
few to those fronting the south, as in such a situation the sun would 
in summer, be much too powerful for these shrubs. 
For the method of propagating and raising them, see the work 
of the Nursery in March, and October. 
