chap, vii.] WALL-FRUIT TREES. 
205 
the leaf begins to fall. They are best trained 
in the fan manner; and as they always bear 
their fruit on shoots of a year old* these 
shoots must always be left on in pruning, and 
the old wood cut out. Pruning should be 
performed at two seasons, viz. winter and 
summer: the winter pruning is performed 
at the fall of the leaf, or in the beginning of 
February, and consists of cutting out or 
shortening the old wood or barren branches; 
and summer pruning, which consists chiefly 
of what is called disbudding, (that is, rubbing 
off the buds as soon as they appear,) should 
be applied to the removal of all shoots grow¬ 
ing right out from the wall, (and which, con¬ 
sequently, could not be well trained,) or 
which appear otherwise to be improperly 
placed. Experienced gardeners also look 
over the blossom buds, as soon as they show 
themselves, and thin them out, without 
allowing the tree to waste its strength in 
forming fruit which it can never ripen, and 
which is of no use in its green state. The 
disbudding is easily performed; and watching 
the trees to find when it will be necessary, 
affords a constant source of interest. Thin- 
