BUSH PLANTS AND STANDARDS 49 



TRAINING THE PLANTS 



When the young plants are from two to 

 three inches high they should be "stopped," 

 which means that the point_of the growing 

 stem or branch must be removed. This 

 is generally done by pinching it out with 

 the thumb and finger nails, or it may be 

 done with the point of a knife. This will 

 cause the plant to send out branches from 

 below. From three to five will generally 

 start after each stopping. After these 

 branches have made from three to five leaves, 

 according to the position they occupy, 

 they must also be stopped. 



At this stage of development, training 

 to secure the desired form of the future plant 

 should begin. There is a great variety 

 of fancy forms in which the plants may 

 readily be trained, but such forms do not 

 find favour in this country. Practically 

 all of the plants grown here are trained in 

 one form, the difference being in degree 

 only. The form mostly used approaches 

 very nearly to a hemisphere, varying more 

 or less to globular or conical. The desired 

 form of the plant should be decided upon and 

 the stopping and tying be directed toward 



