206 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



with an upward course, and afterwards trained 

 horizontally. In summer pruning, whilst the 

 tree is young, and requires foliage to assist 

 in making roots, the summer shoots may be 

 allowed to grow to 1 foot or 15 inches in 

 length, and then be shortened to 3 inches. 

 But the shoots on the upper branches must 

 be shortened at least a week before those on 



the extremities of the horizontals, need not 

 be shortened. After the tree has been planted 

 a few years clusters of fruit-buds will generally 

 form round the bases of the shoots, and like- 

 wise on spurs along the branches. With regard 

 to the winter pruning, very little will be re- 

 quired, presuming that the summer pruning 

 has been well performed. The stubs left in 



the lower ones. The leading shoots, those at shortening back the summer laterals should 



luio.— Dwarf T.ush Cherry (Morello). 



be cut back to a length of 2 or 3 inches, or 

 to the first wood-bud beyond the fruit-buds 

 above alluded to as likely to form at the bases 

 of the shoots. 



In training the Cherry against walls, the 

 horizontal mode may be adopted for those that 

 are under 7 feet high, but those above that 

 height will be sooner covered by the fan 

 method. Whatever mode be adopted, care 

 should be taken that the lower branches are 

 vigorous. It is difficult to render a branch 

 vigorous if it has originated in a weak shoot. 

 A weakly stem cannot produce a strong shoot; 

 therefore the young tree must be well estab- 

 lished, and in a vigorous state, before shoots to 

 commence the lower branches are started. 



The directions given for espalier training will 

 apply to horizontal training against a wall, only 

 the summer shoots ought to be shortened more, 



in order that the fruit may be produced near 

 the wall. 



The distance between the branches may be 

 9 inches for Duke Cherries, and 1 foot for the 

 Bigarreau kinds, their leaves being not only 

 much larger than those of the Duke, but also 

 more pendulous. 



The Morello Cherry requires different prun- 

 ing and training from other kinds, owing to its 

 mode of growth and bearing. Its shoots are 

 slender, and it fruits on those of the previous 

 summer's growth; sometimes all the buds along 

 the shoot are blossom-buds, the terminal bud 

 only being a wood-bud; therefore at the winter 

 pruning such shoots ought not to be shortened. 

 Further, as the fruit is borne chiefly on the 

 young wood, a succession of such must be kept 

 up. There ought, of course, to be a certain 

 quantity of old wood to bear the young, in 



