PLUM TREE. 175 



bud last winter pruning, as Fig. 2. b, and 

 have now a fruitful bud or more upon them, 

 must be cut oft* just above such buds, as at 

 Fig. 3. g, but if they should still be destitute 

 of a fruitful bud each, let them be cut down 

 to the lowest bud or embryo there may be 

 upon them, as h. If a shoot proceeds the 

 following summer from each one thus cut 

 down, it must not be shortened to one inch 

 and a half as directed for all others, but at 

 the time when the other shoots are pruned, 

 which will be about the end of June or early 

 in July, it must be nailed to the wall in an 

 horizontal direction as i, and an inch or two 

 only cut off the end, as at k. The nailing 

 of the shoot in this manner will cause it tq 

 produce a fruitful bud or two near to its 

 origin, as 1, 1. This practice may be suc- 

 cessfully adopted with all shoots it is desired 

 to render fructiferous in any part of the tree, 

 particularly with those which through a vi- 

 gorous habit produce two or three shoots 

 from the side of a spur, in which case one 

 or two of them must be trained in, and the 

 others cut clean away. In selecting those 

 to be trained in, always preserve such as are 

 situated nearest to the origin of the spur 

 that produces them. It will sometimes 

 happen that through weakness or an unfa- 

 vourable aspect, the tree will push a great 

 number of shoots and produce very little 

 fruit, in the former case the wood is small 



