34 



be retained, and trained on the trellis in a direction to- 

 wards the top of the house ; these shoots should be pla- 

 ced about 1 8 inches from each other, and when they 

 have reached about one-third of the length of the trellis, 

 they also should be stopped, and thus several more 

 lateral shoots will be produced. The uppermost strong 

 shoot should in each case, be still trained in the same 

 upward direction, and the others must be disposed in the 

 most convenient form in the space between the main 

 branches : these, that is the young lateral shoots, if they 

 do not shew a fruit blossom at the second joint or leaf 

 from the main branch, must be stopped, and the young 

 shoot thus induced to push forth, will in all probability 

 have fruit at the first leaf; if not, it must be stopped at 

 every leaf as it extends, until fruit is observed. The 

 upper portion of the branch after having extended about 

 one-third further up the roof, should be submitted to the 

 same process, and this must be again repeated until the 

 whole of the trellis is covered. 



No reference has yet been made to the treatment of 

 those lateral branches where the young fruit are per- 

 ceived: these should be permitted to grow until the blos- 

 soms have expanded ; and then, after this, they should be 

 stopped at the leaf next beyond the fruit blossoms. By 

 permitting them to grow until the flowers have ex- 

 panded, the attraction of the growing branch will con- 

 tinue to draw up a regular supply of nutriment, part of 

 which will be devoted in its course, to assist the deve- 

 lopement of the blossoms ; and besides the advantage of 

 the growing point acting thus as a sucker to draw on- 

 wards the vital juices towards the young fruit, it will act 

 also as an outlet, to drain oif what would otherwise be 

 superabundant and dangerous to these tender organs of 

 reproduction. After the flowers have expanded, this 

 danger does not exist to so great an extent, the infant 

 fruit have new and important functions to perform, which 



