THE GOOSEBERRY. 



99 



till spring. Still, if due care be taken to protect the trees, 

 as advised further on, there is no reason why they should 

 not be pruned at the proper season. 



The first step in winter pruning is to shorten all the 

 laterals to within an inch of their base to form spurs. 

 This applies to all forms of trees. The second thing to 

 do is to cut out all sickly or exhausted wood, and to thin 

 out the main branches, so that there is ample room for 

 future new growth to develop without overcrowding the 

 tree. The third operation consists in just cutting off 



Fig. 39. A THREE-YEAR-OLD GOOSEBERRY TREE. 



Lines indicate where to prune. Variety of pendulous habit. 



the soft tips of the leading shoots. Do not shorten these 

 unduly, because it is on these that the finest berries are 

 usually borne. Varieties of a drooping habit should have 

 all lower branches cut away that have a tendency to fall 

 too close to the soil, otherwise the fruit will get splashed 

 with dirt in rainy weather, and be spoiled. At the same 

 time, in pruning, always cut back to a bud pointing up- 

 wards, not downwards. (See Figs. 35 to 40.) 



General Details- In winter some protection of the fruit 

 buds from the attack of birds should be afforded. A 



H 2 



