GENERAL PRACTICE. PRUNING. ,6 



buds, and, the shoot being cut back to the lower bar after the leaves have fallen, the 

 buds left develop into spurs, blossom buds being usually produced the following season, 

 as shown in 4, with sufficient wood growth, as foreshadowed, for insuring continued 

 fruitfulness. When the fact is recognised that a fruit tree is composed of a number of 

 those branches it will be seen how easy it is to crowd the trees with useless side- growths 

 from them by errors in management, or to produce spurs, blossom buds, and fruit by 

 correct manipulation intelligent pruning. 



Winter Pruning. With due attention in summer very little winter pruning will 

 be required during the first few years. The less the need of the knife in the winter 

 the better. Still it is very important that what is required be performed at a proper time 

 and in an efficient manner. Side-shoots must be cut back to three buds. These, if 

 the shoots have been stopped in summer, and the root action is not exuberant, will in 

 all probability develop into spurs the following season; but if the summer shoots have 

 been allowed to grow at will the buds will assuredly push strongly the following year. 

 This is a misfortune, as the tree becomes crowded with useless growths. Beyond 

 shortening the extensions of summer-pruned trees to originate growths for filling 

 vacant space, or to form spurs towards the base, and cutting out dead and useless wood, 

 no further manipulation is needed. What is known as winter pruning should really 

 be done in the autumn, when the leaves are ripe and ready for falling. The wounds 

 heal better, and an early and full period of rest is assured. The work may, however, 

 be done in mild weather after the leaves have fallen if it could not be done before. 

 Pruning in frosty weather causes the cuts to be acted on similarly to wounds in human 

 fingers, namely, they do not heal kindly, the wood often splitting and the bark dying 



back a considerable distance. 



I 



Winter pruning is useful in improving the form of trees ; but its chief object should 

 be the restoring of impaired vitality. Thinning the growths and cutting back those 

 which are weakly invigorate the parts left, inasmuch as these receive sap which would 

 otherwise be distributed among those removed, and the concentration of sap on fewer 

 buds must of necessity result in stronger growth. There is, however, danger in pruning 

 much-enfeebled trees too severely at once. Moderation is best in all things. As a rule 

 one-third the branches may be cut out or off at first ; then, noting what the effect is, take 

 out more another season, and so on, the useless growths in that way being removed 

 without causing a needless amount of fruitless spray to be produced, which often 

 renders the remedial measures profitless. New heads may be put on old stumps by a 



VOL. i. 



