46 FRUIT TREES IN POTS [ch. 



also to preserve a good-shaped tree. This can be 

 done by pruning the tree into the required form ; 

 but, on the contrary, the varieties vv^hich produce 

 single buds only should be pruned with a little 

 extra care. Plenty of such shoots should be left 

 unpruned even to the extent of a foot or so until 

 the leaf appears. Then if these shoots can be 

 brought nearer home, so much the better. Alw^ays 

 endeavour to preserve a succession of shoots for 

 the following season (see diagram). 



The accompanying diagram is intended toillus- 

 trate the pruning of both bush and half-standard of 

 peach and nectarine, the difference in the two trees 

 being simply the height of stems. The tree in 

 either case will be in the form of a round head, and 

 it is a good practice to select sufficient outside 

 shoots — and these should be 1 ft. apart, and not 

 pruned, but allowed to bear fruit, so as to form an 

 umbrella-like shape (see letter a). The small shoots 

 in the intervals of these outside shoots should 

 always be left unpruned, as they will replace shoots 

 a in the following year, and the umbrella form will 

 be preserved. Shoots b, if the tree is a strong 

 grower, should be pruned back to within 6 ins. of 

 the small spurs x in all cases where the shoots are 

 in erect form. Should the tree be a weak grower, 

 prune back shoots 6 to 4 ins. The object in both 

 cases is to induce the shoots to put forth more 



