PLANTING, PRUNING, AND TRAINING FRUIT-TREES. 



199 



Fig. 1. 



it should be strong and of the best steel, with a considerable curve, so as tc 

 take a good hold of the wood. The manner of ope- 

 rating is far from indifferent. The amputation should 

 be made as near as possible to the bud, but without 

 touching it ; the cut should begin on the opposite 

 side, and on a level with its lower part, made at an 

 angle of 45°, and terminate just above the bud. 



511. If it is necessary to cut away a branch alto- 

 gether, a small portion of it should be left on the 

 stem, and the cut should be a smooth and bev- 

 elled one, presenting the smallest possible extent 

 of wounded surface. If made with the saw, it 

 should be made smooth with the knife or chisel, 

 and covered with grafting-paste. 



512. The first object in pruning a standard tree is 

 the formation of its head. The first pruning must 

 take place at the end of the first season after graft- 

 ing, when the scion has made its growth, as repre- 

 sented in fig. 1, when two shoots 

 have sprung from the graft. To 

 form a full round head, the two 

 shoots should be pruned in to a, a. 

 The year after the tree will pre- 

 sent the appearance represented 

 in fig. 2 ; or, if three shoots have 

 been left the first year, and the 

 whole three headed in, in the fol- 

 lowing year they will appear as in 

 fig. 3, each shoot having thrown 

 out two new branches. The one 

 tree now presents a head of six, 

 and the other four shoots. At the 

 end of the second year both are 

 to be headed back, the one to 

 the shape indicated by the cross- 

 ing lines a, a, a, a, the other as 

 nearly as possible to the same 

 distance from the graft. 



515. Another year's gi-owth will, in each instance, double the number of 

 main shoots, which are now eight and six respectively, as represented in 

 fig. 5. If a greater number of shoots appear, or if any of them seem badly 

 placed, theii' growth should be prevented by pinching off the tops when yoimg, 

 aad pnming them clean off when the tree has shed its leaves. The time for 



