542 



THE APPLE. 



Fig. 366. Spur Prunittg, eighth year. 



Fig. 3G7. Spur Pru?iing, nhith year. 



Summer Pruning. — This is attended to agreeably to the foregoing 

 directions. 



Eighth Year. — Winter Pruning. The 

 spurs, No. ], are allowed to retain 

 three fruit buds each (as fig. 866, a a a), 

 and the spurs, No. 2, are now cut down 

 (as h) ; the spurs. No. 3, are regulated as 

 was done to spurs Nos. 1 and 2. See 

 Si.vth and Seventh Yea r's Summer Pruning. 



Summer Pruning. This is performed 

 as before directed. 



Ninth Year. — Winter Pruning. The 

 spurs. No. 1, are allowed to have four fruit-buds each (as fig. S67, aaaa) ; 

 the spurs, No. 2, to have two fruit- 

 ful buds (as h b), and the spurs. No. 

 8, to have three (as c c c). 



Summer Pruning. Performed as 

 before. 



Tenth year. — Winter Pruning. 

 The spurs, No. 1, are now cut down 

 again (as fig. 868, a, a fruitful 

 bud, and 6, a growing bud). The 

 spui's. No. 2, are pruned to three 

 fruit-buds (as c c c), and the spurs. 

 No. 8, to four fruit-buds (as d d d d). 



It will be observed that the spurs, No. ], have now been cut down twice ; 

 the first time in the sixth year, and the second in the tenth. Thus, those 



spurs cut down to a fruitful bud 

 (as fig. 364, a) have borne fruit 

 four years ; and those spurs cut 

 entirely down, or to a growing 

 bud (as A, ft, fig. 864), would have 

 only borne fruit three years. In 

 these two cases, always leave 

 the spurs with three fruit-buds 

 each this winter, and cut them 

 down the following winter, un- 

 less they have grown very vigor- 

 ous and straggling. 



The system already detailed, of 

 cutting down and renewing the spurs, is practised with all others as here 

 directed. Thus, the next year, the spurs No. 8 are cut down (as in fig. 

 365,/;, and the second year from this time, the spurs No. 2. (as fig. 866, 6), 

 and in the fourth year from the present time, the spurs No. 1 cut down (as 

 fig. 864, a, and fig. 868, a) require to be cut down again. 



Conclusion — To some the above directions may appear tedious and 

 intricate ; but it became necessary to enter into minute details, in order 

 to illustrate the principle of this system of spur pruning, the object of 

 which is to obtain spurs always at a proper distance from each other, 

 so that a suitable portion of sun and air may be admitted to them, and so 

 that the spurs may always be icept supplied with young healthy wood and 



Fig. 36S. Spur Pruning, tenth year. 



