FRUIT TREES. Chap. IV. 73 



or the highest bud on a branch that has been pruned or shortened. It's usually the longest 

 & strongest of those produced by that branch. It should appear vigorous, with live bark 

 and well formed buds that are not far apart from one another. 



Destined to yield other wood branches & fruiting branches, & thus essential for 

 the shape & the fecundity of the tree, it should be preserved & treated more carefully than 

 any other. It's pruned from four to twenty-four inches, depending on the species, age, and 

 strength of the tree. A pear tree is pruned longer than an apricot tree; a winter pear longer 

 than a St. Germain; an old or deteriorating tree much shorter than a young or vigorous 

 one. 



Definition 2. Fruiting branches are those that originate between the last bud on a 

 pruned branch & the point of the previous pruning. They're shorter than wood branches, 

 & diminish in strength the closer they originate to the point of the previous pruning 

 {Prop, 6.). Like the wood branch, they should have live bark and large buds not far apart 

 from one another. 



Their name indicates their use & their purpose, so they should be preserved & 

 pruned to allow them to fulfill their objective. The length to prune them depends on 

 where the fruit buds are located. If they're near the origin of the branch, it's pruned short. 

 If they're farther away from it, it's pruned longer. Be mindful to prune it at a wood bud & 

 not at a fruit bud, because {Prop. 7.) beyond the fruit there have to be leaves on the 

 branch that bears it. 



Definition 3. A stunted branch is a fruiting branch. 



