Prutlim/. 
sliould  be  made  to  obtain  enlightenment  on  the  subject.  There 
is  no  hard  and  fast  rule  to  he  observed  or  followed,  and  because 
one  tree  requires  pruning  in  a certain  fashion  there  is  no  law 
that  its  neighbour  should  he  so  treated,  or  because  one  variety 
is  cut  hard  it  is  not  a reason  that  another  kind  should  he 
similarly  served,  and  even  if  one  shoot  on  the  same  tree  is 
allowed  freedom  another  adjacent  to  it  should  not  necessarily 
he  ])ermitted  to  enjoy  the  same  licence.  Pruning,  therefore,  is 
not  based  on  dogma,  hut  must  depend  on  circumstances  ; it  is 
not  a doctrine  elaborated  for  any  given  (piantity  of  trees,  hut 
for  each  individual ; it  is  not  carried  out  by  rule  or  rote,  hut 
by  observation,  experience,  and  surrounding  conditions.  The 
true  primer  regards  each  tree  as  an  individual,  not  as  a con- 
glomeration of  trees  to  he  cut  and  trained  in  the  same  form  or 
by  the  same  method.  (Jommon  sense  enters  largely  into 
pruning,  yet  leading  princi[)les  must  he  observed  and  carried 
out,  ami  ill  a treatise  of  this  kind  the  most  satisfactory  system 
must  be  explained. 
A standard,  and  a hush  tree — and  the  latter  is  only  a 
beheaded  standard — are  pruned,  if  planted  early  in  the  season, 
in  the  year  of  planting  ; if  planted  after  Christmas  it  is  better 
to  defer  the  operation  till  the  following  autumn.  The  .shoots 
are  cut  hack  to  3 inches  or  4 inches  the  first  year,  and  from 
9 inches  to  1 ft.  in  the  second  season.  The  third  year  1 ft. 
to  15  inches  is  left,  and  so  on,  according  to  the  growth  of  the 
tree.  If  the  tree  is  progressing  favourably  the  future  pruning 
need  only  he  slight,  hut  if  the  growth  is  weak  and  sickly  the 
knife  must  he  used  more  freely.  It  is  right  to  prune  to  an 
outside  hud  in  most  instances  so  as  to  obtain  an  open  tree,  hut 
some  varieties  which  have  a drooping  tendency  should  he  cut 
so  as  to  he  rendered  more  upright. 
A tree,  therefore,  should  he  jiruned  according  to  its  growth 
and  constitution,  and  the  same  law  applies  equally  to  each 
shoot.  One  object  in  pruning  is  to  obtain  a well-balanced 
and  shapely  tree,  and  the  jiruner  must  cut  according  to  his 
idea  of  the  shape  he  wishes  for,  or  for  the  best  typical 
shajie.  Secondly,  the  branches  must  he  left  fairly  far  apart 
to  introduce  light,  air,  and  sunshine  throughout  the  tree,  and 
to  cause  the  full  development  of  fruit  buds  and  fruit  spurs  by 
these  means.  The  free  circulation  of  air  is  of  great  impor- 
tance for  the  ripening  of  wood  and  spurs,  and  also  to  increase' 
fertilisation  at  the  time  of  blossoming.  A tree  crowded  with 
limbs  and  branches  is  also  a source  of  annoyance  at  jticking 
K 2 
