GARDENING FOR ALL. 121 
Plum trees, grown as dwarf standards, require very 
little pruning after their heads are well furnished with 
branches, and only require to be examined occasionally and 
any branches that cross each other, or are crowding, to be 
removed. The centre of each tree should be kept open to 
admit light and air freely. 
Trees grown upon walls must be managed and pruned 
as advised for apricots, always remembering that timely 
A Method ot pruning side- 
shoot of Plum. 
B Natural fruit-spurs of 
Plum. 
disbudding in spring wins more 
than half the battle in regard to 
their successful management, and 
. should be followed in summer 
with nailing in the leading shoots 
and judicious shortening of the 
side shoots. 
When trees are bearing heavy 
crops of fruit they ought to be 
well supplied with food, and this 
is best given as surface dressings 
or mulchings, and by means of 
liquid manure. 
Deep digging about fruit trees 
should be avoided, and crops that 
are exhausting in their nature 
ought not to be planted near fruit- 
trees. 
If the soil is naturally 
deficient in lime a liberal supply 
must be given to all kinds of 
stone-fruits and apple-trees; and 
very often lime must be afforded 
even when the soil may naturally 
contain a large percentage of it, 
for the reason that the lime may 
be unavailable, or out of the reach 
of the roots of the trees, the trees 
thus languishing and the crops 
failing for want of that which is 
present in abundance, but which they cannot avail them- 
selves of. 
