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favour the formation of fruit spurs along the main branches, where 
the bulk of the crop should be carried, thus preventing the excessive 
bending down of the branches under the weight of the fruit. The 
centre branches are well thinned out, thus leaving the interior more 
open to the genial influence of the sun, light, and air, and stimu- 
lating a consequent development of fruit buds in the inside of the 
tree, instead of leaving exterior branches to bear all the burden. 
Should the tree show an inclination to run to wood and be 
tardy in putting forth fruit spurs, summer pinching, by checking its 
growth, will hasten the time of productiveness. When in full 
1 2 
1. First year’s pruning for forming fruit bud spurs. 2. Second year’s pruning 
of fruit spurs. 3. Third year’s pruning of fruit branches. 
bearing the trees require very little pruning, beyond the removal of 
rank shoots which are misplaced and by the excision of dead wood 
and others. 
The plums produce their fruit on small lateral spurs situated 
at the ends and along the sides of the bearing shoots, one year up 
to four or five years old, but mostly on two-year-old wood. These 
spurs will continue in bearing for several years. 
For the guidance of growers and pruners, it may be stated as a 
general rule that the longer the wood of any variety of fruit trees 
takes to come into bearing the longer these spurs will remain 
fruitful. 
A young plum shoot presents nothing but wood buds, That 
branch cut at A develops at the subsequent growth more or less 
