io6 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Fig. 2260. Branches of Morello Cherry (half 

 size), showing last year's shoots (a, a) and fruit 

 spurs (b) along the sides of the older wood. 



others, and kinds that sucker readily may 

 easily be propagated by root-cuttings. 



Fruit Branches. 



When trees begin bearing fruit, special 

 forms of branches may be found in them, 

 that are not noticeable in young trees not 

 yet in bearing. These are the branches upon 

 which the fruit is produced. Different kinds 

 of trees have different kinds of fruiting 

 branches with which it is important that the 

 fruit grower should be familiar. 



One of the most insignificant-looking 

 branches, yet the most important in its pro- 

 ductiveness, is what is known as the fruit- 

 spur. 



Fruit-spurs. 



These are short, stunted-looking branches 

 which differ much in appearance and habit 

 of growth in different fruits, as may be seen 

 by the accompanying illustrations. 



In apple and pear trees, the fruit-spur 

 makes its appearance first as a prominent 

 bud on wood at least two years old. During 

 the second season, it lengthens a short dis- 

 tance, and bears only a cluster of leaves, but 

 the third season it usually blooms ; and, if 

 all goes well, bears fruit. After fruiting, it 

 branches again just below where the fruit is 

 produced, extends half an inch or more, and 

 bears again, and usually continues branching 

 and bearing in alternate seasons. After 

 several years of such growth, the branch 

 may not be over six to eight inches in length, 

 and yet the scars on its sides may show that 

 it has several times produced fruit. Fig. 

 2261 shows an apple fruit-spur of seven 

 seasons' growth, which has produced four 

 apples, as seen by the large scars at (a). 

 Three attempts at bearing have been made 

 at (b) but the blossoms have fallen without 

 setting fruit, as shown by the small scars ; 

 and six strong fruit-buds at (c) give promise 

 of fruit next year. 



In vigorous young apple and pear trees 

 just beginning to bear, most of the fruit will 

 be found at the end of the slender fruiting 

 branches from six to ten inches in length, 

 usually in the centre of the tree. 



Such branches were shoots that began life 

 with the evident intention of producing noth- 

 ing but wood and leaves, as has been the 

 custom in the tree, the terminal bud of each 

 has been tranformed into a fruit-bud, and " 

 Nature has directed their energy to the pro- 

 duction of fruit. 



When the trees are bare of foliage, the 

 fruit-spurs may often be noticed very much 

 enlarged and swollen. This is quite com- 

 monly seen in the Ben Davis and Oldenburg 

 apple trees and also in some kinds of peat^^ 



