192 FRUIT CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 



Usually the leading slioot pushes away into growth 

 with greater vigour than the lateral ; advantage should 

 be taken of this tendency to manipulate it so as to get 

 it to throw out lateral growths right and left, instead 

 of allowing it to push ahead withoiit doing so,- and the 

 following season to have to cut it back to get it to 

 break regularly. There are two ways of handling this 

 leading growth to get it to furnish the wires with hori- 

 zontal growths the first season. The one is to pinch 

 or rather bruise the point of it a little below each 

 wire, so as to completely check or stop its growth, and 

 cause it to burst into growth at the axils of the leaves, 

 one of which growths is again trained as the leader, to 

 be again stopped for the same purpose, and the other 

 two trained right and l^ft to the wires. This method 

 does not result in so straight and trim a main stem 

 as is the case with the second method, which is to 

 allow the leader to force on its way till it has passed 

 three or more of the wires, then to be stopped and 

 have a notch cut half-way through it at those buds 

 that are best situated for furnishing the wires with 

 what may be termed cordon shoots. This will nearly 

 always cause these buds to swell and grow a little, 

 especially if the leaders of the lower and stronger 

 cordon branches are stopped at the same time. In 

 the case of strong-growing varieties it is astonishing 

 the extent of foundation that can thus be laid for the 

 future tree in one season. The system of allowing 

 great growthy leaders to extend themselves and rob the 

 lower portion of the tree, then to be cut back perhaps 

 to the first or second unfurnished wire in spring, is a 

 great waste of plant force and time too; besides, it tends 

 to the production of a few strong unfruitful growths, 

 instead of a greater number of more fruitful ones. 



