278 



Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 May, 1917. 



laterals of rank-growing trees, as they arrive at the age of bearing, more 

 fruitful. 



Plate 77 shows a six-year-old Jonathan before its surplus leaders 

 were thinned out iu November. 



Plate 78 is the same tree after the performance of the operation. 

 Some pruners operate on the offending growths by simply bending down 

 and fracturing them some little distance above the points at which it 

 is intended to cut them during the succeeding winter pruning. But 



Plate 77. — Jonathan, six years old, before thinning-out. 



whether the complete or partial removal of the surplus growths be de 

 cided upon, the writer would prefer that at the Summer pruning the 

 growths should be amputated at the points fixed upon. This would not 

 only obviate the second operation of pruning oS the fractured growths 

 subsequently, but would also facilitate the healing of the bark at 

 the points where the limbs were amputated. 



The illustration represents a well-grown, nicely balanced tree, which, 

 through careful pruning is, like the others in the same block, becom- 

 ing highly fruitful. The soil on which it is growing is a fairly good 



