SPUR-PRUNINQ. 535 



tree arrives at a few inches from the top of the wall. The side- 

 branches are allowed to grow without being shortened back at any 

 time, until they have extended as far as can be permitted, when they 

 are pruned in every winter, by cutting back each leading shoot to two 

 buds from where it pushed the previous spring. Any shoots arising 

 from the fore part of the main stem are taken clean away. The buds 

 upon the wood made last year will this summer generally make fruitful 

 ones. If, on the contrary, shoots are produced instead of fruitful buds, 

 they are allowed to grow ten or twelve inches long, until the wood 

 attains a little hardness towards the bottom of it, when they are cut 

 down to about two inches in length ; and at the bottom part of what 

 remains, one or two fruit-buds are formed, so as to be productive in 

 most cases the next year, but in others not until the second year. 

 Although such a shoot was shortened as directed, yet it will generally 

 push a shoot or more the same season from the top part of it. After 

 such have grown a suitable length, they are cut back to about two 

 inches from where they pushed. If more than one shoot were pro- 

 duced after the first shortening, and a bud or two is well swelled at 

 the origin of the shoot, all the shoots are left, and shortened as 

 directed; but if no such bud is produced, all the shoots are cut 

 clean away, excepting one, which is treated in shortening as before 

 directed. The latter practice will generally be found necessary, and 

 also be more advantageous, as a greater portion of sun and air is 

 admitted to the buds, which will be considerably strengthened and 

 forwarded to a mature state. 



Third Year. Winter Prnning. Such of the buds as produced wood 

 shoots the last year, and were shortened during summer as described, 

 are now shortened more. It frequently happens that a fruitful bud, or 

 in some instances two, will have been formed at the lower part of the 

 shoot (fig. 35G, a a); such shoots are now cut off about a quarter of an 

 inch above the uppermost of the 

 fruitful buds (b) : but if fruitful buds 

 have not been produced, there will 

 be growing buds, and then the 

 shoots are cut down so as to leave 

 one bud (fig. 356, c). On some 

 occasions the growing buds and 

 fruitful buds will appear but very 



indistinctly, and in an embryo state : . * ~", . , 



, . J ' . , , J , Spur-prumng, third year. 



when this is the case the shoots 



are cut down so as to leave two of these embryo buds (d d). There 

 are generally some natural fruit-buds which did not push to shoots ; all 

 such are left entire (e}. They are of a reddish colour, and are easily 

 distinguished from growing buds, which are considerably less, and all 

 of a dark colour. 



Summer Pruning. This summer the fruitful buds are productive. 

 When the fruit has swelled a little, a shoot generally proceeds from 

 the stem of the spur, just underneath the fruit ; such are allowed to 

 grow eight or ten inches long, and are then shortened back to two 



