208 



THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



the pruning may be done with safety. The chief object of shortening is to get strong 

 young shoots from the base instead of fruiting the old canes the first season. The extent 

 of the pruning must accord with the vigour of the canes and the condition of the roots. 

 This will be made clear by the illustrations (B E t Fig. 52). 



A short well-rooted cane (B) cut down to the ground (w) and only the strongest 

 cf the spring growths retained, will produce a sturdy, well-ripened cane, which (G), 

 with the top cut off, (b), will afford fruit the following year, also two or three 



\ 



Fig. 52. PLANTING KASFKERKY CANES, SHORTENING, AND RESULTS. 



References :B, short well-rooted cane : w, point of shortening. C, medium-sized cane, with bad roots, to be cut 

 down to the ground, x. D, small-fruiting cane with good roots : y. point of priming, 6 to 12 inches from the ground. 

 E, fruiting cane with good roots : z, shortened at about 2 feet. F, bearing cane with abundance of roots : a, tip of 

 cane only cut off. G, result of shortening B to the ground : b, point of shortening for bearing. H, growth from C : 

 c, point of pruning bearing cane. /, growths from D : d, shortened last year's cane to be cut off at the bar near the 

 ground ; e, young cane for bearing, pruned at the bar. /, result of pruning E at z : f, bearing cane cut away at the bar 

 after the fruit is gathered ; g, canes for bearing in the following season ; h, points of shortening. K, result of leaving 

 long cane in the first year, as G : i, fruited cane to be cut off at the lowest bar ; j, weak young canes must be 

 shortened to k. 



vigorous suckers for bearing in the succeeding eeason. When the cane is poorly rooted 

 (C), though of medium .size, it also is best cut down to the ground (x) to secure a strong 

 cane (H) ; if not so shortened, feeble canes only would be produced, as shown in outline 

 in <7, and a year wasted. Fibrous- rooted medium-sized canes push suckers much 

 more freely when shortened to from 6 to 12 inches (Z>), and may give a " taste " of fruit 

 the first year, the extra growth strengthening the rootstock ; the young cane is encour- 

 aged correspondingly by cutting away the old parts in its favour when the truit is 

 gathered. This is shown in /: d D shortened to y in the spring ; r, young cane. A 



