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Pruning Fruit Trees and Bushes. [dec, 



full vigour and desirable shape. First form your tree or bush, 

 and then seek to promote fruiting — this is a motto to be recom- 

 mended to fruit growers. Weak trees, or any but very strong 

 ones, should not be allowed to fruit at all in the first season 

 after planting, and only small crops should be allowed in the 

 second, or until the trees are growing freely subsequently. 

 Thousands of trees are ruined by premature fruiting, especially 

 those which have been grafted or budded on the paradise stock. 

 Until a tree is well furnished with branches, pruning should be 

 pursued with that object in view, never hesitating to sacrifice 

 some of the possible fruit in order to attain it. 



The directions which follow will apply to apple and plum 

 trees, as grown by producers of fruit for market, with plenty 

 of space for extension. In confined spaces, such as small 

 gardens or orchards, where it is desirable to have a goodly 

 number of varieties, necessitating somewhat thick planting, 

 severe shoot-pruning, accompanied by occasional root-pruning, 

 is requisite to keep the trees within their narrow limits, without 

 allowing root growth to overbalance the dimensions of the trees 

 above ground, which would tend towards fruitlessness. 



While the general principles of pruning are easy to learn, the 

 details can be mastered only through experience. After a tree 

 has been so trained that it is well furnished with sturdy branches, 

 very little use of the knife will be necessary, except to cut out 

 crowding shoots, leaving all parts of the tree well exposed to 

 sunshine and air, to check any excessive development of one 

 part over another, and to shorten any shoots that may be 

 growing too long and thin. In very windy situations more 

 sacrifice of the extension system essential to the maximum of 

 fruitfulness may be desirable in order to promote sturdiness in 

 the branches and to keep the tops as level as possible, thus 

 greatly diminishing the power of the wind to bang them about. 

 With such qualifications, the extension principle may be followed 

 with advantage after the trees are well furnished with branches. 



As a general rule, the main branches of apple and pear trees 

 should be about a foot apart, and those of plums a little less. 

 Some varieties, however, have much denser foliage than others, 

 and those which have most, need the greatest space between the 

 branches to prevent shading. Side shoots, if not needed for 



