48 



PROFITABLE FRUIT-GROWING. 



pruning is conducted in the absence of knowledge, 

 it often prevents good crops of fruit. If all the 

 young shoots of healthy trees 

 are systematically cut back, a 

 Vhicket of luxuriant growth is 

 induced. Main branches, thinly 

 disposed, should be allowed to 

 extend; the side growths issuing 

 from these must be cut back to 

 within an inch of the base, thus 

 jj WL forming the spurs; but, in ad- 



dition, where there is space for 

 a young shoot to bear fruit, such 

 shoot should be left, because 

 the Gooseberry, though bearing 

 well on spurs of two or more 

 years old wood, also produces 

 fruit freely on firm annual 

 shoots, when these are not over- 

 crowded. 



Fig. 15, annexed, shows a 

 branch, the thicker and darker 

 part of which is two years old, 

 the thinner and lighter wood of 

 one summer's growth. It will 

 ^6 geen t ] iat na t ura ] spurs are 



Fig. is. 



GOOSEBERRY BRANCH, ONE 



ND TWO-YEAR-OLD WOOD, forming on the former, also 



