6i 



will seldom be found in the apricot at the second pruning, but 

 there may be a number of small laterals or spurs which will even- 

 tually bear fruit. These must not be cut away, but shortcned-in 

 ' inches or three inches ; and if there is a profusion they 

 must be thinned out. The third and following annual cutting 

 must be of similar character, viz.. the cutting away of the ma- 

 jority of the long tops and a heavy stortening-in of those retained. 

 It is not desirable to have too many limbs, as when the fruit 

 spurs are thrown out and all those over two inches to three inches 

 in length are shortened-in, these spurs will not only carry fruit, 

 but throw out other spurs from their terminal buds ; and if these 

 are intelligently treated they will continue healthy and vigorous 

 and bear fruit for many successive years, and they must be al- 

 lowed room. The points to be remembered are to shorten-in the 

 fruit spurs and to keep the top well headed down. It is very 

 undesirable to cut into the old wood of an apricot tree, and it is 

 never necessary if the annual pruning has been done. If one 

 season you neglect this cutting away of the tops and have to cut 

 into the old wood the following year, the symmetry of the tree 

 is destroyed for ever. Any professional man could detect it at 

 a glance half a dozen years after the omission. 



Another important point to remember is to cut all the dead 

 fruit spurs on the main stem, because after this is done the dor- 

 mant buds on either side will be more inclined to throw out ; and 

 when they do they are sure to form fine fruit producers. 



1900. We still consider our 1896 directions good through- 

 out, but would say that instead of cutting back the fruit spurs to 

 two or three inches we should shorten them from four inches to 

 seven inches, dependent entirely on the length ; and as a rough 

 guide we would say shorten all those of over eight inches long 

 to half their original length, those between four and eight inches 

 long shorten to four inches, and those of a less length than four 

 inches leave alone. 



As regards the long tops, when the tree gets over five years 

 of age we would say shorten them in one-third of their length. 



THE PLUM (INCLUDING ALL PRUNES). 



1896. The plum also bears on the short spurs consisting of 

 a mass of sharply-pointed buds of half an inch and upwards, and 

 also on the laterals of from six inches to two feet in length, in 

 each case thrown out from the old wood. At the second winter 

 pruning one will expect to find a long rampant perpendicular 

 srrowth. two or three shoots being thrown out from the terminal 

 burls of the wood allowed to remain at the last rutting. The 



