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part. of the wall (fo far as the trees are advanced) be 
left unfurnifned with bearing wood. A tree well 
managed, though it does not reprefent any regular 
figure, yet will appear very beautiful to the fight, 
when it thus dreflfcd and nailed to the wall. 
3. It is of great advantage to the fruit •, for the cutting, 
away all ufelefs branches, and fhortening all the bearing 
fhoots according to the ftrength of the tree, will render 
the tree more capable to nourifh thofe fruit and 
branches which are left remaining, fo that the fruit 
will be much larger and better tailed. And this is the 
advantage which thofe trees againft walls or efpaliers 
have to fuch as are ftandards, and are permitted to 
grow as they are naturally inclined ; for it is not 
their being trained either to a wall or efpalier which 
renders their fruit fo much better than ftandards, but 
becaufe the roots- have a lefs quantity of branches 
and fruit to nourifh, and confequently their fruit 
will be larger and better tailed. 
The reafons for Pruning being thus exhibited, the 
next thing is the method of performing it •, but this 
being fully handled under the feveral articles of the 
different kinds of fruit, I fhall not repeat it again in 
this place, and therefore fhall only add feme few 
general inllruclions, which are neceffary to be un- 
derftood, in order to the right management of fruit- 
trees. 
There are many perfons who fuppofe, that if their 
fruit-trees are but kept up to the wall or efpalier 
during the fummer feafon, fo as not to hang in very 
great diforder, and in winter to get a gardener to 
prune them, it islufficient, but this is a mrftake •, for 
the greateft care ought to be employed about them 
in the fpring, when the trees are in vigorous growth, 
which is the only proper feafon to procure a quantity 
of good wood in the different parts of the tree, and 
to difplaee all ufelefs branches as foon as they are 
produced, whereby the vigour of the tree will be 
entirely diftributed to fuch branches only as are de- 
figned to remain, which will render them ftrong, and 
more capable to produce good fruit •, whereas, if all 
the branches are permitted to remain which are pro- 
duced, fome of the more vigorous will attract the 
greateft (hare of the fap from the tree, whereby they 
will be too luxuriant for producing fruit, and the 
greateft part of the other fhoots will be ftarved, and 
rendered fo weak, as not to be able to produce any 
thing elfe but bloffoms and leaves (as hath been be- 
fore mentioned •,) fo that it is impoffible for a perfon, 
let him be ever fo well fkilled in fruit-trees, to reduce 
them into any tolerable order by Winter-pruning on- 
ly, if they are wholly neglected in the fpring. 
There are others who do not entirely negleCt their 
trees during the fummer feafon, as thofe before-men- 
tioned, but yet do little more good to them by what 
they call Summer-pruning •, for thefe perfons negleCt 
their trees at the proper feafon, which is in April and 
May, when their fhoots are produced, and only about 
Midfummer go over them, nailing in all their branches, 
except fuch as are produced fore-right from the wall, 
which they cut out, and at the fame time often fhort- 
en moft of the other branches •, all which is entirely 
wrong practice, for thofe branches, which are intend- 
ed for bearing the fucceeding year, fhould not be 
ffnortened during the time of their growth, which will 
caufe them to prodiice one or two lateral {boots from 
the eyes below the place where they were flopped, 
which fhoots will draw much of the ftrength from 
the buds of the -firft (hoot, whereby they are often 
flat, and do not produce their bloffoms ; and, if thofe 
two lateral fhoots are not entirely cut away at the 
Winter-pruning, they will prove injurious to the tree, 
as the fhoots which thefe produce, will be what the 
French call water fhoots ; and in buffering thofe luxu- 
riant fhoots to remain upon the tree until Midfum- 
mer before they are difplaced, they will exhaufl a great 
fhare of the nourifnment from the other branches (as 
was before obferved ;) and, by (hading the fruit all 
the fpring feafon, when they are cut away, and the 
other branches taftened to the wall, the fruit, by be- 
PR U 
ing fo fuddenly e.xpofed, will receive a very great 
check, which. will caufe their (kins to grow tough, 
and thereby render them lefs delicate. This is to be 
chiefly underftood of done fruit and 'Grapes, but Pears 
and Apples being much hardier, buffer not fo much, 
though it is a great difadvantage to thofe alio to be 
thus managed. 
It tnuft alfo be remarked, that Peaches, Nectarines, 
Apricots, Cherries, and Plums, are always in the 
greateft vigour, when they are the leaft maimed by 
the knife , for where thefe trees have large amputa- 
tions, they are very fubjeCl to gum and decay ; fo 
that it is certainly the moft: prudent method carefully 
to rub off all ufelefs buds when they are firft produ- 
ced, and pinch others, where new fhoots are wanted" 
to fupply the vacancies of the wall, by which ma- 
nagement trees may be fo ordered, -as to want but 
little of the knife in Winter-pruning, which is the fur eft 
way to preferve thefe trees healthful, and is perform- 
ed v/ith lefs trouble than the common method. 
The management of Pears and Apples is much the 
fame with thefe trees in fummer, but in winter thev 
muft be very differently pruned •, for as Peaches and 
Nectarines for the molt part produce their fruit upon 
the former year’s wood, therefore they muft have 
their branches (hortened according to their ftrength, 
in order to produce new fhoots for the fucceeding 
year j fo Pears, Apples, Plums, and Cherries, on 
the contrary, producing their fruit upon curfons or 
fpurs, which come out of the wood of five, fix, or 
feven years old, fhould not be fhortened, becaufe 
thereby thofe buds, which were naturally difpofed to 
form thefe curfons or fpurs, would produce wood 
branches, whereby the trees would be filled with 
wood, but never produce much fruit •, and as it often 
happens that the bloffom buds are firft produced at the 
extremity of the laft year’s fhoot, by fhortening the 
branches the bloffoms are cut away, which fhould 
always be carefully avoided. 
There are feveral authors who have written on the 
fubjeCl of Pruning in fuch a prolix manner, that it is 
impoffible for a learner to underftand their meaning. 
Thefe have deferibed the feveral forts of branches 
which are produced on fruit-trees ; as wood branches, 
fruit branches, irregular branches, fake branches, and 
luxuriant branches, all which they affert every perfon, 
who pretends to Pruning, fhould diflinguifh well ; 
whereas there is nothing more in all this but a parcel 
of words to amufe the reader, without any real mean- 
ing y for all thde are comprehended under the de- 
feription already given of luxuriant or ufelefs branches, 
and fuch as are termed ufeful or fruit-bearing branches; 
and, where due care is taken in the fpring of the year 
to difplaee thefe ufelefs branches (as was before di- 
rected,) there will be no fuch thing as irregular, falfe, 
or luxuriant branches at the Winter-pruning ; there- 
fore it is to mo purpofe to amufe people with a cant of 
words, which, when fully underftood, fignify juft 
nothing at all. 
But finee I have explained the different methods of 
Pruning the feveral forts of fruits under the refpec- 
tive articles, I fhall forbear repeating it again in this 
place, but fhall only give fome general hints for the 
Pruning of ftandard fruit-trees, and fo conclude. 
Firft, you mould never fhorten the branches of thefe 
trees, unlefs it be where they are very luxuriant, and 
grow irregular on one fide of the tree, attracting the 
greateft' part of the fap of the tree, whereby the other 
parts are unfurnifhed with branches,’ "or rendered very 
weak •, in which cafe the branch fhould be fhortened 
down as low as is neceffary, in order to obtain more 
branches, to fill up the hollow of the trees ; but this 
is only to be underftood of Pears and Apples, which 
will produce fhoots from wood of three, four, or 
more years old, whereas moil forts offlone fruit will 
gum and decay after fuch amputations. 
But from hence I would not have it underftood, that 
I would direCt the reducing of thefe trees into an ex- 
aCt fpherical figure, finee there is -nothing more de~ 
tellable than to fee a tree (which fhould be permitted 
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