23 



at c, a new lateral will form at this 

 point, which, if allowed to grow, 

 will form another axillarj^ branch, 

 which will set fruit as a rule in the 

 first axil, as shown in the figure. 

 The new lateral can be treated in the 

 same way as the others, i. e., it can 

 be cut or nipped back at c'. As 

 new laterals are formed they can 

 be pruned in a like manner, as the 

 result of which we will have axil- 

 lary branches of the first, second, 

 third, etc. order, bearing fruit in 

 their first axils. Sometimes, how- 

 ever, fruit does not set in the first 

 axils of the laterals, but 

 f may in the second or 

 r third axils. In that case 

 X^the lateral is nipped at 

 "^'the first leaf beyond, or 

 at the third or fourth node 

 of the lateral. By this 

 method of pruning there 

 is concentration of fruit 

 on the plant to parts near the main 

 shoot. From numerous observa- 

 tions made on various crops, it 

 has been found that a very large 

 percentage of the pistillate flowers 

 of the laterals occur in the first 

 axils. The usual number of inter- 



FiG.S. Showing the single-shoot cucumber j^Qj^gg occurring between the 

 plant, with fruit set in the first axils of the . . c r ■*- 



laterals. The laterals are pruned at c. The SUCCCSSlVC formations Of truiton 



dotted lines represent a new lateral,or tertiary fj^g plant waS seven, in Other 

 branch, formed on an axillary, which is also , . . . ^ i • i i 



nipped at c . words, fruit IS found in the largest 



number of cases in every eighth axil. 



Mr. E. H. Sharpe* has made some observations upon this point 

 in connection with cucurbitaceous plants which are worthy of quota- 



\ 



*E. H. Sharpe, Am. Gardening, Vol. XXI. 1900 Xo. 272 p. 167. 



