P E R 
\ * 1 
able -to produce fruit-, for although by thus Weaken- 
ing the branches, it is often the means to produce a 
good number ofbloffoms ( as may many times be ob- 
ierved alio upon autumnal (hoots ;) yet the utrnoft of 
their ftrength is fpent in expanding the flowers,. fo that 
they rarely produce fruit ; and very often the greateft 
part of the branches die foon after, which is fuppofed 
to be occasioned by a blight (as I have elfewhere faid) 
wnen in reality it is nothing lefs than the fault of thofe 
who have the management of the trees. It is there- 
fore of the greateft confeq pence to wall-trees, efpeci- 
ally of thefe forts, to go over them two or three 
times in the months of April, May, and June, to 
rub off all irregular fhoots, and to train in the branches 
that are left in due order to the wall, that each fhoot 
may have an equal advantage of fun and air, both 
of which are abfolutely neceffary to ripen and pre- 
pare the wood for the next year’s bearing •, therefore 
the oftener the trees are looked over, to diveft them 
of the ufelefs branches, from the time they firft be- 
gin to fhoot in the fpring till the autumn, the bet- 
ter will the wood be ripened for the fucceeding year. 
And by duly obferving this in fummer, there will not 
be occafion for fo much cutting as is often, praftifed 
on Peach-trees, to their great injury ; for their wood 
branches are generally foft, tender, and pithy, which 
when greatly wounded, are not healed over again fo 
foon as in many other forts of trees ; and the wet in- 
finuating into the wounded parts, doth often caufe the 
branches to canker and die ; which may be entirely 
avoided by the gentle eafy method of pinching and 
rubbing off the buds in the manner here directed, 
which makes no wounds on the tree j and hereby a 
vaft deal of labour is laved, for one perfon who is 
ready r.t this bufinefs will go over a greater quantity 
of walling in one day, than d ree or four can when 
fuffered to grow rude y lo that if the trees are 
permitted to grow rude all the fpring, they will re- 
quire fix times the labour to reduce them into order. 
Befides, it is a great difadvantage to the fruit, in 
permitting the branches of the trees to extend from 
the wall and fhade them , and when they have grown 
under the flicker of thefe branches and leaves all the 
fpring, until Midfummer, then by pruning of' and 
fhortening moil of thefe fhoots, and nailing the 
others clofe to the wall, the fruit are fuddeniy ex- 
pofed to the fun and air, whereby „y receive a very 
great chepk, and are not only retarded in their growth, 
but often rendered ill-tafled, and have tough fkins. 
The diftance which the branches of thefe trees fhould 
be allowed againft the wall, muft be proportioned to 
the fize of the fruit or the length of the leaves for 
if we obferve how the branches of the trees are natu- 
rally difpofed to grow, we fhall always find them 
placed at a greater or lefs diftance, as their leaves are 
larger or fmaller, as I have already obferved under 
the article Leaves. And there is no furer guide to 
a curious artift than nature, from whence a gardener 
fhould always be directed in every part of his profef- 
fion, fince his bufinefs is to aid and affift nature, where 
fhe is not capable of bringing her produdlions to ma- 
turity *, or where there is room, to make confider- 
able improvements by art ; which cannot be any 
oti.erwife effected, than by gently affifting her in her 
own way. 
But to return to pruning thefe trees : the branches be- 
ing carefully trained in, as before directed, in the 
fpring and fummer feafons, we come now to treat of 
the winter pruning, which is commonly performed 
in February or March. But the belt feafon for this 
work is in Odo'oer, when their leaves begin to fall, 
which will be early enough for their wounds to heal 
before the froft cornes on, fo that there will be no 
danger of their being hurt hereby and the branches 
of the trees being proportioned to the ftrength of 
the roots at that-' feafon, all the afeendingfap in the 
fpring will be employed to nounlli only thofe ufeful 
parts of the branches which are left ; whereas, if they 
are left unpruned till February, the lap in the branches 
being then in motion, as may be obferved by the 
P E Pv 
fwelling of the buds, the greateft part of It will be 
drawn up to the extreme parts of the branches, to 
nounfh ftich bloffoms as muft be afterwards cut off 
and this may be eafily known byo'ofervingthe ftrongeft 
fhoots at that feafon, when you will find the extreme 
buds to iwell fafter than mold of the lower ones ; for 
there being no leaves then upon the branches to’ de- 
tain the fap to nourifh the lower buds, the upper 
ones will always draw from thofe below. 
But it is a conftant practice amongft gardeners, founded 
upon long experience, to prune weak trees early in 
the winter, and luxuriant trees late in the fpring, in 
order to check then luxuriancy. blow it is evident, 
that this check does not proceed from any confidera- 
ble lofs of fap at the wounds of the pruned tree (ex- 
cepting a few of the bleeding trees, when cut at that 
feafon) but muft anfe from lome other caufe , for by 
feveral experiments made by the Rev. Dr. Hales, in 
fixing mercurial gages to the ftems of frefh cut trees, 
he found thofe wounds were conftantly in an imbibing 
ftate, except the Vine in the bleeding feafon. 
1 herefore when a weak tree is pruned early in the be- 
ginning of winter, the orifices "of the fap-veffels are 
clofed up long before the fpring j and confequently, 
when in the fpring and fummer, the warm weather 
advancing, the attrading force of the perfpiring leaves 
is not then weakened by many inlets from frefh 
wounds, but is wholly exerted in drawing fap from 
the root •, whereas, on the other hand, when a luxu- 
riant tree is pruned late in the fpring, the force of 
its leaves to attrad fap from the root, will be much 
fpent and loft at the feveral frefli cut inlets. 
Befides, if it were no advantage to the trees to prune 
them at this feafon, (which I think no one will have 
reafon to doubt after making the trial) but that it 
only lucceeds as well as the fpring pruning ; yet there 
is a great advantage in doing it at Michaelmas, for 
that being 1 a much more leifure feafon with garden- 
ers than the fpring, they will have more time to per- 
form it carefully ; and then they will not have too 
many things come together, which may require to be 
immediately executed ; for the fpring being the prin- 
cipal feafon for cropping their kitchen-gardens and at- 
tending their hot-beds, if they are difengaged from 
the bufinefs of pruning at that time, it will be of 
great advantage, efpecially where there is a great 
quantity of walling. And here is alio another bene- 
fit in pruning at this feafon, which is, the having the 
borders at liberty to dig and make clean before the 
fpring, fo that the garden may not appear in a litter 
at that feafon. 
Having faid thus much concerning the time of prun- 
ing, I Hi all now proceed to give ibme general direc- 
tions how it is to be performed on Peach and Nefta- 
rine-trees, which require a yery different management 
from rrluft other forts of fruits. 
In pruning thefe trees, you fhould always obferve 
where branches are fhortened, to cut them behind 
a wood-bud, which may be eafily diftinguiihed from 
the bloffom-buds, which are fhorter, rounder, and 
more turgid than the wood-buds ; for if the fhoot 
have not a leading bud where it is cut, it is very apt 
to die down to the next leading bud j fo that what 
fruit may be produced above that, will come to no- 
thing, there being always a neceffity of a leading bud 
to attraft the nourifhment ; for it is not fufficient to 
have a leaf-bud, as fome have imagined, fince that 
wall attrafl but a finall quantity of nourifhment, the 
great ufe of the leaves being to peripire away fuch 
crude juices as are unfit to enter the fruit. The 
length’ you fhould leave thefe branches, fhould be pro- 
portioned to the ftrength of the tree, which, in a 
healthy ftrong tree, may be left ten or Twelve inches, 
or more ; but in a weak one, they fhould not be more 
than fix inches •, however, in this you muft be guided 
by the pofition of a leading bud *, for it is better to 
leave a fnoot three or four inches longer, or to cut it 
two or three inches fhorter than might be proper to 
do, provided there be one of thefe buds, it being 
abfolutely neceffary for the future welfare of the tree j 
you 
1 
