PLUMS AND DAMSONS. 



153 



the shoots should be so disposed as to have an 

 equal divergence. After this, it will only be 

 necessary to check all over -luxuriant shoots, 

 and to keep the head of the tree clear of 

 branches that cross and would rub against 

 others. If the shoots gener- 

 ally are seen to be growing 

 very luxuriantly, it would be 

 well to pinch their tops about 

 midsummer; otherwise, when 

 very long shoots are allowed 

 to be made, nearly their whole 

 extent may be naked in the 

 course of a year or two. 



For trees against walls, 

 unless the latter are very 

 low, the fan mode is the best; 

 for, being a stone fruit, the 

 branches of the Plum are more 

 apt to die off than those of the 

 Apple and Pear, and, that 

 being the case, fan -training 

 admits of vacancies being 

 filled up by a redistribution 

 of the branches. 



The foundation of dwarf 

 trees, trained either as pyra- 

 mids or bushes, should be 

 prepared in the same manner 

 as recommended for stan- 

 dards, only with this differ- 

 ence in the case of pyramids, 

 a central shoot must be pre- 

 served to form stems with and 

 extend the trees to the de- 

 sired height in a vertical direction. In regard 

 to bushes, the central shoot should be dispensed 

 with, the aim in this case being to form a bush 

 with a centre somewhat open, and with the 

 branches widely disposed and spreading, rather 

 than of a compact form as in a pyramid. This 

 admits of an abundance of sunlight reaching 

 to all parts of the tree, hence the superiority 

 of the bush over the pyramidal trained 

 trees. 



These two forms of tree should always be 

 summer pruned, i.e. to stop all young growths 

 emanating from spurs and last season's wood, 

 to five buds, to form spurs with in the latter 

 case, and to induce the formation of fruit-buds 

 in the former. This is best done about the 

 middle of August. If done earlier than this, 

 the buds on the shortened back pieces of wood 

 are apt to break and make secondary growths. 

 The young shoots on the extremities of the 

 main branches should be left intact until winter- 



time, when they may be shortened as much as 

 may be necessary. 



Cordons are formed by planting one-year or 

 " maiden " trees. Cut back the stem to where 

 there is a prominent bud facing either to the 



Fig. 949. —Calif ornian Prune or Prune d'Agen 

 (Prunus communis, var.). 



right or left, and train up the resulting shoot 

 the following summer. Stop all other growths 

 produced below this shoot to five buds, to form 

 spurs. If all goes well, the leading shoot will 

 make from 4 feet to 6 feet of growth by the 

 autumn. This must in turn be shortened back 

 from 2 to 4 feet, and another leader trained 

 up the following summer, stopping all growths 

 below to form spurs as before, and continuing 

 in this manner until the tree reaches to the top 

 of the wall. In the autumn of the third season 

 after planting lift and transplant the tree to throw 

 it into a bearing condition, and summer prune 

 in mid- August every season afterwards. 



The shoots of the Plum do not require to 

 be shortened at the winter pruning if their 

 extremities are well ripened, except where 

 branches are required. Numerous shoots will 

 push, more especially from the upper sides of 

 the branches. These shoots must be pinched 

 below the sixth leaf, when they have made 



