30 Pruning. 
centre. The year after heavy pruning or cutting 
down all the work must be done with a measure 
and about 6 inches of new wood left, cutting the 
middle of bush first and then working round 
levelling the bush. Another system which pays 
very well is to leave about 10 inches of wood the 
year after heavy cutting, pluck very hard and 
the bush will give an enormous yield. Then in 
the 2nd year cut back again leaving about 6 inch- 
es of the straight wood and only tip long shoots in 
Ast and 2nd flushes. Ona dry garden the best 
time to cut downisin May. Prune very lightly or 
not at all in the cold weather, pluck the Ist flush 
sharp, very hard and down to the eye, and then 
prune down. The result is a big yield of good tea 
from 1st flush and if May is a fairly wet month 
the bushes are fit to pick again by end of June. 
As hill gardens make very little tea in May, little 
or no loss in outturn is made and the bushes are 
wonderfully improved, as having plenty of rain 
the shoots are very strong. A piece of tea that 
always suffers badly from Green Fly in second 
flush, will make a large increase on outturn if 
