SgS HORTIC 
are peaches which do the fame 5 fo that it is a rule with 
fome pruners to wait to diftinguiih fpurs from (boats, and 
then to ufe the knife; but ufe it as little as may be in the 
fummer. 
In regulating a tree, at any time, begin at the bottom 
and middle, and work the way orderly upward and out¬ 
ward. Never Ihorten in fummer, except a forward (boot 
where wood may be wanting; but, where the tree is tco 
thick, cut clean out. what may be fpared. None or the 
(hoots produced after Midfummer Ihould ever be nailed 
in, except where wood is wanting to fill a naked place:— 
they never bear fruit. 
The health of wall-trees is greatly facilitated and im¬ 
proved by careful pruning. The extremities of a tree 
will never continue in vigour, without a drift attention 
to the middle, that it have no ftrong wood growing ereft, 
which would deprive all the other parts of their due nou- 
riiLment. When the lides of a tree are well extended, 
and full of healthy wood, then fome (hoots of moderate 
fubilance may be trained up the middle. The bending 
of a branch too much is a violence to be avoided ; fo. that 
every (hoot ihould be kept from the firft in the direftion 
it is to grow. Luxuriant wood mult be got rid of in 
time, before it has robbed the weaker branches. That is 
luxuriant wood, which, according to the general habit of 
the tree, is much larger than the reft. If ftrong wood, 
that is not very luxuriant, happens to be at the bottom 
of the tree, fo that it can be trained quite horizontally, 
it may often be ufed to good purpofe, as this pofition 
checks the fap. A luxuriant (hoot may be kept in fum¬ 
mer, where it is not defigned to retain it, merely to cut 
it down at the winter-pruning to two or three eyes, for 
getting wood where wanted the next year; or this (hort¬ 
ening may take place in June, to have new lhoots the 
prefent year. 
All dileafed, damaged, weak, or worn-out, branches, as 
they occur, (liould be cut out, to make room for better ; 
but, if a tree is generally difeafed, fome caution mult be 
ufed not to cut out too much at once, if there be any 
hope of reftoring it. A very old tree, or a young one, 
that does not thrive, may be cut a great deal; but fo as to 
leave a general fprinkling of the bell of the branches, and 
an eye or two of the weaker ones, in an alternate order. A 
weak tree is ftrengthened by training it more erectly than 
ufual, as lefs check is thus given to the fap, and fo the (hoots 
are more likely to (well; fuch a tree ihould be kept thin 
of branches, and always pruned early in autumn, keep¬ 
ing the top free from fuch wood as is (Longer than that 
below, and all the (hoots (horter than ufual. 
Old decaying trees (liould be lelfened a little every year, 
and conftantly watched, to obferve where young and 
ftrong fnoots are putting out below, in order to cut down 
to. them; and, though the time for doing this is common¬ 
ly at autumn or winter pruning, yet it may be bed: done 
in' fummer, as the (hoots' would thrive the better; ob- 
ferving to put fome clay, or cow-dung, to the part, to 
prevent gumming, which fummer-pruning is very apt to 
occaficn. A judicious pruner may bring the oldeil and 
moil ill-conditioned tree to a healthy and bearing ftate, if 
all is but right at the root, with a good foil about it. 
Any bark that is decayed by cracks, See. (liould be cleared 
away to the quick, either by rubbing or the knife; as 
filth and infefts are apt particularly to gather there ; wipe 
the part clean with fponge and foap. 
Ilog-dung, applied freih, is laid to have a peculiar effi¬ 
cacy in recovering weak trees; and cow-dung may rea- 
fonabiy be expected to do good, if the foil is a warm or 
hungry one, and, if not fo, the hog-dung is not fo proper, 
as it is a cold dreffirtg. If the foil is a ftrong one, a com- 
poft of fowl’s or (beep’s dung, lime, with any frefli light 
earth, one part of each of the former, and three of the 
latter, mixed with the (oil that is taken off, will be a 
proper, manure; to which a little (harp fand may be ad¬ 
ded. An animal dreffing, as of entraiis, or any carrion, 
or bullock’s or hog’s blood, applied to*the roots, has been 
ULTURE, 
frequently found effeflual to make fruitful, and to reco¬ 
ve), decaying trees, and in particular vines. All thefe 
applications Ihould be made late in autumn, or early in 
fpring. 
The conftitution of a tree is fometimes naturally bar¬ 
ren ; or the foil that the roots have got into may be fo dele¬ 
terious, that no pains or perfeverance wiil avail any thing; 
but, continuing fruitlels and (ickly, admonifties the owner 
to take it up, and try another plant, rectifying the foil 
thoroughly, if the evil is thought tQ arife there. Some¬ 
times a tree of this kind, when removed to a different foil, 
and pruned greatly down, does very well. A foil too 
rich of horfe-dung often cccaficns trees to be blighted; 
and the remedy is to impoverifli it with a (harp fand. In 
order to health and ftrength, a tree muff not be kept too 
full during fummer, as it prevents the proper ripening of 
the wood, and makes the fnoots long-jointed. If more 
than one (hoot proceed from the fame eye, referve only 
the llrongeftand bed: fituated. A crowded tree cannot be 
healthy, and it becomes both lodging and food for infefts. 
The bloflbm-buds of a tree being always formed the year 
before, they will be few and weak in a thicket of leaves, 
as debarred of the neceflary fun and air. Watering wall- 
trees with an engine fmartly on a fummer’s evening, is 
conducive to their health, and frees them from iniefts. 
The fruitfulness of wall-trees is derived from then- 
proper form and health; and which will very much de¬ 
pend upon good management in the winter. If the trees 
have been properly attended to during the fummer, there 
will be now lefs to do; and the leading objefts are to 
thin them, taking out what wood is to fpare, in order to 
fill the tree again by fucceeding (hoots. Luxuriant wood, 
or thofe (hoots that are gigantic, mull be taken out from 
the reft, as they would impoverilh the good and deftroy 
the weak branches, and are never fruitful; but, if a tree 
is generally luxuriant, the lefs it is cut, comparatively 
fpeaking, the better. Such a tree, after a few years, may 
come to bear well; and, when it begins to (hoot mode- 
rateiy, fome of the Digged wood may be taken away every 
year, or fr.ortened down to two or three eyes, and lo 
brought into order. The more horizontally free-(hoot- 
ing trees are trained the better; as bending the (hoots 
checks the fap. 
The next object is to furnish a tree. In order to this, 
the principal ftep is the (hortening of the (hoots, which 
occafions them to throw out below the cut for future ufe. 
If they were not to be (hortened, the tree vvouid prefently 
extend a great way, bearing chiefly at the extremities, 
while in the middle it would be very thin of fruit, and 
thus a great part of the wall loft; which not to fuffer, is 
the art of a pruner that (hows he has both (kill and fore- 
fight. 
The mode of bearing in peaches, neftarines, and aprK 
cots, is on the lad year’s wood, which makes it neceflary 
to (liorten, in order to a certain fupply of (hoots for bear¬ 
ing the next year ; and thus to' have fucceffion wood in 
every part of the tree. The rule for (hortening is this: 
Coniider the ftrength of the tree, and, the more vigorous 
the lhoots are, cut off the lefs. If a luxuriant tree were 
to have its ftioots much (hortened, it wouid throw out 
nothing but wood; and, if a weak tree were not pretty 
much cut, it would not have ftrength to bear. From vi¬ 
gorous (hoots one-fourth may be cut off; from middling 
ones, one-third ; and from weak ones, one-half. In (hort¬ 
ening, make the cut at a leading- (hoot-bud, which is 
known by having a bloflbm-bvd on the fide of it; or, 
which is better, one on each fide. Blofiom-buds are 
rounder and fuller than leaf-buds, and are difcernible even 
at the fall of the leaf, and plainly ieen early in the fpring. 
It is moft definable to make the cut at twin-blofibms; yet, 
as this cannot always be done, the due proportion of 
length mull generally determine. It often happens, that 
the bloflbm-buds are chiefly, and fometimes all, at the end 
of the lhoot; blit (till it fnould be (hortened, if it is at all 
long. Never cut where there is only a bloffom-bud, and 
prefer 
