SUMMER PRUNING AND TRAINING OF FRUIT-TREES. 115 



direct sunlight to reach right up to the main trunk. There 

 need not be any fear anent the future well-being of the tree 

 through cutting out superfluous branches whilst they are grow- 

 ing, for the wounds will all become well callused over by the 

 end of the season. By allowing the light to have free access 

 at this early part of the year, instead of waiting until the trees 

 are dormant, a season is gained, as the sun is enabled to exercise 

 its benign influence on the foliage whilst in active growth ; for, 

 as is well known, no elaboration of the strength of the tree so as 

 to produce fruit-buds can take place whilst the tree is enjoying 

 its winter sleep. True enough, it is wise to look over the trees 

 whilst they are at rest to shorten in or remove any obstructive 

 branch, and with " standards " this is the most sensible course to 

 adopt ; but with what are termed " bush " or " pyramil " trees the 

 case is different, as they are more easily got at, and one great 

 advantage of pruning in summer is that what may appear a 

 favourable distance apart for the branches whilst the foliage is 

 off, presents quite a different appearance when the trees are in 

 full growth, so different, in fact, as sometimes to make them 

 appear quite crowded. Trees which are pruned during the 

 growing season certainly require to be looked over at the winter 

 season, but only to thin out a growth here and shorten a shoot 

 there, so as to balance the growth or shape of the tree, and 

 nothing more. 



During the past few years I have allowed all our Plum-trees, 

 bush as well as standards, to go practically unpruned, save the 

 shortening of a branch here and there to balance the growth of 

 the tree, and I never saw trees in a more fruitful condition, fruit- 

 buds forming right up to the tips of the two-year-old wood ; and 

 though very little annual growth is made under this system, yet 

 what there is, is short and fruitful. Now if these trees were 

 subjected to rigid annual pruning a thicket of spray is all we 

 should obtain for our pains. Cutting out branches wholesale 

 after the fruit is gathered, where they appear too crowded, is a 

 much better plan than shortening the shoots and " spurring in " 

 the laterals, with the idea of producing formal pyramids. 



As a general rule wall trees are the first to require our 

 attention in the matter of summer pruning ; and amongst these 

 the "stone" fruits should have precedence, and the operator 

 must be early amongst them, for if pinching, disbudding, or 



