PRUNING AND TRAINING 67 



above an outer eye. Keep the centre open. In later 

 years stop gross or robber shoots in June, clipping 

 some leaves of the latter, if necessary. Never allow 

 boughs to cross, and keep all the tree fairly open. 

 When the tree begins to bear, little pruning is 

 necessary. But stopping luxuriant shoots about mid- 

 summer is good for the other branches, and for the 

 production of fruit buds before winter. Complete 

 pruning early in August. In winter cut out dead 

 wood, and shorten boughs wherever fresh wood is 

 required. The wood of the Victoria plum is very 

 brittle, and requires special treatment. Shorten the 

 strong growing luxuriant branches of this variety in 

 July ; otherwise later on they will break when loaded 

 with fruit. Messrs Bunyard's choice of six for market 

 standards is: Rivers' Early Prolific, Czar, Early Orleans, 

 Victoria, Pond's Seedling, Rivers' Monarch. 



HALF STANDARDS (3^ feet to 4 feet high) are better, 

 and more manageable. Planted 12 feet apart, goose- 

 berries, etc., may be placed around them ; otherwise 

 they may be nearer, even up to 6 or 8 feet. These 

 should be pruned in August unless strong shoots 

 require pinching back. Stop new side shoots at the 

 sixth leaf to produce fruit-buds. Avoid excess. Wounds 

 made in August have a better chance of healing 

 while the sap is still active. Pyramids are not as useful 

 as bushes ; the former require a central stem and 

 special training. 



IN BUSHES, keep the tree open, stop strong shoots at 

 midsummer, prune new (side) shoots back to six leaves 

 about mid- August, and take out wood that is not wanted, 

 admitting the sun and air. In winter cut back any boughs 

 where fresh shoots are wanted to a wood bud at an 

 outer eye. 



TREES ON WALLS. Plums are usually put on east 

 walls, but the best repay a south as well as a west 



