122 



THE GAEDENEE'S ASSISTANT. 



The first pair of horizontals should be at least 

 1 foot from the ground; but we consider 15 inches 

 preferable, because the fruit will be better fla- 

 voured than when nearer the ground. The lower 

 horizontals should be trained at an angle of about 

 45°, in order to strengthen them, for they cannot 

 be too strong, and in fact every means should 

 be taken to encourage them to make vigorous 

 growth. With this view, lateral shoots, if any 

 are produced, ought to be allowed to grow 

 freely during the summer, and their points 

 should be taken off in September. Before 

 winter, the upright leaders ought to be cut so 

 as to originate a second pair of horizontals, and 

 at the same time the laterals on the first pair 

 should be cut to within about an inch of their 

 base. In the second season the shoots on the 

 horizontals should still be allowed to grow 

 without check, except in the case of any likely 

 to be too strong for the leaders of the horizon- 

 tals, and wherever this is seen to be the case they 

 must be pinched. The others may also be pinched 

 if they grow long and shade the buds on the 

 horizontal branches. 



When several courses of horizontals have been 

 obtained, the highest should be subjected to a 

 closer system of summer pruning. They ought, 

 for the most part, to be pinched as directed for 

 espaliers; after an interval of five or six days the 

 next lower tier should be pinched, and so on to 

 the lowest. When more horizontals are formed, 

 six courses for example, the two upper may be 

 pinched first; after several days the next lower 

 two, and after another similar interval the 

 lowest two. In short, by commencing summer 

 pruning at the upper part of the tree, and 

 working gradually downwards at intervals, so 

 as not to deprive the tree of too many shoots or 

 too much foliage at one time, the trees will 

 form abundance of fruit-spurs, and bear regu- 

 larly from the stem to the extremities of the 

 branches. The spurs will most likely be too 

 numerous, and will require to be thinned and 

 shortened at the winter pruning. 



Pruning the Spurs. — A spur is a branch the 

 buds of which are either blossom-buds, which 

 do not push into regular shoots, or imperfectly- 

 formed blossom-buds, in which case they elon- 

 gate, although but slowly as compared with the 

 growths made by the proper shoots. 



Spurs are either simple, as represented at 1, 

 fig. 922, or compound, as at 2. They require to 

 be pruned, otherwise they would extend too far 

 from the wall, and would lose the benefit of its 

 warmth. It is therefore desirable to have a 

 sufficient number of fruit-spurs as near the 



Fig. 922.— Spur-pruning. 



branch as possible, and when that is obtained 

 the spurs should be more or less cut back at the 

 winter pruning. The simple spur 1 requires no 



pruning. Such a one 

 is likely to bear fruit, 

 and in that case its 

 terminal growth will 

 be arrested, and one 

 or two fruit-buds will 

 most probably form 

 near its base. The 

 spur 2 is an older pro- 

 duction. It may be 

 cut off at a, or if there 

 are plenty of others 

 near, it may be cut 

 back a little above the bud b, which will form 

 a fresh spur. All buds similar to b are blossom- 

 buds; but spur-buds, like c, may retain their 

 slender form for years without assuming that 

 plumpness which indicates a fruiting state. 

 It is frequently the case that nearly all the 

 spur-buds on a tree are of this description, and 

 are very numerous, abundance of foliage being 

 produced, and every year more and more of 

 these slender unfruitful spurs. The best way 

 of dealing with them is to cut back those on the 

 upper part of the tree to the lowest bud or the 



lowest two buds, to 

 thin and shorten con- 

 siderably those situ- 

 ated about the middle 

 of the tree, and to do 

 this more sparingly 

 in the case of those 

 on the lower part. 

 By these means the 

 lower branches, which 

 are usually weak as 

 compared with the 

 upper, will become 

 equal in vigour to the 

 latter, and elongated 

 barren spurs will be- 

 come plump and fruit- 

 ful. The spurs on the middle and lower parts 

 of the tree will require to be gradually reduced, 

 and whilst this reduction is being effected, care 

 must be taken that the upper part of the tree 

 does not acquire excessive vigour. 



Fig. 923 represents the branch a, on which 

 the shoots bed have been produced, and also a 

 fruit-bud e, and two terminal buds //; these 

 two buds must be kept in check by stopping or 

 pinching, in order that the sap may be concen- 

 trated on those at the base. 



Fig. 923.— Spur-pruning. 



