DWARF FRUIT TREES. 55 



This tree is composed of a single stem along the sides of which 

 fruit spurs are formed and fruit is borne. Each year this cordon 

 is encouraged to throw up strong-growing shoots or leaders at the 

 top, and at the same time is prevented from making any strong 

 wood growth along the sides of the stem. The strong shoots at 

 the top feed the tree, or as we sometimes say, "they pump up 

 the sap." As fast as shoots start "from the sides of the main 

 stem they are pinched back. This pinching may be required six 

 or eight times, possibly even more, in the course of a summer. 

 This constant checking of the vegetative growth from the side 

 buds on the stem tends to encourage the formation of fruit spurs 

 and fruit buds in this region, which is indeed the fundamental 

 object of the whole scheme of pruning. At the beginning of the 

 succeeding year the leading shoots at the top of the cordon are 

 cut back almost or quite to the point where they began the pre- 

 vious year's growth. New shoots arise there year after year 

 from almost the same point to be annually sacrificed in the same 

 way. 



Considerable skill and experience is required in pinching back 

 the side shoots so as to encourage the formation of fruit spurs 

 and buds. Different species require different treatment in this 

 respect, since the fruit spurs form differently on different kinds of 

 trees. Roughly it may be said that with most fruit trees these 

 side shoots should be pinched back as soon as they have made 

 six leaves or earlier. They should be headed back to not more 

 than four buds (or leaves). Many of them will promptly start 

 aeain. This second growth should be headed back somewhat 

 sooner, say when it has reached a length of four or five leaves. 

 It should also be headed back more closely, say to two or three 

 buds. If the shoot starts a third or fourth time, as sometimes it 

 does, it should be repeatedly pinched back, each time earlier and 

 each time more severely. Usually all further tendency to vigor- 

 ous growth will be stopped early in the summer and after the 

 second or third pinching. This is more likely to be the case with 

 apples and pears. Peaches and plums have to be allowed some- 

 what freer growth. 



When fruit spurs become old and weak as they will commonly 

 do on the apple and pear after about five years, they should be 



