48 



and to keep the top well headed down. It is very undesirable- 

 to cut into the old wood of an apricot tree, and it is never 

 necessary if the annual pruning has been done. If one season 

 you neglect this cutting away of the tops, and have to cut into 

 the old wood the following year, the symmetry of the tree is- 

 destroyed for ever. Any professional man could detect it at a 

 glance half a dozen years after the omission. 



Another important point to remember is, to cut all the dead 

 fruit spurs on the main stem, because after this is done the 

 dormant buds on either side will be more inclined to throw out ; 

 and when they do they are sure to form fine fruit producers. 



1900. We still consider our 1896 directions good throughout,, 

 but would say that instead of cutting back the fruit spurs to two 

 or three inches we should shorten them from four inches to seven 

 inches, dependent entirely on the length, and as a rough guide- 

 we would say shorten all those of over eight inches long to half 

 their original length, those between four and eight inches long 

 shorten to four inches, and those of a less length than four inches 

 leave alone. 



As regards the long tops, when the tree gets over five years of 

 age we would say shorten them in one-third of their length. 



THE PLUM (INCLUDING ALL PRUNES). 



1896. The Plum also bears on the short spurs, consisting of a 

 mass of sharply pointed buds of half an inch and upwards, and 

 also on the laterals of from six inches to two feet in length,, 

 in each case thrown out from the old wood. At the second 

 winter pruning one will expect to find a long rampant perpendi- 

 cular growth, two or three shoots being thrown out from the 

 terminal buds of the wood allowed to remain at the last 

 cutting. The object should always be to spread the tree. It 

 is therefore advisable to retain the outward shoot, shortening it 

 in to one-third its original length. Never retain the whole of 

 the long perpendicular growth on each branch, but it is quite 

 allowable to retain two such growths 011 one limb, should they 

 be well spread apart, and if number two tends to fill a space in 

 the general symmetry of the head. Should any laterals be 

 thrown out they must not be cut away, but shortened-in to a 

 third of their length. These laterals, which will later carry the- 

 majority of the crop, must be carefully tended to keep them in 

 a healthy condition. The year after they are first thrown out.. 

 and the shortening-in just described has been done, they will 

 form fruit-buds on the majority, their length, and also throw out 

 short growths from their terminal buds, which should be 

 shortened-in, and so treated in successive seasons. One's whole- 

 object in spreading the foundation of the tree is to give these- 



