A M Y G 
till February, the fap in the branches being then in mo¬ 
tion, as may be observed by the fwelling of the buds, the 
greatefi: part of it will be drawn tip to the extreme parts 
of the branches, to nourifh fuch blolfoms as mu ft be af¬ 
terwards cut off. 
Having faid thus much concerning the. time of pruning, 
we (hall'give fome general directions how it is to be per¬ 
formed on peach and neCtarine trees, which, require a very 
different management from molt other forts of fruits. In 
pruning thefe trees, you fhould always cbferve where 
branches are fhorteaed, to cut them behind a wood-bud, 
which may be eafily diftinguilhed from the bloffom-buds, 
which are fhorter, rounder, and more turgid, than the 
wood-buds; for, if the ilioot have not a leading bud where 
it is cut, it is very apt to die down to the next leading 
bud ; fo that what fruit may be produced above that will 
come to nothing, there being always a neceliity of a lead¬ 
ing bud to attraft the nourifhment; for, it is not fufficient 
to have a leaf-bud, as fome have imagined, fince that will 
attract but a fmall quantity of nourifhment, the great ufe 
the leaves being to perfpire aWfiy fuch crude juices as are 
unfit to enter the fruit. The length you fhould leave 
thefe branches, fiiould be proportioned to the ftrength of 
the tree, which, in a healthy firong tree, may be left ten 
or twelve inches, or more; but, in a weak one, they fiiould 
not be more than fix inches: however, in this you muff be 
guided by the pofition of the leading bud ; for, it is better 
to leave a fhoot three or four inches longer, or to cut it two 
or three inches fhorter than it might be proper to do, pro¬ 
vided there be one of thefe buds, it being abfolutely ne- 
ceffary for the future welfare of the tree ; you fiiould alfo 
cut out entirely all weak fhoots, though they may have 
many bloffom-buds upon them ; for thefe have not ftrength 
enough to notirifli the fruit, but they will weaken the other 
parts of the tree. In nailing the (hoots to the wall, you 
muft be careful to place them at as equal diftances as poffi- 
ble, that their leaves, when come out, may have room to 
grow without (hading the branches too much ; and you 
fhould never nail them upright, if it can be avoided: for, 
when they are thus trained, they are very fubjeCt to fhoot 
from the uppermoft eyes, and the lower part of the fhoots 
will thereby become naked. 
There is not any thing in the bufinefs of gardening 
which has more exercifed the thoughts of the curious, 
than how to preferve their tender forts of fruit from being 
blighted in the fpring of the year; and yet there has been 
little written on this fubjeCt which is worth notice. The 
blights, w hich are fo often complained of, do not fo much 
proceed from any external caufe, or inclemency in the fea¬ 
fon, as from a diftemper or weaknefs in the trees; for, if 
we obferve the trees at that feafon, where they are tlie 
mod fubjeCt to what is called a blight, we fliall find the 
branches very fmall, weak, and not half ripened, as alfo 
trained in very clofe to each other ; thefe branches are, 
for the mod part, full of bloffom-buds, which, is chiefly 
occalioned by their want of ftrength. Thefe buds do in¬ 
deed open, and, to perfons not (killed in fruit-trees, fliew 
a great profpcCt of a plentiful crop of fruit ; whereas the 
whole ftrength of the branches is fpent in nourifhing the 
flowers, and, being unable to do any more, the blolfoms 
fall off, and the fmall efforts of the leaf-buds are check¬ 
ed, fo that many times great part of the branches die 
away, and this is called a great blight ; whereas, at the 
fame time, it may be often obferved, that fome trees of 
a different fort, nay, even fome of the fame fort, were 
frronger and in health, though placed in the fame foil, 
expofed to the fame afpeCt, and fubjeCt to the fame incle¬ 
mency of air, have efcaped very well, when the weak trees 
have appeared to be almoft dead ; which is a plain indi¬ 
cation, that it proceeds from fome caufe within the tree, 
and not from any external blight. All this will therefore 
be remedied, by obferving the foregoing directions in the 
pruning and management of the trees, fo as never to over¬ 
burden them with branches, nor to fuffer any particular 
part of the trees to exhauft the whole nourifhment from 
D A L U S. 499 
the root, which will caufe the oiher parts to be veiy 
weak ; but to diftribute the nourifhment equally to every 
fhoot, that there may be none too vigorous, at the fame 
time that others are too weak ; and, by continually rub¬ 
bing off ufelefs or fore-right (hoots as they are produced, 
the ftrength of the trees will not be fpent, to nourifii fuch 
branches as muff be afterwards cut out, which is too of¬ 
ten feen in the management of thefe trees. It fometimes 
happens, that the roots of thefe trees are buried too deep 
in the ground, which, in a cold or moift foil, is one of 
the greateft difadvantages that can attend thefe tender 
fruits ; for the fap which is contained in the branches, 
being by the warmth of the fun put ftrongly into motion 
early in the fpring', is exhaufted in nourifhing the blolfoms ; 
and a part of it is perfpired through the wood-branches, 
fo that its ftrength is loft before the warmth can reach to 
their roots, to put them into an equal motion in fearcli of 
frefli nourifhment, to fupply the expence of the branches ; 
for want of which, the bloffoms fall off and decay, and 
the fhoots fecm to be at a ftand, until the farther advance 
of the warmth penetrates to the roots, and fets them in 
motion; when, fuddenly after, the trees, which before 
looked weak and decaying, make prodigious progrefs in 
their fhoots ; and, before the futurner is fpent, are fur- 
nifiied with much lironger branches than thofe trees which 
have the full advantage of fun and (bowers, and are more 
fruitful and healthy ; which muft certainly be owing to 
the caufe here mentioned, as alfo to their drawing in a 
great quantity of crude moifture, which, though produc¬ 
tive of wood, is yet unkindly for fruit: if, therefore, this 
be the cafe, there is no way of helping it, but by railing 
up the trees, if they are young; of, if they are too old to 
remove, it is the better way to root them out, and make 
new borders of frefli earth, and plant down young trees 1 . 
This may alfo proceed from- the trees wanting noiirifh- 
ment, which is many times the cafe, where they are plant¬ 
ed in a hard gravelly foil, in which it is the common prac¬ 
tice.to dig borders three or four feet wide, and three feet 
deep into the rock of gravel, which is filled with good 
frefh earth, into which the trees are planted, where they 
will thrive pretty well for two years, until their roots 
reach the gravel, where they are confined as if planted in 
a pot; and, for want of proper nourifhment, the branches 
continually, decay every year. This cannot be helped 
where the trees have been growing fome years, without' 
taking them entirely up, or by digging away the gravel 
from their roots, and adding a large quantity of frefh earth, 
that may afford them a fupply of nourifhment a few years 
longer; but trees fo planted, cannot by any art be conti¬ 
nued long in health. But if the unfruitfulnefs of the trees 
does not proceed from any of the before-mentioned caufes, 
and is the eifeCt of unkindly feafons, then the beft method 
yet known is, in dry weather, to fprinkle the branches of 
the trees gently with water foon after ihe bloffoming fea¬ 
fon, and while the young-fet fruit is tender, which fhould 
always be done before noon, that the moifture may eva¬ 
porate before the night comes on ; and, if in the night yon 
carefully cover the trees with mats, canvas, or fome fuch 
fight, covering, it will be of great fervice to them : how¬ 
ever, where the trees are ftrong and vigorous-, they are 
not fo liable to fuffer by a fmall inclemency as are thofe 
which are weak, fo that there will be few feafons in which- 
there may not be hopes of a moderate quantity of fruit 
from them, though there fhould be no covering ufed ; for, 
where thefe coverings are ufed,, if it is not performed with 
great care.and diligence, it is much better to have none, 
but to truft to the clemency of the feafon ; for, if the co¬ 
verings are kept too clofe, or continued too long, the trees 
will receive more injury thereby than if they had not been 
covered. However, I muft repeat in this-place, a ma¬ 
nagement generally attended with fuccefs; which is, the 
putting up two feather-edge deal boards joined together, 
over the top of the trees, fo as to form a pent-houfe, to 
calf off perpendicular wet. Thefe fhould be fixed up 
when the trees begin to bloffom, and fhould remain till 
the 
