40 



TRAINING. 



should be cut back to a yearling shoot ; this will give them 

 room, and keep the lower part of the tree in order. In nailing 

 to a wall, care must be taken not to bruise any part of the 

 shoot ; the wounds made by the knife heal quickly, but a bruise 

 often proves incurable. Never let a nail gall any part of the 

 tree ; it will endanger the life of the branch. In nailing-in the 

 young shoots, dispose them as straight and regular as possible ; 

 it will look workman-like. Whatever system of training is 

 pursued, the leading branches should be laid-in in the exact 

 position they are to remain ; for wherever a large branch is 

 brought down to fill the lower part of the wall, the free ascent 

 of the sap is obstructed by the extension of the upper, and con- 

 traction of the lower parts of the branch. It is thus robbed of 

 part of its former vigour, while it seldom fails to throw out, imme- 

 diately behind the parts most bent, one or more vigorous shoots." 



Horizontal training consists in preserving an upright leader, 

 with lateral shoots trained at regular intervals. These intervals 

 may be from a foot to eighteen inches for pears and apples, and 

 about nine inches for cherries and plums. " A maiden plant 

 with three shoots having been procured, the 

 two side shoots are laid in horizontally, and 

 the centre one upright, as in Fig. 22 ; all the 

 buds being rubbed off the latter but three, 

 viz., one next the top for a vertical leader, 

 and one on each side near the top, for hori- 

 zontal branches. In the course of the first training, jlrti stay*. 

 summer after planting, the shoots may be allowed to grow with- 

 out being stopped. In the autumn of the first year the two lat- 

 erals produced are nailed or tied in, 

 and also the shoots produced from 

 the extremities of the lower laterals ; 

 the centre shoot being headed down 

 as before, as shown in Fig. 23. But 

 in the second summer, when the 

 96m main shoot has attained the length ot 

 cond stage. t e n or twelve inches, it may be stop- 



ped; which if the 

 plant is in proper 

 vigour, will cause it 

 to throw out two ho- 

 rizontal branches, 

 in addition to those 

 which were thrown 

 out from those of 

 the preceding year. 

 The tree will now 

 be in its second 



summer, and will Fig . 2 4. Horizontal training, third st^e. 



