PYRAMIDAL FRUIT-TREES. 408 



PYRAMIDAL TREE. 



sible to that indicated by the dotted 

 line AB. We see in the figure some ' 

 short lateral shoots crowding towards the 

 centre : all these, if present, should be 

 pruned away. After 

 this, careful pruning 

 is all the tree re- j 

 quires, taking care 

 that the lower j 

 branches are not j 

 shaded by the 

 upper ones, which 

 is attained by 

 pruning them at 

 greater length than 

 those above ; for it 

 is one of the great ' 

 principles on which ; 

 this mode of train- ' 

 ing has been advo- 

 cated, that the 

 trees should be so 

 managed that the 

 advancing tier of 

 branches shall not 

 interfere with the 

 swelling and ripen- 

 ing of the fruit on 

 the lower tier by overshadowing them. 

 During every summer all superfluous 

 shoots should be rubbed off as they 

 appear, and all strong shoots in the spurs 

 should also be stopped during that season, 

 in order to insure vigorous action in the j 

 remaining buds, while the base of the j 

 pyramid is to be extended as far as is con- | 

 sistent with the development of fruit- j 

 bjaring habils : and this will probably be j 

 best attained by making it a rule that as [ 

 s Jon as a shoot has extended from eight to i 

 ten inches, the point should be cut. By | 

 this practice the more powerful shoots 

 are checked and the weaker shoots en- 

 couraged. 



Advantages of Pyramidal Form. The 

 advantages derived from this system of 



training may be summarised as follows : 

 I. An increased number of trees in the 

 same space. 2. The trainer has his trees 

 more directly under control. 3. Increase of 

 crops. 4. Ornamental and uniform appear- 

 ance. 



Pyramidal Form, Conversion 

 of Tree into. 



Any large and straight tree that has 

 been allowed to grow in a wild manner 

 may, by grafting, be converted into the 

 pyramidal form, like that presented in the 

 accompanying illustration. By a process 

 of this kind, following the directions 

 already given for side grafting, fine new 



FIG. 4. PYRAMID 

 FOURTH YEAR. 



FIG. 5- PYRAMID IN FIFTH YEAR. 



varieties of fruit may be raised in a com- 

 paratively short period, and a compara- 

 tively lifeless tree converted into an object 



