138 



THE APPLE VULTURIST. 



Fig. 63. 



A fan-shaped tree. 



Renewing Apple-trees. The fan-shaped system, as was 

 hinted at on a preceding page, enables the pomologist to 

 renew the bearing branches with more facility than it can 

 be done when the head of the tree is of any other form. 

 When the bearing shoots have become too old to yield full 

 crops, let a portion of them be cut away entirely, or in part, 

 after which new shoots and new fruit-spurs will appear, 

 which may be trained at pleasure, according to the direc- 

 tions of the preceding pages. Fig. 63 indicates, by the cir- 

 cular dotted line, where the branches may be cut back, when 

 it is desirable to renew the bearing twigs. This is easily 

 accomplished by summer pruning, done generally in July or 

 the fore part of August, and even later, when the season of 

 growth is extended. It is not necessary to prune severely 

 to produce the desired effect ; it will be sufficient to clip off 



