6 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



no case deferring the pruning later than March, and never pruning in sharp frosty 

 weather. 



H is the tree advanced a year and it will occasion little trouble, but the leader must 

 have due support, and all side shoots other than/, be pinched to three leaves in the 

 first instance, and to one subsequently as growth is made. In the autumn it has the 

 leader and side shoots (/) cut back to the bars, and is a well-furnished and promising 

 tree. The spur (g) has formed a round fruit bud, which is larger than a wood bud, and 

 is surrounded by a whorl of small leaves, and the tree is in admirable condition for 

 lifting, if dwarf culture is the object. This means restriction of growth, and so keeping 

 the tree small by detaching some roots, but not to a greater degree than shown by the 

 dotted lines, and as lifting means moving with soil adhering to the roots its chief effect 

 is to further the production of fibres, which favour the formation of fruit buds. 



Assuming that restricted culture has been decided upon, the tree H (page 4) is lifted 

 in the early autumn, with perhaps some leaves remaining on the parts last to ripen 

 and we have it replanted and leafless, as shown in 7, Fig. 3 (opposite), in the same 

 place or new quarters. The tree should have a stake 4 feet 6 inches out of the 

 ground, and pegs put in as shown, with tarred string from the pegs to the upper 

 part of the stake or 4 feet from the ground. Bamboo stakes are excellent and durable. 

 The shoots (h) which correspond to (/) in the preceding sketch (Fig. 2), are brought 

 down, as shown by ttie dotted lines, to a nearly horizontal position, and secured to 

 the strings, a light mulching of any spent material being placed on the surface 

 a little farther from the stem outwards than the roots extend. Fresh rootlets will 

 push during the winter as circumstances favour, and good growth will be made by 

 midsummer. If not lifted the tree would have made quite as much growth as shown to 

 the right of the stem in J (Fig. 3). The scale is here doubled, alike to show the tree in 

 leaf and to give our juvenile readers an idea of proportions, as well as the difference in 

 growth as influenced by lifting and replanting. Unlifted the tree will have made 

 shoots several inches in length before midsummer, as shown on the right in the figure* 

 During June stop all the leading side shoots to six leaves, not counting the small 

 base leaves as shown by the dotted lines (J), also the leader (k) ; all other shoots 

 not required for extension to be pinched at the third leaf. Fresh growths will be made, 

 but leave them until September, then cut them back to three leaves, and pinch those 

 which pushed after the previous stopping to one leaf, and the leader at the full bar. 

 This will admit the late summer sun, and, if the autumn is favourable to the maturity 



