10G THE GARDENER. [March 



to be found as a standard, and as such it sometimes succeeds remark- 

 ably well. The fruit is perhaps not so large in size or so fine 'in 

 flavour as when grown against a wall \ yet those who may not be able 

 to cultivate on walls need not fear to plant standards. When trained 

 trees are desired, the maiden shoot can be cut back to three or four 

 eyes at the first pruning. The bud below the cut ought to be on the 

 front of the branch, while the next two ought to be, one on the right, the 

 other on the left side of the shoot, so as to be in the most favourable 

 position for forming the side branches. Next year these three buds 

 should produce three shoots, the top and centre ones forming the 

 leader, the side ones forming branches. Should the leader go away 

 too strong for the other two, it would be as well to stop it at the 

 height of 12 or 15 inches, so as to throw the strength of the roots par- 

 tially back into the other branches, or cut the leaves upon it in the 

 manner recommended by Mr Thompson for the Plum, and quoted by 

 me when writing of that fruit. At the pruning season the leader 

 may be cut back to about 6 or 8 inches, leaving the top bud as already 

 directed. The two side -shoots, if ripe to the point, may be left at 

 nearly their full length. When cutting these, the point-bud should 

 be left on the upper surface of the branch, and the branch itself ought 

 to be trained in an upright direction — say an angle of 45° — to encour- 

 age a free growth the following season. It will be noticed that the 

 mode of training here recommended is neither the fan nor the hori- 

 zontal style, but a sort of modification of both. An approach to the 

 fan I consider the best ; for should a branch at any time die away, it 

 is far more easily replaced by this mode of training than any other. 

 By leaving the leader the length recommended, the horizontal style of 

 pruning is to some extent adopted ; but 6 inches being too close for 

 horizontal branches, the fan style of training must be adopted in com- 

 bination with it. The reason for recommending the adoption of this 

 plan is, to avoid the production of too many branches closely set 

 together upon the stem, which, when the tree ages, is often the 

 cause of gum exuding. Each year the pruning and training of the 

 tree must be conducted upon the same principle as that already 

 explained, until the whole tree is formed, when the point-shoots may 

 be allowed to stand without being cut back, except in cases where the 

 wood is not perfectly ripe to the points. The branches which at first 

 have been elevated should be gradually brought down to their permanent 

 positions. From 10 inches to 1 foot I consider a good distance between 

 the branches of a Cherry belonging to the spur-fruiting varieties, which 

 is the division under notice. The spurs are produced and managed 

 in much the same manner as in the case of an Apple or Pear, only 

 in the case of the Cherry the spur is generally formed by cutting 



