16 tHE GARDENER'S V 
Generic chara&ers, conformable to the fexual botanic 
fyflem, the modern Botanifis coitfider them fo nearly 
allied, that they range the whole in the fame Genus or 
family, under the Genejic name Amygdalus : we have 
accordingly followed the fame order m their arrange¬ 
ment, dillinguiihing the varieties belonging to each 
fpecies under its refpedtive head; and as the trees 
are nearly fimilar in growth and mode of bearing, 
there is but little difference in their general culture; 
are generally all propagated by budding the delirable 
varieties of the refpeclive forts, principally upon 
plum-tree Hocks, to render the trees more hardy and 
durable, and fometimes alfo, particular forts are ino¬ 
culated upon Beach, Almond, and Apricot flocks; and 
the Common Almond is alfo raifed from the Hones of 
the fruit. 
(ft 
Though it m$y be proper to obferve that all the 
different varieties of Peaches, Ne&arincs, &c. were 
originally obtained from feed or the nuts or Hones of 
the fruit fowed in the fpring, and the young trees 
tranfplanted in nurfery rows, till they advance to a 
proper age for bearing; and then thofe as produce 
fruit of good properties are propagated by inocu¬ 
lating buds thereof, in July or AuguH, into proper 
flocks, generally one bud into the -fide of each; and 
in fpring following, the head of the Hock being cut 
off near the infertion of the bud, this pufhes forth one 
flrong fhoot, two or three feet long, the HrH fummer, 
*nd forms the new tree, acquiring a bearing Hate, in 
two, three, or four years, and produces fruit always 
conflantly the fame as that of the parent trees, from 
which the buds Were obtained; which Ihews the great 
utility of propagation by budding; for the trees raif¬ 
ed from feed never come of the fame varieties, or 
produce fruit like the original, but vary to other dif¬ 
ferent forts, and probably, in many fo raifed, fome 
may produce fruit of defirable properties, as above 
intimated; and that, to encreafe or multiply thefe new 
varieties, it can be effe&ed by no other method than 
by budding aforefaid, and thereby always continued 
permanent in their refpedtive kinds. 
The trees of the Common Almond, Peaches, and 
Neftarines, are moflly of" flmilar growth and mode of 
bearing, all producing their fruit principally upon 
the young flioots of a year old, and fometimes upon 
fmall fpurs on the two or three years wood: they all 
make long, flraight ihoots annually, for fucceflionbear¬ 
ing wood each following year, as the fame flioots do 
not generally bear but once, except upon cafual fmall 
fpurs, as above remarked, but always produce the 
principal fupplies of fruit upon the year-old ihoots; the 
ifloffoms coming out early in the fpring, rife immedi¬ 
ately from the eyes or buds of the ihoots along the fldes 
of them, and the fame ihoots both produce fruit, and 
e fufficient fupply of young wood, for bearing, each 
fucceeding year, particularly the Peach and Neftarine, 
r/hifii, being commonly trained in wall trees, require 
EGETABEE SYSTEM 
an annual pruning every fummer and winter, to cut out 
the fuperfluous or over-abundant, ill-placed, and ufe- 
lefs flioots, to preferve the regularity, &c. t)f the 
trees; and in performing which, great care is re¬ 
quired to retain a general fupply of the regular- 
placed, proper ihoots, of each year, to train in for 
bearing the enfuing fummer; and at the fame time, in 
the Winter-pruning, particularly, part of the former 
year’s bearers, and naked old branches, are Cut out to- 
make room for the fucceflional fupply of young bear¬ 
ers, which in fummer are generally laid in at their 
whole length, but commonly Ihortened in the winter- 
pruning, to encourage or promote their producing 
more effectually an eligible fucceflion of young flioots, 
for future bearers, the year following ; and trained in 
clofe to the wall all fummer, in proper abundance, to 
chufe from in the winter-pruning aforefaid; when cut¬ 
ting out the fuper-abundant and ill-placed, leaving a. 
general fupply of the befl moderately flrong flioots, 
in all parts of the tree, to train in about four, five, 
or fix inches afunder, and then nailed to the wall ho¬ 
rizontally at that diflance, to remain for bearing the 
following fummer’s fruit: and thus thefe trees, of 
Peaches and NeCtarines, are managed every year in th£ 
article of pruning, as hereafter more fully explained. 
Thefe trees in general, both Almonds, Peaches, and 
Nectarines, in all their varieties, bloflom or flower ear¬ 
ly in the fpring, from about the middle or latter end 
of February, and beginning of March, to April: tlia 
Almond, in its different varieties, is the eartieft irt 
flower, which, in all the above trees, arife principally 
on the young flioots, as before obferved, general¬ 
ly twin on the Almond, though numerous on each 
fhoot; and on the Peach and NeCtarine are produced 
by pairs and fingly; each flower furniihed with the 
generative organs of ftamina, ftyle, and germen, in the 
centre; the latter roundifh, becomes the fruit, oval 
and roundifh in the different fpecies and varieties, and 
which in the Almond and Peach has always a downy, 
foft rind, and in the NeCtarine fmooth, filming, and 
firm: in the Almond, the flefh of the fruit is dry, 
tough, and not eatable, only in the kernel contained 
in the ftone; but in the Peach and NeCtarine, the fiefh 
is fucculent, rich, and the only eatable part; foft and 
melting in the Peach, and in the NeCtarine, is of a 
more firm texture, juicy, and rich-flavoured. 
In the different fpecies of the Almond, Peacfi, and 
Ne&arine, the former has not equal merit as. a fruit- 
tree as the two latter, the fruit being confiderably lefs 
valuable, and only fome varieties thereof ripen in 
good perfection in our gardens; particularly the Com¬ 
mon Almond,- which feldom ripens its kernel before 
autumn, generally about September, when the fea¬ 
thery cover opens naturally and difeharges the fione» 
containing the kernel or eatable part, which ft} 1 the 
two varieties of the Common Almond aforefaid, cofn- 
prifing the bitter and fweet kernelled kinds, often ‘ri- 
v PQ» 
