HORTICULTURE. 897 
prefer tliofe flioots that are fhorteft jointed, and have the 
bloflbms molt in the middle. The flioots that lie well, 
and are fruitful, or healthy,' and but a few inches long, 
may be left whole. Always contrive to have a good lea¬ 
der at the end of every principal branch. 
In furnifhing a tree, confider wh^re it wants wood, arrd 
cut the neareft unbearing branch, or, for want of fuch, a 
bearing one, down to one, two, or more, eyes, according to 
tjie number of Ihoots defired, for in fuch clofe fliortening, 
a Ihoot will come from each eye. With a view to wood 
for filling up a naked place, a ihoot formed after Midfum- 
mer may be thus fhortened; though the general rule is, 
to difplace all fuch late Ihoots as ulelefs; the belt depen¬ 
dence for bloflbms being on the early-formed flioots.- 
The belt time for winter-pruning is at the fall of the 
leaf, and fliould take place as foon as the leaves begin to 
fall. November-is,’ generally fpeaking, a good time; but, 
if this month be pair, then February, if it is mild, or as 
foon after as poflibie, fliould be embraced for this pur- 
pofe. 
An autumnrpruning will make the tree ftronger, and 
the blolfoms come bolder and forwarder; and, if trees are 
then cut, it greatly leffens the work of fpring. This prac¬ 
tice gives alfo a better opportunity to crop the borders 
with cauliflowers, lettuces, radiflies, &c. to hand the win- 
.ter. But, though an autumn-pruning is for thefe reafons 
to be recommended, yet it is belt to leave young trees, 
for a year or two, after heading down, till fpring; and 
luxuriant trees ought alfo to be lo left, not only to check 
the tlrength of the coming Ihoots, but to fee better where 
their blolfoms are, that no fruit be loll, as in this Hate 
they bear but fparingly. 
" In an autumn-pruning, apricots Ihould becutlaft; but, 
if fpring be the time, the rule is to begin with apricots, 
then peaches, and laftly nectarines. Apricots fliould not 
be fo much Ihortened as peaches, nor do they fo well en¬ 
dure the knife. Shoots of the apricot, if under a foot, 
may be left uncut, if there be room. The fpurs of apri¬ 
cots fliould be fpared, if not too long, or numerous ; for 
they bear well, and continue for years. Some forts of 
peaches alfo put out fruit-fpurs, and mult be managed ac¬ 
cordingly : for a pruner’s bufinels confilts not Amply in 
providing a prefent or a next year’s crop of fruit, but to 
manage his trees fo as to lay a foundation for years to 
come. He is to anticipate confequences, and provide for 
the future. 
The thinning of fruit, when too thick upon the tree, 
is a bufinefs that mult be annually attended to; feu - it 
will generally prove lofs, and not gain, to leave too many 
for ripening. It weakens the tree, prevents ftrong blof- 
foms for the next year, and hinders the fruit from, com¬ 
ing to its fize and flavour. This work fliould be done 
when the fruit is about the fize of a horfe-bean. 
The rule for thinning is, to leave no two fruits fc. clofe 
ns to fwell one againft another; except the tree is gene¬ 
rally ftiort of fruit, when twins may be left on ftrong 
branches. Three or four, on a long and ftrong branch, 
are quite enough, and fo in proportion for weaker wood; 
this is faid of the larger forts of'peaches and nectarines; 
apricots may, in general, be left fomewhat thicker on 
a flouriftiing tree, and the let's kinds of peaches and 
apricots may ftill be fomewhat more numerous, as the 
early mafeuline apricot, the nutmeg-peach, and nutmeg- 
nectarine ; there may alfo be more nectarines left on a 
tree than peaches. 
Vines require great attention, as to pruning and train¬ 
ing; but all will avail little, if they have not a warm foil, 
and full fun, or fome accidental advantage, as being plant¬ 
ed at the back of a warm chimney; and, though they 
will grow and bear leaves any where, they will not fruit 
well in England, without a favourable feafon, or hot fum- 
mer. Young new-planted vines fliould be pruned quite 
ftiort, for two or three years, that they may get ftrong. 
If the plant has a weak root, not above one ihoot ought 
to grow the firft year, which ihould be cut down in au- 
Vql. X. No. 670. 
tumn, or to two or three eyes. The beft time fo; - the 
principal or winter pruning of vines is as foon as 
the fruit is oft', or the leaves falling. November does 
very well; and, if this month pafl.es, February ihould be 
adopted, rather than quite , in the winter. Late in the 
fpring they are apt to bleed by cutting, which greatly 
weakens them. 
The mode of bearing in vines is only on fnoots of the 
prefent year, proceeding from year-old wood. The rule, 
therefore, at winter-pruning, is, to referve fuch flioots of 
the year as are beft fituated as to room, for training of 
tliofe flioots that are to come from them, which will be 
almoft one from every eye. Make choice of tliofe that 
are placed moft towards the middle, or item of the vine, 
that all the wall may be covered with bearing-wood; 
and every year cut fome old yvood out that reaches far, 
to make room for younger to follow. The referved 
ihoots fliould be twelve or fifteen inches afunder, if they 
are ftrong, and weak ones may be fomething lefs; hardly 
too much room can be allowed them. The fliortening of 
the flioots fliould he according to their ftrength, and thj 
fpace there is for training tiiofe flioots that will be pro¬ 
duced, which always grow very long. If there is room, 
three, four, or five, eyes may be left, but not more to any 
ihoot, except it is defirable to extend fome ihoot to a dil- 
tance to fill up a particular fpace, and then eight or nine 
eyes may be left; which being repeated again another 
year, a vine will foon extend itfelf to a great diftance. 
Sometinies vines are trained on low walls, by a long ex¬ 
tended horizontal branch, a few inches from the ground, 
as a mother bearer. Tliofe flioots that come from this 
horizontal are to’be trained perpendicularly, and cut 
down to one or two eyes every year, that they may not 
encroach too fall on the fpace above them. If the vine 
is confined to a narrow but lofty fpace, it is to be trained 
to an extended perpendicular mother bearer, having ftiort 
lateral flioots pruned down to a Angle eye, or at moft two. 
The management of vines requires ample cutting, that 
they may not he too full in the fummer ; for they put out 
a great deal of wood, and extend their flioots to a great 
length ; and therefore the pruner muft refolve fo cut out 
enough. 
The fummer management of vines muft alfo be care¬ 
fully attended to. As foon as the young flioots can be 
nailed to the wall, let them not be neglefted; but remem¬ 
ber they, are very tender, and will not bear much bend¬ 
ing; train in only the well-placed flioots, rubbing or 
breaking off the others. The embryo fruit is foon feen 
in the bofom of the fiioot, and tliofe thus furniftied are of 
courfe to be laid in, as many as can be founcl room for, 
in preference to thofe flioots that are barren, which ne- 
verthelefs fliould alfo be trained, if they are ftrong and 
well placed, and there is fpace for them. Rub off all 
flioots from old wood, except any tolerable one that pro¬ 
ceeds from a part where wood ,is wanting to fill up fome 
vacant fpace. The flopping of the flioots is to take place 
according to the ftrength and fituation of them, or whe¬ 
ther fruitful or barren. , Thofe weak Ihoots that have 
fruit, and are ill placed, or confined for room, may be 
flopped at the fecond, or even firft, joint above the fruit, 
early in the fummer; but thofe flioots that are ftrong, and 
have room to grow, fliould not be flopped till they are in 
flower, in July, and at jdie third or fourth joint above the 
fruit. The barren flioots are to be trained at full length, 
and not flopped at all, if there is room for them, or, at 
leaft, but a little fhortened towards autumn, as in Au- 
guft, becaufe they would put out a number of ufelefs and 
ftrong fide-flioots, if cut fboner. 
Fig-trees are beft pruned early in Oftober; but the 
more ufual time is early in fpring, as after an autumn 
cutting, if late, they are apt to die.' But, if not com¬ 
pletely pruned at this time, let the ftragglers be taken 
out, and the reft laid in clofe without ftraining : thus 
they will be more conveniently covered. The mode of 
bearing in the fig is, that, fruit chiefly comes the prefent 
5'I year 
