STANDARD TRAINING. 



321 



the terminus will grow most rapidly. If the shoot 

 has been strong, this would carry the limbs of the 

 tree too high, and leave the stem very slender ; 

 therefore it is cut back to the height from which it 

 is desired to have the highest limbs start, which 

 should be from two and a half to three feet. 



At the close of the second year the young tree 

 will present the appearance of figure b. Then 

 four shoots have been formed, the central leader 

 being the highest. At the next winter's pruning 

 the tree is cut at the point indicated by the trans- 

 verse lines. The lower branches are left the longest, 

 because the force of the sap tends upwards, and 

 these will elongate slower. The next summer the 

 buds upon these limbs are pinched to three or four 

 leaves, except two at the terminus, which are allowed 

 to grow. At the end of the third year the tree 

 appears as in figure a. The transverse lines show 

 when the third winter's pruning is to be performed. 

 The same course should be pursued until the tree 

 has attained about ten feet, when these terminal 



