1 Jan., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 25 
labour. There is no economy in getting men 
to do labour at high rates which can be better 
and more thoroughly performed by a horse, 
and at a vast saving of time and money. 
The following spring, each of the three, 
four, or five limbs that have been left will 
throw out branches all along their length, 
and, of these, only the two upper ones on 
each branch, on opposite sides of the branch, 
and having an upward tendency, should be 
left. All the others, after making a growth 
of 2 or 3 inches, shouid be pinched back so 
as to produce a tuft of leaves, as was done 
on the main stem the first year, to shade the 
branches, and throw out fruit spurs, which 
will produce fruit the following year. At the 
end of the second year you will thus have 
a stocky, well-shaped, evenly balanced tree, 
having six, eight, or ten well-developed 
‘branches, which will have to be shortened 
in to a length of 15 to 18 inches from the 
previous year’s cut. (See Fig. 4.) The 
following spring, each of the six, eight, or ten 
branches are treated in the same manner as 
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Fic, 5.—Fourth Pruning. 
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Vic. 4.—Third Pruning. 
the three, four, or five branches 
were the previous year—that 
is to say, only the two top buds 
of each branch are allowed to 
grow to their full extent, all 
the others being pinched back 
after they have made a. growth 
of 2 or 8 inches as described 
in the remarks on summer 
pruning. 
_ The results of these opera- 
tions will be a strong, upright 
tree, of about 4 feet in height, 
ready to begin bearing, and one 
that will stand up under a fair 
crop of fruit evenly distributed 
over its branches. By this 
method of pruning, the orch- 
ardist will get his first fruit 
thirty months after setting 
out his orchard ; but in many 
if not most instances it is 
advisable to delay a year 
longer, as when cropping is 
commenced too soon, before 
the trees are able to stand 
their fruit, there is a risk of 
breaking them down, and also 
of materially injuring their 
future health and productive- 
ness. It is like hitching up a 
raw colt and expecting to get 
the work of an old horse out 
