full power, equally to the ripening grapes, that they may acquire perfection before the cold and wet in autumn commences, and ripen with their peculiar richness and flavour.
Fig-trees, of which the fruit is now full growth, should have all the former trained summer shoots continued and nailed close to the wall, fill in their full extension, to admit all power of the sun to ripen the figs in best perfection.
To plums, pears, cherries, &c. in wall-trees, give also still some attention to displacing autumnal lateral growths, and to reform irregularities in the general necessary ramification; if any are detached from the nail, or extended considerably in length since the last regulation, nail them up close in regular order.
To espalier trees of apples, pears, &c. give any necessary regulation or adjustment in displacing any suckers, and tying in the projecting and long extending shoots as in the wall-trees.
Wall-fruit that is ripe defend from birds, wasps, and flies, by the means adopted in August. Also grapes fully ripe guard from wasps and birds, by putting some of the best bunches in bags of fine paper; or rather of a thin gauze or crape, that will admit the sun and keep off insects, &c. or defend the whole from birds by nailing up nets.
Ripe fruit will now be general in all wall, espalier, and standard trees, which be careful to gather when in best perfection, before too ripe; especially some particular sorts, as peaches, nectarines, plums pears, &c. for present eating.
Summer apples and pears in perfection gather for present supply, but not for keeping.
Borders designed for planting with wall and espalier trees begin now to prepare by digging, trenching, and manuring with dung, or an addition of fresh loam, where convenient, if the borders are of a light dry temperature, or other unfavourable soil.
OCTOBER.
THE material business at this time is to give proper attention to the gathering of all winter fruits, particularly apples and pears for keeping: and the several autumnal fruits for present supply according as they ripen, and in late wall-fruits keeping all the shoots nailed close to admit the full sun, especially grapes; and likewise to prepare borders, &c. for planting wall and espalier trees and standards this month, and any time next, as likewise to commence winter pruning on some sorts of stone fruits, if the leaves are fallen or decayed.
Gather apples and pears now of full growth, both of autumnal eating and winter keeping kinds, all on dry days; and all the autumnal kinds, and those designed for keeping should be gathered by hand. Apples are proper both for present use, and to keep several months; but in the winter pears, few are
are fit for immediate eating, only for stewing, &c. they ripen to perfection as they lie in the house, sooner or later, according to the different sorts, from next month and December, till March and April, and those late ripeners will keep some till May or June.
Carry all the sorts as gathered into the fruitery or any dry close apartment; lay the keeping sorts in heaps to discharge the redundant moisture; place the different sorts separate, and closely covered from the air with clean straw a foot or more thick to exclude the external air, by which they will keep better and longer.
Gather also quinces and medlars, some of the former for present use and the rest for keeping. The medlars are not eatable till they are in a state of decay as it were, soft and buttery; they should be laid some every week in moist bran to promote and expedite that peculiar state of perfection.
To grapes not yet fully ripened, in many late sorts, give all possible assistance by keeping the shoots nailed in close, to admit the full sun to all the bunches of fruit; and where any bunches are entangled, disengage them, that they may hang regular in their proper position to partake an equal benefit of the sun's heat to forward the whole to perfection.
Late ripening peaches, and nectarines, continuing to come in all this month, particularly peaches, they require the full sun to give them proper flavour; you should therefore keep all shoots of the trees closely nailed that nothing may shade the fruit to impede its ripening in all possible perfection.
Planting of fruit-trees may be commenced this month when the leaves begin to decay, nor material whether fallen or not, only determining by their decaying state that the trees having terminated their growth for this year, admit of removal.
Prepare the borders, &c. where intended to plant any trees this or next month, &c. Let borders for wall and espalier trees be improved where needful, by addition of dung; and to light, dry, or other unfavourable soils, add a supply of fresh loamy earth, which will prove beneficial to the places where the trees are to be planted.
NOVEMBER.
In this month finish gathering any remaining late fruits, prepare for, and forward all intended planting of fruit-trees, being an eligible season for transplanting most sorts, both for walls, espaliers, and standards; also the general operation of winter pruning and nailing, which should now be forwarded at all opportunities.
Finish gathering late fruit of apples and pears, grapes, &c. if any remain still on the trees, which should be done the first dry days, at the beginning of the month.
Wall-
where too crowded, cutting out those cross-placed and decayed; and cut away the superfluous lateral shoots of last summer, except in vacant parts.
Raspberries may now be planted in full supply of both red and white kinds, in rooted young stems, of the last summer, in rows four feet and a half distance by a yard in the row, as in the spring months.
Prune raspberries by cutting out all the dead or old stems, thinning the young to three or four of the best on each main stool, and shorten them a foot or more at top.
DECEMBER.
THE fruit-tree business of this month is principally the same as in the last; that is, if open weather, to prepare ground where needful, to plant with any kind of fruit-trees as may be wanted, or intended for planting this, or the two following months when the weather admits; but for fear of severe frost it is adviseable to finish the principal planting early in the month, all however that is intended before Christmas; and as to pruning, it may be continued at any time when convenient, all this month.
Standard-tree planting may be forwarded now in all sorts in open weather, as apples, pears, plums, cherries, medlars, quinces, mulberries, almonds, walnuts, &c. both in gardens and orchards, from twenty or thirty to forty or fifty feet distance.
Wall-tree pruning may be forwarded in peaches, nectarines, apricots, pears, plums, cherries, and vines; and according as each tree is pruned nail the branches horizontally to the wall, four, five, or six inches distance, in regular order.
Plant orchard trees where intended, as apples, pears, plums, cherries, &c. in full standards, thirty, forty, or fifty feet square, to form strait ranges each way, may likewise occasionally plant half standards grafted, &c. on dwarf stocks, in small orchards at less distances.
Gooseberries and currants may be planted any time this month in open weather, having them with clean stems and full heads, bearing next year, &c. and either planted in a single range round the quarters, &c. of a kitchen garden, fix or eight feet distance, or in wide crops ranges, to divide the ground into breaks, from twenty to forty feet wide.
Espalier-tree planting may be performed in apples, pears, fifteen or twenty feet, plums, cherries, quinces, medlars, fifteen feet distance.
Fruit in the fruitery, consisting of apples, pears, medlars, quinces, examine occasionally, to remove what are decayed or rotten, and keep the whole closely covered with straw a foot thick or more, to exclude the air and damps.