216 PRUNING. 



parts of the tree. A very general error in condncting 

 trfees of this kind, and indeed all others, is to allow the 

 branches to be too close to each other, so that when they 

 come to bear, the wood, foliage, and fruit, on the interior, 

 are so excluded from the air and light that they all 

 suffer. The fruit is imperfect, and the spurs become 

 feeble and gradually perish. The tree has now two 

 branched sections, each from twelve inches to two feet, as 

 the case may be, and with four to six branches on each ; 

 the leading shoot is from one to three feet in length. 



The a verage height 

 of three year old trees, 

 on the quince in our 

 grounds, transplanted at 

 one year old, and twice 

 pruned, is five to six 

 feet. A few very vigo- 

 rous growing varieties, . j ™ ^, p 



that throw up a leader 



every season three to four 



feet in length, are seven 



to eight feet; but these 



are comparatively few in ^ ^ ^ - ^^ ' • -^' 



number. 



Third ^pruning . — This . . 



is done on precisely "^^^^^Sv-As/itl*' .—J'- a 



the same principles laid "^^^-^^^ 



down for the second. 



The leader of the stems 



is cut back in proportion 



to its vigor, the lateral ^"'•^''• 



branches are also short- "'^ f f *'"^" ^°"'" ^'^^ "^^^ *'"-^« ""e'' 



pruned, havinp; three branch sections, o b. c, 

 ened m the same man- seven feet high, and furnished in the lower 

 ner. It must always be f"> ^'f fruit spurs. The cross lines indicate 

 •^ the liiurth pruning. 



kept in mind that the 



