APPLE FRUIT SPUR 



99 



SUPPLEMENTARY WORK 



How Fruit Spurs grow. —From each apple blossom bud there 

 grows a fruit spur which bears from three to five blossoms on 

 its end, and leaves on its side. The spur reaches the length of 

 about an inch by the time 

 the blossoms open, and 

 then it grows n6 more in 

 length but becomes larger 

 around than other shoots. 

 All further lengthening of 

 the branch beyond the 

 place where the ax)ple grew 

 goes on by means of a 

 shoot from the side of the 

 spur. The spur itself al- 

 ways looks as if it had 

 been broken off. 



Apple Scars. — Soon af- 

 ter the blossoms fall most 

 of the young apples also 

 fall, leaving scars which 

 may be seen for some 

 weeks. The older apples 

 in falling leave scars 

 which may be seen for 

 months or years after- 

 ward. You can tell the 



scars left by the ripe apples by their very large size. Usually 

 only one apple on each spur grows to much size, and only 

 about one spur in ten ripens an apple. If every blossom pro- 

 duced a ripe apple, the limbs would break beneath their load. 



Side Shoots. — Within a week or two after the blossoms fall 

 the young spur usually sends out one or two side shoots. 

 When do side shoots usually start on other branches ? 



Year-old Fruit Spurs and SmE 

 Shoots 



