PEAE TREES TRAINED AS CORDONS 29 



and the remaining part trained into an upright posi- 

 tion. If they are more than two feet, each of these 

 shoots must then be shortened to this length. These 

 shortened branches will, in May, each put forth two or 

 three shoots. As soon as they have made eight or ten 

 leaves, pinch all but one on each braneh to five leaves, 

 leaving the topmost one to each shoot. You will thus, 

 if your tree be five-branched, have five young leading 

 shoots, which should be carefully regulated during 

 the summer so that no particular shoot should take 

 precedence. This proportion must be maintained by 

 occasional pinching or leaf-stripping. Your tree will 

 soon reach the top of the wall, and every bud in the five 

 branches will be perfect, either a blossom-bud or one in 

 embryo. When this happens, commence root-pruning, 

 unless the trees have ceased to grow vigorously and are 

 bearing well — if so, leave their roots untouched. The 

 directions for root-pruning are given in treating of pyra- 

 midal trees (p. 14) ; these may be followed exactly, and, 

 if so, the trees will be kept in a stationary bearing state. 

 It must be recollected that the spurs on the branches 

 will often put forth shoots even while bearing fruit ; 

 these must be left unpruned until the autumn. In treat- 

 ing of the cultivation of the foregoing, I assume that 

 trained trees of from three to fotir years are planted : 

 the training and preparation of young trees would be 

 tedious and time-consuming. 



If larger trees are wished for, in order to give more 

 fruit of each sort, trees with nine upright branches may 



