230 PRUNING. 



more so than in any other fruit tree. The buds that do 

 not push and form shoots the first season after their for- 

 mation, are lost ; they cannot, as in most other trees, be 

 excited into growth ; and hence it is that the lower parts 

 become so rapidly denuded of young wood, and that 

 trees left to themselves for six or seven years are in a 

 measure worn out and worthless. 



The fruit is borne only on wood of the preceding year 

 (see fruit branches), and every part destitute of such 

 wood must be worthless ; consequently one of the great 

 objects of pruning is to keep all parts of the tree fur- 

 nished with a regular and constant succession of annual 

 bearing shoots. 



This fact must never be lost sight of. 



The case of a single shoot will illustrate the influence 

 of pruning and its necessity. By referring to the fruit 

 branch, it will be seen that it is furnished with a certain 

 number of wood buds and fruit buds. At the base there 

 are always one or two wood buds at least. 



ISTow, if that shoot were not pruned, all the fruit buds 

 on it would probably produce fruit — one, two, or three 

 of the w^ood buds at the top would make new shoots ; 

 these would necessarily be very weak in consecpience of 

 the number of fruit below them. At the end of the 

 season there would be a long, vacant space, entirely des- 

 titute of a young shoot or a living bud. This is the way 

 that the interior and lower parts of trees become so soon 

 degarnished. 



But when that shoot is shortened, we will say one half, 

 the sap is retained in its lower parts, one half of the 

 fruit buds are removed, and the consequence is that large 

 and fine fruits are obtained from those remaining ; young 

 vigorous shoots are produced from the lower buds to bear 

 next year, and take the place of those which have 

 already borne. In this way regular uniform crops of 



