266 THE GARDENER. [June 



have annually to be removed at the top of the tree. In practice, all 

 other things being equal, there is little difficulty experienced in thus 

 furnishing the lower portions of the tree with bearing wood. All cut- 

 ting should be effected with a sharp thin knife ; and whenever it be- 

 comes necessary to remove an old limb, the wound should be painted 

 solidly over with white paint. 



I have already referred to what is termed Seymour's system of train- 

 ing, from its having been first adopted at Carlton Hall in Yorkshire, 

 by a gardener of that name. By this system a tree of great regularity 

 and neatness is formed. It differs from the fan system of training in 

 there being no lateral growths allowed on the lower sides of the lead- 

 ing branches. ' Figure 14 will illustrate this mode of training. "The 

 first step in starting a newly-planted maiden tree upon Seymour's 

 system, is to head the plant down to three eyes, each of which eyes 

 will produce a shoot in summer; at pruning time head down the 



Fig. 14. 



centre shoot of these to three eyes, to produce in the following summer 

 three more shoots as before, leaving the side shoots always at full 

 length. In spring all the buds on the lower sides of these side 

 branches, and these from 9 to 12 inches asunder, are rubbed off, leav- 

 ing those only which proceed from the upper side of the branch; 

 when the young wood has extended to the length of 5 or 6 inches 

 they are stopped, but the leading branches are not interfered with. 

 Every year will produce a side shoot on each side of the tree, and the 

 laterals that proceed from them at the distance w^e have stated are at 

 first laid in between them, but the following spring these are removed 

 from the wall and trained up on the main side branches. By the 

 autumn of the third year the number of laterals will be doubled on 

 the two side branches first laid in, as a new lateral is sure to spring 

 from the base of the one laid in the previous season, as well as one 

 from its point. As to winter pruning in the fourth year, all the later- 

 als of two years' growth, and which have already produced a crop of 



