216 



PRUNING. 



parts of the tree. A very general error in conducting 

 trees of this kind, and indeed all others, is to allow the 

 branches to be too close to each other, so that when they 

 come to bear, the wood, foliage, and fruit, on the interior, 

 are so excluded from the air and light that they all 

 suffer. The fruit is imperfect, and the spurs become 

 feeble and gradually perish. The tree has now two 

 branched sections, each from twelve inches to two feet, as 

 the case may be, and with four to six branches on each ; 

 the leading shoot is from one to three feet in length. 



The a verage height 

 of three yeai old trees, 

 o i the quince in our 

 grounds, transplanted at 

 one year old, and I 'vice 

 pruned, is five to six 

 feet, A few very vigu 

 rous growing varieties, 

 that throw up a leader 

 every season three to four 

 feet in length, are seven 

 to eight feet; but thess 

 are comparatively few in 

 number. 



Tli. i rd pruning. This 

 is done on precisely 

 the same principles laid 

 down for the second. 

 The leader of the stems 

 is cut back in proportion 

 to its vigor, the lateral 

 branches are also short- 

 ened in the same man- seven feet 

 n,r. It must always be 

 kept in mind that the 



b 



A pear tree four years old, three tlmei 

 pruned, having three branch sections, a, b, c, 

 high, and furnished in the lower 

 uit spurs. The cross lines indie**e 



