Jan.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 33. 
small spurs rising naturally all along the sides; and in each winter- 
pruning it will be required to cut out any casual worn out, decayed, 
and very irregular branches, and a proportionate supply of last sum- 
mer's young shoots retained, and the rest pruned out. 
In pruning gooseberries, let them be always kept thin of branches, 
and these not permitted to grow ramblingly across one another, 
but all pruned to some regular order, so as the main bearers, or ge- 
neral branches and shoots, stand six or eight inches distance at the 
extremities; and generally, either keep the middle somewhai hol- 
low, or, if permitted to run up full in the heart, keep it thin of 
branches, as above advised; so that you will now prune out any 
irregularities, &c. such as casual crowding cross-placed wood, and 
any worn out or naked old branches, retaining young shoots, where 
necessary, to supply their. place; and cut out all the superabundant 
lateral shoots of last summer, close to the old wood, only retaining 
here and there a good one in vacancies, or occasionally towards the 
lower parts, to be advancing to a bearing state, to supply the place 
of casual worn out bearers; and generally leave, where practicable, 
a terminating or leading shoot to each main branch, either such as 
is placed naturally at or near the end of the branch; or, occasional- 
ly, where any branch is too long or rambling, prune it down to 
some convenient lateral shoot, Sec. to remain for a terminal leader; 
and, in both cases, generally leave but one terminal to each branch; 
and all those shoots now retained, both lateral and terminal, should 
either be mostly left entire, and only shorten long stragglers, and 
very bending and reclining growths, occasionally; or, at least by no 
means shorten the shoots of these trees too much; for by cutting 
them very short, they are made to produce a deal of wood and but 
small fruit; and being so full of wood, as to exclude the sun and 
free air in summer, the fruit cannot ripen well; and it likewise 
renders it troublesome to get at the fruit when fit to gather. Never 
clip the trees with garden shears, as is the practice of some ignorant 
persons. 
Currant bushes should likewise be kept thin and regular, not 
suffering the branches to run promiscuously across each other; for 
when suffered to grow so irregular and crowding, they produce but 
small fruit; and the great thicket of branches excluding the essen- 
tial benefit of the sun, the berries will not ripen freely and regu- 
lar, with a good flavour; observing therefore to keep the general 
branches thin, about six or eight inches asunder, in which, if any 
are too crowded or over-abundant, prune out the most irregular; 
also any cross-placed branches, and casual worn out old bearers, to- 
gether with all the irregular-placed and superabundant young shoots 
of last summer, preserving only occasional supplies of the most 
regular ones in vacancies, and a leading one at the termination of 
each branch, agreeable to the rules exhibited above in pruning the 
gooseberry bushes; and the genex-al upper shoots may be mostly 
shortened more or less, where required to keep the head to a mo- 
derate extent, and a compact handsome growth. 
Observe in pruning young gooseberry and currant bushes, let 
those designed for standards be pruned to a clean single stem, eight, 
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