3 



when two of them are rubbed off ; those rubbed off 

 are the third and fourth buds, counting upwards from 

 the origin of the tree. The uppermost shoot is trained 

 straight up the wall for a leading stem, and the re- 

 maining four horizontally along the wall, two on each 

 side the stem of the tree. These shoots are trained 

 nine inches apart, for when they are much nearer than 

 this they exclude the sun and air from operating upon 

 the buds and wood in such a manner as is required 

 to keep the tree productive. When the leading up- 

 right shoot has attained about fifteen inches in length, 

 the end is pinched off so as to leave it about eleven 

 inches long. This causes shoots to be produced from 

 the upper part of the leader thus stopped, three of 

 which are trained in, the uppermost straight up the 

 wall, and the others one on each side the stem of the 

 leader. This stopping of the leading shoot is not 

 performed later than the end of June or early in July, 

 for, when it is done much later, those shoots which 

 push afterwards in that season do not arrive at a suf- 

 ficient degree of maturity to withstand the winter, 

 and are frequently destroyed by frost. When it hap- 

 pens that a tree has not done well in the early part of 

 the season, and the upright shoot is not of a suitable 

 length or vigour at the proper period for stopping it, 

 it is not to be meddled with afterwards until the win- 

 ter pruning of the tree-. 



Second Year. — Winter Pruning. — At the middle or 

 b 2 



