STARTING THE HEAD LOW 219 



yet a little may be done to improve its shape. 

 As a rule the weaker the growth the harder it 

 ought to be cut back ; this will encourage an in- 

 creased wood growth the following summer. 

 Trees treated in this way make a growth that is 

 often very perplexing to the amateur ; the result 

 of this shortening -in of all the limbs will be an 

 increased number of shoots to treat the follow- 

 ing season. * * * 



"The third pruning is conducted on the same 

 lines as the second, with this difference: Select 

 the limbs you wish to continue the upward 

 growth of the tree ; these will usually be not 

 more than two on each of those left last year, 

 observing the same care not to leave crotches, 

 and shortening -in the growth made in that sea- 

 son; but instead of taking off all of the inside 

 shoots clean to the branch, they are left an inch 

 or two long, and in the course of a season or 

 two all these stubs that you leave will be con- 

 verted into fruit-spurs. I would practice pruning 

 if for no other reason than to develop every bud 

 on all the limbs, and would treat these buds in 

 such a manner that all would eventually become 

 fruit-spurs. * * * The third season's pruning, 

 then, differs from the first and second in leaving 

 a part of all the growth, instead of taking it off 

 <-lraii, as in the case of very young trees. I object 

 to leaving spurs before the third season, for the 

 reason that by so doing we encourage a fruit- 



