1904.] Pruning Fruit Trees and Bushes. 



525 



extension where there is plenty of room, should be cut clean off 

 where they are much shaded, but only to within two or three 

 buds of the main branches, where there is plenty of light and 

 air, with the object of inducing the formation of fruit spurs. 

 When such shoots have no buds close to their bases they should 

 be shaved off closely, not leaving any " snags." An exception 

 to such treatment may be made in the case of a shoot four to 

 six inches long with a plump terminal bud, which is a fruit bud, 

 at the end, as this may be left to fruit once, being afterwards cut 

 back as described. 



In details of pruning, different varieties, and even individual 

 trees of the same variety, require different treatment. For 

 example, although it is generally desirable to cut the main 

 shoots of a tree to buds pointing outwards, some varieties are of 

 such a sprawling habit of growth that many of their shoots 

 need to be cut to a bud pointing upwards, or even inwards. 

 Again, there is often a deficiency of wood on one side of a tree, 

 and in that case shoots on either side of it require to be cut to 

 buds pointing towards the gap. The Victoria plum is of both 

 sprawling and pendulous habits of growth, while its wood is 

 brittle, and its branches are liable to break when there is a 

 heavy weight of fruit upon them unless they are quite sturdy. 

 Therefore this variety usually requires more severe pruning than 

 other plums, and many of its shoots should be cut to buds 

 pointing upwards. 



The cut in pruning, of course, is made from the side of a 

 shoot opposite to that on which the bud grows, outwards or 

 upwards, and care should be taken not to undermine the bud 

 on the one hand, or to leave a snag beyond it. The cut should 

 be close to the bud, but only very slightly slanting. 



Care should also be taken to cut back to buds on ripe wood, 

 for otherwise frost may cause the ends of the shoots to die back 

 lower than the place of cutting, and then the next year's shoot 

 or shoots may grow in the wrong direction instead of in that 

 which had been selected. Plum trees are particularly liable to 

 this fault, especially when they are young and are making 

 wood fast. For this reason many experienced pruners prefer 

 to prune when the sap begins to rise in the spring, so that the 

 bud just below the cut may start speedily. 



