57 



be inserted, and will remain quite firm until the shoots have 

 accommodated themselves to their new position, which they will 

 henceforward retain. An acute angle can also be changed to an 

 obtuse angle by the insertion of a similar wedge between such 

 shoot and the main stem, thus forcing it outwards. All cuts 

 should be painted over with waste paint, shellac, or some other 

 preservative. 



NOTE. 



Since writing the following directions on the pruning of the 

 different classes of fruit which we did some fifteen years ago, we 

 have seen reason to somewhat modify our recommendations. We 

 consider it may be of advantage to growers to see just where such 

 modifications and alterations are. The result of our later years' 

 experience affects the former instructions, and we, therefore, in 

 each instance place our modification in a separate paragraph in 

 each class direction. What we think needs modifying is printed 

 in italics in the original instructions. 



1915. Since our modifications in pruning the several varie- 

 ties of trees dated 1900 we think such modifications still hold 

 good, and have, therefore, no new hints to suggest. 



THE APPLE. 



1896. Taking the tree at the second season from planting, it 

 is found that each of the laterals retained " after last year's 

 shortening has thrown out two or more long shoots. If any of 

 these are crowding others, cut them clean away, retaining only 

 those which tend to evenly distribute the limbs on the foundation. 

 Those left should be shortened to a third of their length. Any 

 of the laterals which have been thrown out during last season's 

 c/rowtli must be shortened into two or three buds. 



The apple bears on the spurs thrown out, either directly from 

 the main limbs or from the shortened-in laterals, and also in some 

 varieties at the terminal buds: and the object in pruning is to en- 

 courage the formation of fruit-buds on these spurs. The main up- 

 right shoots of the apple should not be topped much after the 

 second year, as the foundation should now be firm and stocky. 

 Only such shoots as may crowd out others, or overlap, must be 

 cut away, and the laterals must always be either shortened-in to 

 form spurs, or cut clean out if they crowd one another. This, 

 of course, rests at the discretion of the primer. The fruit-buds 

 are the large, prominent, thick-set, rounded buds, distinct from 

 the smaller, less prominent buds lying closer to the branches. 



