24: QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Jan., 1898. 
Having cut the tree to the desired 
height, allow the top three, four, or five 
buds to grow to their full extent, taking 
| care that they come out at even distances 
along the stem, so as to get a properly 
balanced head; and it is better for them 
not all to start from the same height, but 
for each succeeding branch to be 2 to 8 
inches lower than the preceding one, as this 
will tend to make a much stronger tree, and 
one less liable to split apart. 
Having selected the necessary branches 
to form the future tree, the rest of the buds 
on the main stem should all be pinched 
back after they have made a growth of a 
Tem inetcathetcofartronttherbad: couple of inches or so, so as to produce a 
2.—The cut is too close to the bud. - tuft of leaves which will tend to protect 
Sie ne cuales at the right distance trom ths stemtof theltres tromisan burn till the 
top has made sufficient growth to do go, 
Should, however, your tree, when purchased from the 
nursery, have laterals along its whole length, it will be neces- 
sary to remove them all after cutting away the top, care § 
being taken not to cut them too close, and thus destroy \ 
the strong bud at their base, which will have to produce the 
future limb. 
In forming the head, be sure to have the main limbs well 
balanced ; and, as a general rule, I may say, three branches 
are preferable to four, and four to five. 
In some cases, especially with apples and cherries, when 
the head is cut back to the desired height it will be found 
that only the top bud develops, the other buds on the stem 
remain dormant, and no proper head is formed. When this 
occurs the one branch that has started should be pinched 
back after it has made a growth of a few inches, and this 
check to its growth will cause those buds that are required 
to form a well-balanced head to start into growth instead of 
remaining dormant. 
When the tree’s growth during the first year is net 
excessive, it is not necessary to do any summer pruning, 
but it is better to leave the tree alone, as a good root system = 
will thus be developed and a strong stem and main branches Fic. 3.—Second 
be formed; but in cases where the growth of deciduous Pruning. 
trees is excessive, as is often the case in the more humid and tropical portions 
of the colony, summer pruning must be resorted to in order to prevent the tree 
om straggling all over the place, or from breaking apart by the mere weight 
of its top. 
At the end of the first year, if the tree has received no summer pruning, 
it should be cut back to within 6 to 12 inches of the height at which the 
tree was originally headed (see Fig. 3), the exact amount of growth left 
depending on the vigour of the tree, as the stronger the growth the more wood 
is left, and the weaker the growth the more wood is cut away. ; 
The object of this severe winter pruning is to produce a thoroughly strong 
foundation on which to build the future tree; for should the young wood be 
left on and go to fruit, though an earlier return would be obtained, the tree 
would break, and at three to four years would be straggling and ill-formed, 
requiring to be propped all round to carry its fruit, which will also be of 
inferior quality. And, in addition, it would be impossible to do anything with 
horse cultivation in such an orchard, as it would be difficult to get near the 
trees, thus requiring a large amount of costly and otherwise unnecessary hand 
