1908.] 



Pruning Fruit Trees. 



709 



moreover, the decaying stumps afford a seat for the spores of 

 fungi. 



As between knife and secateurs, the former has a slight- 

 advantage in cleanliness of cut, the latter in speed. Neither 

 possesses any marked superiority in the case of young trees, 

 but for these the knife is generally given the preference, while 

 for older trees the secateurs enjoy the most favour. 



FIG. 3. — Third years tree: — (D), tree C, fig. 2: (z), spurs (stubby shoots with 

 rounded bud) not to be shortened ; (/), side shoots not required for forming 

 branches, stopped during growth at the third leaf (not counting small basal leaves), and 

 cut back at the winter pruning to a couple of buds as shown by the cross lines ; 

 (£), spur-like buds (sometimes blossom buds), otherwise forming spurs the following 

 season ; (/), points of shortening. The numerals indicate years of growth and pruning. 



Root pruning is so generally associated with old-established 

 trees that the mention of it in connection with young trees 

 which are in course of development may sound strange. It 

 is precisely with these, however, that the operation is likely 

 to be attended with the most beneficial results. As a matter 

 of fact, a rough and ready system of root pruning is regularly 

 conducted in the ordinary routine of nursery work. Trees of 

 a given age are grown together in large " drifts/' and after 

 the sale season is over large gaps are found among them, the 



