AMYGDALUS. 
498 
wards; fo that the fide branches will be deprived of their 
nourifiiment and grow weaker, until they many times de¬ 
cay ; and this is the reafon why we lee fo many peach- 
trees with one or two upright (hoots in the middle, and 
the two (ides wholly unfurnilhed with branches, whereby 
the middle cf each tree cannot produce any fruit, that 
being filled with large wood, which never produces any 
bearing (hoots. Nor can the two (ides of the trees be 
regularly filled with fruitful branches, when this defeft 
happens to them ; therefore this method fliould be-care¬ 
fully obferved in the training up young trees; for, w hen 
they are permitted to run into diforder at firft, it will be 
impoflible to reduce them into a regular healthful date 
afterwards, the wood of the trees being too foft and pithy 
to admit of being cut down, as may be praftifed on many 
other hardy fruit-trees, which will (hoot out vigoroully 
again; whereas thefe will gum at the places where they 
are W'ounded, and in a few years entirely decay. The 
fummer following, when the trees begin to (hoot, you 
fliould carefully look over them, to rub off all fore-right 
buds, or fuch as are ill placed, and train thofe which are 
defigned to remain horizontally to the wall, in their due 
order as they are produced, for this is the principal feafon 
when you can bed: order the trees as you would have them; 
whereas, if they are neglected until Midfummer, as is the 
common practice, a great part of the nourifhment will 
be exhauded by the fore-right (hoots, and other ufelefs 
branches, which mud afterwards be cut off’: and hereby 
the remaining (hoots will be rendered very weak, and per¬ 
haps fome part of the wall be entirely unfurnifhed with 
branches; which might have been eafily lupplied in May, 
by ftopping fome of the ftronger (hoots in fuch parts of the 
tree where there is a neceflity for more branches, which 
would caitfe each of them to flioot up two or more fide 
branches below the ends of the (hoots, which may be 
guided into the vacant parts of the tree as they are pro¬ 
duced. To as that every part maybe regularly furnifhed 
with proper w ood, which is the greated beauty and excel¬ 
lency of wall-trees; but you fliould always forbear (lop¬ 
ping the (hoots in fummer, where there is not a neceffity 
for branches to fill the wall; for there cannot be a greater 
fault committed than that of multiplying the number of 
(hoots, fo as to caufe a confufion, whereby the branches 
will be too weak to produce good fruit; befides, when 
they are too clofe laid in againd the wall, the air is ex¬ 
cluded from the dioots by the great number of leaves, fo 
that the fruit is never duly ripened, and cannot be fo well 
taded as that which is produced upon fuch trees where 
the (hoots receive all the advantages of the fun and air to 
bring it to maturity. 
In the pruning of peach and neCtarine trees, (which 
require the fame management,) the two following rules 
fiiould be driclly obferved, viz. ftrd, that every part of 
the tree be equally furnifhed with bearing wood; and, fe- 
condly, that the branches be not laid in too clofe to each 
ether. As to the fird, it mud be obferved, that peach 
and neClarine trees produce their fruit upon the young 
wood, either of the preceding year, or, at mod, the two- 
year (boots, after which age they do not bear ; therefore, 
the brandies fliould be (hortened, fo as to caufe them to 
produce new (hoots annually in every part of the tree ; 
which cannot be done in the ordinary method of pruning, 
where perfons negleCt their trees at the proper feafon when 
they are mod capable of management, which is in April, 
May, and June ; at which time the luxuriant growth of 
brandies may be checked by pinching, and new f 'Ots 
produced where they are wanting, by dopping the neigh¬ 
bouring branches ; which (hoots, being produced at that 
feafon, will have time enough to ripen and gain drength 
before the autumn conies on ; whereas, all thofe (hoots 
produced after the middle of June, will be crude and 
pithy ; and, though they may fometimes produce a few 
blolTonts, yet thofe rarely bring fruit; nor are the future 
branches good which are produced from fuch wood, the 
vdTels being too large to drain the juices, fo that they 
eafily admit of great quantities of crude nourifiiment to 
pafs through them. Therefore, thofe perfons who only 
regard their wall-trees at two different feafons, viz. the 
winter and midfummer pruning, cannot pofiibly have them 
in good order; for, when all the branches which were 
produced in the fpring are permitted to remain until the 
middle or latter end of June, (asis the common practice,) 
fome of the mod vigorous will draw the greated part of 
the nourifiiment from the weaker branches, which, when 
the (trong ones are taken off, will Be too weak to produce 
fair fruit; and hereby the drength of the tree is exhauft- 
ed, to nourifh the ufelefs branches which are annually cut 
oft; and thus are too many trees managed, and at the 
fame time complaints made of their Luxuriancy; becaufe 
two or three (hoots, by drawing away the greated (hare of 
the nourifhment, grow very drong and woody, (whereas, 
if tiie nourifiiment had been' equally didributed to a re¬ 
gular quantity of branches, there would be no (Ign of their 
too great drength,) until, by often cutting off thefe vigo¬ 
rous brandies, the trees are either entirely deftroyed, or 
at lead rendered fo weak as not to be able to produce 
fruit ; for, although by thus weakening the branches, it 
is often the means to produce a good number of biolfoms, 
as may many times be obferved aifo upon autumnal (hoots, 
yet the utmod of their drength is fpent in expanding the 
flowers, fo that they rarely produce fruit; and, very of¬ 
ten, the greated part of the branches die foon after, which 
is fuppoled to be occaficned by a blight, when in reality it 
is nothing lei's than the fault of thofe who have the ma¬ 
nagement of the trees. It is therefore of the greated 
confequence to wall-trees, efpecially of thefe forts, to go 
over them two or three times in the months of April, 
May, and June, to rub od’ all irregular (hoots, and to 
train in the branches that are left in due order to the 
wail, that each (boot may have an equal advan'age of fun 
and air, botli of which are abfolutely neceflary to ripen 
and prepare the wood for the next year’s bearing; there¬ 
fore the oftener the trees are looked over, to dived them 
of the ufelefs branches, from the time they fird begin to 
lhoot in the fpring till the autumn, the better 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, t© 
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, infinuating into the wounded parts, 
often caufes 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. 
The didance which the branches of thefe trees fliould 
be allowed againd the wall, mud be proportioned to tire 
fize of the fruit or the length of the leaves; for, if we 
obferve how tire brandies of tiie trees are naturally dif- 
pofed to grow, we (hall always find them placed at a great¬ 
er didance, as their leaves are larger or (mailer; and there 
is no Hirer guide to a curious artid than nature, from 
whence a gardener fliould always be direfted in every part 
of his profeliion, fince his bufinefs is to aid and aflid na¬ 
ture, where (lie is not capable of bringing her produc¬ 
tions to maturity; or, where there is room, to make con- 
liderable improvements by art ; which cannot be any 
otherwife eftedted, than by gently afliding her in her own 
way. But to return to pruning thefe trees : the branches 
being carefully trained in, as before direfted, 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 bed feafon for this work is in Oftober, 
when their leaves begin to fall, which will be early enough 
for their wounds to heal before the frod comes on, fo that 
there will be no danger of being hurt hereby ; and tiie 
branches of the trees being proportioned to the drength of 
the roots at that feafon, all the afeending fap in the fpring 
Will be employed to nourifli only thofe irfeful parts of the 
branches which are left j whereas, if they are left unpruned 
1 till 
