» 6 * THE GARDENER’5 VI 
According as the Apricots ripen in July and Augnft, 
they fhou; J be gathered while in good flavour, before they 
become too foft and meally ; thefe fruit being always 
in beft perfection for ripenefs while they remain mo¬ 
derately firm, and of a poignant relifh ; and generally, 
when in full ripenefs, if gathered in the early part of 
the day, before much heated by the fun, it will be pre- 
ferved in better flavour for eating. 
As fometimes thefe trees are attacked, in fummer, 
with blights and infeds, fliould endeavour, as much 
as poflible, where it occurs, to flop their pernicious 
efFefts, being difcoverable generally by the leaves 
crumpling, and the ends of the fhoots becoming 
bunched and clammy, either generally, or appearing 
firft in particular parts of the tree, and will foon fpread 
confiderably, greatly detrimental to the progrefs of 
growth both of the trees and fruit; or are fometimes 
fuddenly attacked with a dry blight or blaft, often 
dcflruCtive without remedy; but where, in either of 
which maladies, the diforder comes on more gradually, 
or occafioned by numerous minute infeCts, fome means 
may be ufed to flop the depredation, by pulling off 
the mofl infeCted leaves, and cutting away the diflem- 
pered parts of the young fhoots, &c. uting alfo the 
other affiflant remedies advifed for the Peaches and 
NeCtarines, which are cafually attacked with the lame 
malady. 
We now proceed to explain the operation of winter- 
pruning thefe wall-trees, which is neceflary every year, 
any time after the fall of the leaves in November, till 
March. 
■ r The winter-pruning of the wall Apricot Trees com¬ 
prehends a general regulation in the young and old 
wood, both in the fupply of young fhoots which were 
produced and trained in laft fummer, and moflly in 
the whole expanflon of older branches, as obferved 
for the Peaches and Ne’darines, &c. in pruning out 
the mofl irregular, improper, and fuper-abundant, to 
make proper room for training in a general fupply of 
(fucceflional young bearing wood, confiding of the laft 
fummer’s fhoots, to produce the fruit the year enfuing ; 
and the whole to be new-trained, or nailed to the wall, 
in a regular manner, four or five inches afunder. 
Obferve, in performing this operation of winter- 
pruning, to keep in mind, that as thefe trees, as in 
the Peach and Nedarine, produce the fruit principally 
ujfon the young wood or (hoots of laft fummer, and 
often on fmall, natural fpurs ariling on the two years 
wood, though generally the principal produdion of 
fruit is obtained or. the laft year’s fhoots, as formerly 
intimated, the bloflfom-buds ariftng immediately from 
the eyes of the faid fhoots, and feldom bear but once 
in the fame order, only on cafual, fmall fpurs, afore- 
faid, fometimes emitted from the fides in the fecond 
GETABLE SYSTEM 
and third year, that a general fiicceftional fupply of 
the beft young fhoots ot the preceding fummer, muft 
be annually preferved in all parts of the trees, in the 
winter-pruning, for bearing the principal crops of 
fruit the year following; and, likew-ife, to retain oc¬ 
casional fpurs, before-mentioned, which, furnifhed 
with blofTom-buds, alfo produce fruit in equal perfec¬ 
tion; obferving, at the fame time, in this regulation, mult 
cut out the fuper-abundant, ill-placed and improper 
fhoots, with part of the former bearers, and naked, 
or worn-out, old branches, not furnifhed with bearing 
wood, to give room for retaining the requifite fupply 
of young bearers, four or five inches afunder, as be¬ 
fore obferved; and all the retained fhoots, or greater 
part, to be now fhortened about one third, more or 
Id's, according to their ftrength, to promote a produc¬ 
tion of fhoots from the lower eyes thereof, next fum¬ 
mer, for fhcceflional bearers the year after, which, 
otherwife, wduld arife m.oftly towards the upper parts 
that the trees \vould thereby become naked below, or 
not well furniihed with proper fupplies of bearing 
wood, equally from the bottom upwards. 
The feafon to commence the winter-pruning is foon 
after the fall of the leaves, or any time in mild or 
moderate weather, from November till the fpring, and 
fhould be wholly compleated in February, or begin¬ 
ning of March, before the bloffom-buds are confider- 
ably advanced. 
Generally, in proceeding to this bufinefs of winter- 
pruning thefe trees, that as it comprifes a regulation 
in the general expanflon, it is proper firft to unnail all 
the young fhoots of laft fummer, and great part of 
the imaller mother branches, in order both to give 
proper fcope in ufing the pruning-knife, in cutting 
out the fuper-abundant and unferviceable wood, and 
to have an opportunity of training the proper branch¬ 
es and (hoots with eligible regularity, according to the 
regulation made in the general pruning. 
And being furnifhed with proper pruning-knives, a 
fmaller and larger, as explained for the Peaches and 
Nectarines, as alfo with proper (hreds and nails, pro¬ 
ceed to the bufinefs of pruning and nailing the trees, 
agreeable to the following intimations. 
In proceeding to the operation, give great atten¬ 
tion to the fupply of young wood of laft fummer ; and 
of which, to make a proper feledion of the beft in 
all parts of the trees, for training in three, four, or 
five inches afunder, as before intimated, for fuccef- 
fional bearers next year, and fome for new wood occa- 
flonally, to increafe the number and expanflon of prin¬ 
cipal branches, where neceffary, chufing the mofl re¬ 
gular-placed, middling-ftrong fhoots/ fituated prin¬ 
cipally on the upper and under fides of the mother 
branches, and occafionally the leading or terminal 
fhoots 
