Pruning, as practised in the garden, has for its object the regulation of the branches to secure the due production of blossom and maturity of fruit. If carried to too great an extent, that object is not attained, for every tree requires a certain amount of leaf-surface for the elaboration of its sap; and, therefore, if this be reduced too much, blossom buds are produced less abundantly, for leaves are more necessary for the health of the plant, and by a wise provision the parts less requisite for individual vigour are superseded by the parts more needed. On the other hand, if the branches are left too thick, they overshadow those beneath them, and so exclude the light, as to prevent that elaboration of the sap, without which no blossom buds are formed, but an excessive production of leaves, in the vain effort to attain by an enlarged surface that elaboration which a smaller surface would effect in a more intense light. The appropriate pruning is given when considering each species of fruit trees, and here we must confine ourselves to a few general remarks: "The season for pruning must be regulated in some degree by the strength of the tree; for although, as a general rule, the operation should not take place until the fall of the leaf indicates that vegetation has ceased, yet if the tree be weak, it may be often performed with advantage a little earlier; but still so late in the autumn as to prevent the protrusion of fresh shoots.

This reduction of the branches before the tree has finished vegetating, directs a greater supply of sap to those remaining, and stores up in them the supply for increased growth next season. If the production of spurs is the object of pruning a branch, it should be pruned so as to leave a stump; because as the sap supplied to the branch will be concentrated upon those buds remaining at its extremity, these will be productive of shoots, though otherwise they would have remained dormant, it being the general habit of plants first to develop and mature parts that are farthest from the roots. It is thus the filbert is induced to put forth an abundance of young bearing wood, for its fruit is borne on the annual shoots, and similar treatment to a less severe extent is practised upon wall fruit." - Princ. of Gardening.

The mystery of pruning consists in being well acquainted with the mode of the bearing of the different sorts of trees, and forming an early judgment of the future events of shoots and branches, and many other circumstances, for which some principal rules may be given; but there are particular instances which cannot be judged of but upon the spot, and depend chiefly upon practice and observation. - Peaches, nectarines, apricots, etc, all produce their fruit principally upon the young wood of a year old; that is, the shoots produced this year bear the year following; so that in all these trees, a general supply of the best shoots of each year must be everywhere preserved at regular distances, from the very bottom to the extremity of the tree on every side; but in winter pruning, or general shortening, less or more, according to the strength of the different shoots, is necessary, in order to promote their throwing out, more effectually, a supply of young wood the ensuing summer, in proper place for training in for the succeeding year's bearing.

Vines also produce their fruit always upon the young wood shoots of the same year, arising from the eyes of the last year's wood only; and must, therefore, have a general supply of the best regular shoots of each year trained in, which, in winter pruning, must be shortened to a few eyes, in order to force out shoots from their lower parts, only properly situated to lay in for bearing the following year.

Figs bear also only upon the young wood of a year old, and a general supply of it is, therefore, necessary every year; but these shoots must at no time be shortened, unless the ends are dead, because they always bear principally towards the extreme part of the shoots, which, if shortened, would take the bearing or fruitful parts away; besides, they naturally throw out a sufficient supply of shoots every year for future bearing, without the precaution of shortening.

Apple, pear, plum, and cherry trees bear principally on spurs, arising in the wood of from two or three, to ten or twenty years old, the same branches and spurs continuing bearing a great number of years; so that, having once procured a proper set of branches in the manner already directed to form a spreading head, no farther supply of wood is wanted than some occasional shoots now and then to supply the place of any worn out or dead branch. The above-mentioned spurs or fruit-buds are short robust roots of from about half an inch to one or two inches long, arising naturally, first towards the extreme parts of the branches of two or three years old, and, as the branch increases in length, the number of fruit-buds increases accordingly.

In pruning always cut quite close, both in the summer and winter pruning, which, in the summer pruning, if attended to early, while the shoots are quite young and tender, they may readily be rubbed off quite close with the thumb; but when the shoots become older and woody, as they will not readily break, it must be done with a knife, cutting them as close as possible; and all winter pruning must always be performed with a knife. In pruning in summer, the necessary supply of regular shoots left for training in should never be shortened during this season, unless to particular shoots, to fill a vacancy; for, by a general shortening in this season, all the shoots so treated would soon push again vigorously from every eye, and render the trees a thicket of useless wood. Therefore, all sorts, whether they require shortening in the winter pruning or not, should, in the summer dressing, be layed in at full length; but towards the end of August, the extreme points may be pinched off with great advantage.

The sap is thus made to complete the growth of the shoot, and not to increase its length; and it is too late in the season for fresh shoots to be induced.

Summer pruning is a most necessary operation. Young shoots require thinning to preserve the beauty of the trees, and encourage the fruit; and the sooner it is performed the better. It is, therefore, advisable to begin this work in May, or early in June, removing all superfluous growths and ill placed shoots, which may be performed with considerably more expedition and exactness than when after the trees have shot a considerable length. Where, however, a tree is inclined to luxuri-ancy, it is proper to retain as many of the regular shoots as can be commodi-ously trained in with any regularity, in order to divide and exhaust the too abundant sap. It will be necessary to review the trees occasionally, in order to reform such branches or shoots as may have started from their places, or taken a wrong direction; also that, accordingly as any fresh irregular shoots produced since the general dressing may be displaced; and, likewise, as the already trained shoots advanced in length, or project from the wall or espalier, they should be trained in close.

In the winter pruning, a general regulation must be observed, both of the mother branches, and the supply of young wood laid in the preceding summer; and the proper time for this work is any time in open weather, from the fall of the leaf in November, until March; but the sooner the better. In performing this work, it is proper to unnail or loosen a chief part of the branches, particularly of peaches, nectarines, apricots, vines, and other trees requiring an annual supply of young wood. First look overall the principal or mother branches, and examine it any are worn out, or not furnished with parts proper for bearing fruit, and let such branches be cut down to the great branch from which they proceed, or to any lower shoot or bottom part, leaving these to supply its place. Likewise examine if any branches are become too long for the allotted space, either at sides or top, and let them be reformed accordingly, by shortening them down to some lower shoot or branch properly situated to supply the place, being careful that every branch terminates in a young shoot for a leader, and not stumped off at the extremity.

From the principal or larger branches pass to the shoots of the year which were trained up in summer, first cutting out close all foreright and other irregular shoots that may have been omitted in the summer pruning ; likewise all very weak shoots, and those of very luxuriant growth, unless it be necessary to keep some to supply a vacant place. In this pruning, as in the summer dressing, it is of importance to have a strict eye to the lower parts of wall-trees, etc, to see if there is any present vacancy, or any that apparently will soon happen, in which cases, if any good shoot is situated contiguous, it should be trained in, either at full length, or shorten it to a few eyes, to force out two or more shoots, if they shall seem necessary; for precaution should ever be observed in taking care to have betimes a sufficient stock of young wood coming forward to fill up any casual vacancy, and substitute a new set of branches in place of such as are either decayed or stand in need of retrenchment.

Sometimes in wall-trees and espaliers there are many large disagreeable barren spurs, consisting both of old worn out fruit spurs, and of clusters of stumps of shortened shoots projecting considerably from the branches, occasioned by unskilful pruning, when retrenching the superabundant and irregular shoots which, instead of being cut out close, are stumped off to an inch or two long. At this season of pruning, it is advisable to reform them as well as possible, by cutting all the most disagreeable stumps close to the branches, leaving these at full length, especially if apples, pears, etc, and reserve an occasional supply of young wood in different parts, and thus, in two or three years, you may reduce such trees to a regular figure, and a proper state of bearing.

Too severe pruning is greatly prejudicial to the health of some sorts of fruit. Plums and cherries, in particular, are often greatly damaged by a too severe discipline of the knife, these trees being very liable to gum by large amputations. It is, therefore, of importance to attend to these trees well in the summer pruning, to retrench all the superfluous and irregular shoots while quite young, and pinch others occasionally where wood is wanted to fill vacancies, so as to require but little pruning out of large wood in winter. - Abercrombie.