APRICOTS DISBUDDING AND PINCHING SHOOTS. 65 



subsidiary branches, but not too thickly, 12 to 15 inches being a good distance to leave 

 them. A reservation of the best-situated growths for training in must be made in dis- 

 budding so as to insure a succession of bearing wood. The shoots retained should be 

 laid in rather close to the branch from which they take their rise, each shoot being kept 

 in its proper position by a twig of privet or hazel placed across it with the ends 

 inserted under the adjoining branches. This is better than nailing in the young 

 shoots, which, however, must be practised on extensions, but plenty of space must- 

 be allowed in the shreds for the swelling of the shoots. All shoots springing from 

 the front of the branches should be rubbed off closely and early, so that no knife 

 will be required. The best time to disbud is when the shoots are sufficiently 

 large to be taken hold of by the finger and thumb. Beyond this disbudding of the 

 tore -right and of gross ill-placed shoots everywhere, which result in useless breast- wood 

 and cause crowding, no other disbudding is required for the apricot. If the work is 

 deferred too long, or till they become woody, the bark is apt to be torn, and in that case 

 they should be removed with a knife. 



Stopping HIQ Shoots. After the disbudding there are always more shoots than are 

 required for laying-in and for the extension of the tree ; the points of these should be 

 taken out at the third or fourth leaf, and subsequent growths -stopped at the next leaf, 

 repeatedly throughout the season. These will form spurs, or be plentifully sprinkled 

 with fruit buds by autumn, and upon them fruit may be produced the following year. 

 They should not be allowed to extend too much, but be kept close to the wall. Besides 

 the shoots described there will be a number that do not grow longer than an inch or 

 two, and produce a number of leaves. These are natural spurs, and ought not to be 

 pinched or interfered with, except where they are very close together, when they may be 

 thinned. All gross, unnecessary, and attenuated growth should be removed during the 

 summer, and the earlier it is done the more benefit the parts left will receive from the 

 diverted sap and the increased light. From the natural spurs no long shoots will arise, 

 or very rarely, but neither from these, nor the young shoots that are stopped to induce 

 spurs, should long growths be encouraged. They must be removed before they do 

 mischief by shading the one- and two-year-old bearing wood and the spurs. Shoots of 

 the current year trained in to replace those bearing fruit may, if the growth exceeds 12 

 inches, be shortened to prevent overcrowding, full exposure of the leaves on each branch 

 to light and air, by curtailing those extending unduly, being essential to fruitfulness. 



Thinning the Fruit. This is an important operation, as upon it depends the size and 



VOL. II. 



