Long Pruning, 95 



should be below the eye, or the coming shoot will suffer. But here it will be found in 

 practice there are often conflicting interests which must be duly weighed while 

 operating. 



But let us turn to the next stage of the above plant. Fig. 1 5. We left it pruned 

 for growth, and the additional shoots now seen are the product of the past Summer. 

 Pruning is now more complicated : there are more shoots to dispose of. The operator 

 should examine the tree thoroughly before he commences. He should look not only 

 at it, but through it, and this from two or three points of view. He should picture to 

 himself this and that shoot removed, and what will be the comparative advantages to 



Fig. 16. LONG PRUNING, Complete. 



the tree. He thus studies the position and relative bearing of the shoots, and will 

 soon discover which should be thinned out. 



In Fig. 1 5 it is thought best to remove those shown by the single lines, and the 

 others are shortened in at the termination of the dark shadowing. It will be observed, 

 some of the shoots are left of greater length than in the previous year's pruning, for 

 which we give two reasons: first, the plant being established, will have a greater 

 command of food from the soil ; its growth is therefore likely to be more vigorous ; 

 secondly, having been put in the right course of formation last year, in this pruning we 

 are looking closer after the production of flowers. For this reason, and in order to 

 perfect the shape of the tree, all the last eyes do not point outwards. 



It may appear to the looker-on that it would have been better to have removed 

 the shoot between c c, and shortened in that shown by the double line at d. This 

 would have made the art appear more simple, and simplicity in gardening operations 

 (and indeed where not ? ) is a desideratum, But there was a cause for not doing this 



