APRICOT TREE. 211 



top be pinched off so as to leave it seventeen 

 inches in length, this will cause a few shoots to 

 push from the upper part of it; three of them 

 must be retained, the uppermost for a lead, 

 and the next two, one on each side. But when 

 the leading shoot has not attained a suitable 

 length at the time described, let it not be 

 stopped at all until the next winter pruning, 

 when it must be pruned down to seventeen 

 inches. 



Second Year. Winter Pruning. If the 



leading shoot a, Fig. 1. should have pushed 

 seventeen inches or more since it was stopped 

 last summer, let it be kept at that length by 



Fig. 1. 



cutting away the top bud, or a part of 

 the shoot, if required. But when it has not 

 pushed to such a length as sixteen or seven- 

 teen inches since being stopped last summer, 

 let it then be cut down to the lowest bud near- 

 est the uppermost shoots trained in, as b; the 



