right mode of pruning them, are not at all understood, either by the writers on gardening of this country or the continent."

He also says, "Now a wall tree, from the advantageous position of its leaves, relative to the light, probably generates much more sap, comparatively with the number of its buds, than a standard tree of the same size; and when it attempts to empty its reserved sap in the spring, the gardener is compelled to destroy (and frequently does so too soon and too abruptly) a very large portion of the small succulent shoots emitted, and the aphis too often prevents the growth of those which remain; the sap in consequence stagnates, and appears often to choak the passages through the small branches, which in consequence become incurably unhealthy, and stinted in their growth; and Nature then finds means of employing the accumulated sap, (which, if retained, would generate the morbid exudation gum,) in the production of luxuriant shoots. These shoots, our gardeners, from Langley to Forsyth, have directed to be shortened in summer, or cut out in the succeeding spring; but I have found great advantages in leaving them wholly unshortened, when they have uniformly produced the finest possible bearing wood for the succeeding year; and so far is this practice from having a tendency to render naked the lower or internal parts of the tree, whence those branches spring, that the strongest shoots they afford, universally issue from the buds near

their basis. I have also found that the laterals that spring from those luxuriant shoots, if stopped at the first leaf, often afford very strong blossoms and fine fruit in the succeeding season; whenever, therefore, space can be found to train in the luxuriant shoot, I think it should rarely or never be either cut out or shortened; it should, however, never be trained perpendicularly when this can be avoided."

In these remarks Mr. Knight is correct: all the different authors I have quoted, except Hitt, direct the strong branches to be cut out or shortened; and it is now the general practice, because (I presume) they found them uniformly produced from the most vertical buds in the centre of the trees; and therefore could not find room to train them in, but by nailing them upright; and when this was done, the strongest branches again formed on the upper ends of these, and soon grew out of bounds; and where there was room to train them in, they were shortened, in order to keep the shoots as near the centre or root as possible.

young

After three or four years, I think Mr. Knight must find it difficult to get room to train in the luxuriant branches that will rise from the centre of his trees, unless he trains them perpendicularly; but which he particularly (and no doubt correctly) observes, ought not to be done. If, therefore, such shoots are continually produced, (and which, from the peculiar position of the branches in his method of training, I think they must be,) he has

no alternative, but must do as the others have directed, cut them out, or shorten them.

Although, therefore, Mr. Knight might correctly estimate the value of luxuriant branches, he has not pointed out the means of directing their growth in such places where they are wanted, and where they might be trained in with advantage.

105

DEDUCTION AND APPLICATION

OF THE

LAWS OF NATURE,

ORDAINED FOR THE SUPPORT AND GOVERNMENT OF
VEGETABLES.

For whatever purpose we suppose vegetables to be created, it is clearly the order of Nature, that all kinds advance by progressive degrees in their growth to attain the fructiferous state; and as it is in the perfect accomplishment of this that fruit trees become valuable to mankind, and the seed or fruit being the chief object for which they are cultivated, the attention of an artist, in training and pruning, must be principally directed to the means required to assist Nature in the attainment of this her purpose.

To arrange therefore a system of raising, training, and pruning fruit trees, in a scientific manner, it will be necessary, first, to lay down and explain those laws, or principles of Nature, which are ordained for their support and government, and more particularly of those plants or trees that form the peculiar subject of the present work; and with this view I shall reduce them to the eight following theorems.

First. The roots of plants are gradually extended and impelled forward into the earth, and annually collect, absorb, and dispense an increased quantity of food, so long as they grow unobstructed.

Second. Water, holding in solution certain animal and vegetable matter, and earth, constitutes the food of plants, and a current, change, or circulation of water in the soil, is necessary to sustain the life and preserve the health of plants.

Third. The food of plants is taken up by the roots in a state of fluid, and is digested and impelled upwards through the stem, branches, &c. ; and as it passes, each part of the plant selects and appropriates the portion adapted to its use, and the residue, or that which is excrementitious, is thrown off by the leaves.

Fourth. Whether the supply of food be great or small, the fluids taken up must flow, or spread over a proportionate surface of trunk, branches, and leaves, and be duly exposed to the action of light, heat, and air, before a tree can attain a perfect fructiferous state.

Fifth.

All trees are furnished with many more buds than they can sustain to form fruit and branches; the position of the buds determine their office, and those formed for wood buds, occupy the most eligible situation for extending the branches; the others form fruit buds, or lie dormant, until wanted to supply the casual loss of any wood buds above them.

Sixth. The loss of any part of the buds or young