170 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



judicious thinning and shortening of the enfeebled branches, and that without prejudice 

 to a crop of fruit. Early winter pruning promotes earlier and stronger growth and 

 better development of both blossom and wood buds. Late winter pruning may cause 

 stagnation or paralysis in unfavourable seasons, gum or canker often following. Late 

 spring pruning is often practised on recently-transplanted trees, their branches not being 

 cut back until the sap is moving. This incites root action through a certain amount of 

 elaboration taking place in the softer parts of the shoots and a corresponding descent 

 of assimilated matter favouring speedy establishment and a free growth after cutting 

 back to firm ripe wood. Winter and spring pruning induces growth, and hence if a 

 tree is weak, cut it back, always to healthy buds, to insure clean growth. If a tree is 

 strong the growths may need to be modified, and in this case the roots must be pruned, 

 and not the branches. 



Pruning Spurs. This is little attended to in the hardier and, therefore, generally 

 the most useful kinds of fruit. The trees are considered the most promising when 

 densely crowded with blossom, and dread of spring frosts destroying it prevents the 

 thinning and shortening of the spurs, and consequently reducing the blossom buds ; yet 

 this is essential to profitable crops of fruit. Trees that are a mass of white or pink, 

 with the flower trusses crushing against each other, do not as a rule, even in the most 

 favourable seasons, set fruit nearly so well and freely as do blossoms with a due pro- 

 portion of pushing leaves. Many trees blossom splendidly year after year but are 

 sterile. No greater benefit is conferred on such than to ease them of part of their burden 

 of spurs and buds. Take away one-third, half, or, where very abundant, three-quarters 

 of the number of buds, and great good will be done. To secure large fully-perfected 

 fruit, the trees must be healthy, with the wood thoroughly matured and stored with 

 nutrient matter. This cannot be effected when the growths are overcrowded, con- 

 sequently when the spurs are thickly clustered together they must be thinned, and 

 useless sprays removed. The certain result will be fewer but firmer-textured leaves, 

 less numerous but finer blossoms, and larger and better fruit. 



An object lesson is requisite to enable the subject to be generally comprehended. 

 The desirable condition of the fruiting spurs is shown on the right hand of part of an 

 apple-tree branch (Fig. 42, page 171). The spurs are disposed thinly, and kept close to the 

 branch, whereby all parts have a fair share of light, and the fruit is more secure against 

 damage by wind. As spurs elongate and shade those nearer the stem, or encroach on 

 adjoining branches, they should be shortened, as represented, and wood growth also 



