ORCHARD-HOUSE PRUNING AND TRAINING. 153 



allowing the branches to remain at full length after 

 the first or second season, and by the close summer- 

 stopping of the shoots, we increase this distinctive 

 character, and thus return to first principles. 



Although more regular forms are desirable, there 

 is no reason why irregular fan-shaped trees should 

 not bear well, when closely pruned. In some cases 

 this form may be even the best adapted, and, no 

 doubt, much advantage is gained by having a bien- 

 nial supply of young and healthy wood. Gaps 

 made by unskilful pruners may thus be filled up. 

 Fig. 22, however, clearly shows how it is possible 

 to have regularly disposed branches, and, at the 

 same time to preserve the spurs on them for 

 many seasons, without recourse to amputations or 

 fresh wood. In this specimen, drawn from nature 

 from a diagonal cordon about ten years old, it is 

 evident that the double spur is as old as the parent 

 tree, and this without being more than a few inches 

 in length or half an inch in diameter. The left 

 spur bears the marks of numerous suppressions* of 

 former shoots. It retains two of these three or 

 four seasons old, and only respectively 1 inch and 

 2 inches long. On the upper one are the cluster 

 spur b and the fruit spray a ; on the lower one is 

 another cluster b, and this same type after bearing, 

 c. Springing from the very base is a pure wood- 

 shoot d, which has been cut back to two wood-buds 



