ao THE FRUIT GARDEN. [Jan. 
nually all superabundant shoots, or that are more than can be trained 
in with proper regularity; likewise a considerable part of the old, 
or two last year's bearers; and, observing, that as a general supply 
of the best of the last year's shoots must annually be left in a regu- 
lar manner in every part of the tree, to bear the fruit the succeed- 
ing summer, each of the said shoots must be shortened more or less, 
according to their strength, now in the winter pruning, as directed 
below, in order to encourage them to produce a more regular suc- 
cession of bearing wood in the ensuing summer. The wood, which 
is then produced, will bear fruit in the summer after tliat; and the 
same shoots both bear the fruit and a supply of successional shoots 
at the same time for future bearers, Sec. 
Before you begin to prune, in these trees particularly, it is pro- 
per generally to unnail and unbind all the young shoots which were 
nailed or bound, in last summer, and great part of their respective 
mother branches; by which means you will have room to examine 
the shoots, and to use your knife properly. 
In the course of pruning these trees, be careful to select the most 
promising and best situated shoots at the above distances, in a regu- 
lar manner, advancing, as it were, one after another, in every part 
of the tree, making room for them, by cutting out all the other use- 
less or unnecessary shoots, together with a proportionable share of 
the former bearers, before intimated, and old naked branches not 
furnished with bearing wood. 
For example, you are to observe, that these young shoots are, as 
above hinted, produced principally upon those shoots, which were 
laid in last winter, and which produced the fruit last summer; and 
some casually on the older wood; but shall suppose many of the said 
shoots, or branches, which were laid in last winter, to have produced 
each three shoots in summer, and that they now all remain, but that 
there may not be room to lay in more than one of the said shoots on 
each of the branches; it remains to be considered, which of these 
thi'ee shoots on each branch is proper to be left; whether the up- 
permost, middle, or lower of the three: there is no general rule 
for this, but we will suppose the middlemost; in which case, cut off 
the lower one quite close to the branch, and then that part of the 
branch which hath the upper shoot upon it, must be pruned down 
to the middle one; so that there is only the middle shoot now re- 
maining, which terminates or makes the end of the branch: but, if 
it is thought most convenient to leave the uppermost of the three, 
the middle and lower are to be cut away close to the branch: or, 
on the contrary, if the lower shoot only is to be left, cut off the 
branch with the middle and upper shoot thereon, close to the lower 
one: and if thought most proper to leave in any place two out of 
the three shoots on a branch, then the upper and lower are appa- 
rently most proper, provided they are the best shoots, and so cut 
out the middle ne: or if two lower shoots appear best for your pur- 
pose, cut off the upper part of the branch with the top shoot close 
to the middle one; and, if to retain the two upper shoots, prune 
out the lowermost: there may not always happen to be just three 
young shoots on every year's branches; but I choose to menliou 
