ORCHARD- HOUSE PRUNING AND TRAINING. 151 



base, it might not be so useful, but it generally has. 

 Whenever, however, it occurs in the centre of bush 

 trees in pots, it will then be found to be too long 

 and liable to become straggling ; in fact, too like 

 Class 8. It may, but only in this case, be cut out, 

 otherwise when it occurs in close pruning it should 

 be retained as much as possible. 



Class 8, fig. 8, is barren spray, or " chiffon," 

 as Dubreuil calls it, an unsatisfactory class of 

 shoot, which had better be suppressed whenever 

 no great gap is caused thereby. Bush trees in 

 pots are frequently ruined by such shoots, and 

 they indicate neglect of summer-stopping, or weak- 

 ness of the tree from want of air, Sec. This type 

 has single blossom-buds, but no terminal leaf- buds, 

 hence its name. 



Class 2, fig. 2, fruit shoot of the ordinary cha- 

 racter. In long pruning it is seen of almost 

 any length; but in close pruning the beautiful 

 shoot shown in fig. 21 is what we should prefer 

 to see. In this case, being only about from 4 to 

 6 inches in length, we may allow it to remain un- 

 touched at the winter pruning, and cut it close in to 

 the one or two wood-buds seen at its base, after it 

 has produced fruit. When longer it then becomes 

 useful to form a new branch, and thus ceases to 

 have the distinctive character of the shoot seen in 

 fig. 21. Class 3, or the mixed shoot, is also 



