. The American fruit culturist. d. with the upper ones, which will be the strongest, and gradually descending as the season advancesto the lower ones, which should be left the longest in order togive them the most strength (Fig. 142). Six inches of nakedstem below the branches should be left, by rubbing off allshoots below; and if in a region liable to deep snows, thisspace should be a foot, to prevent splitting off the limbs bythe weight of the snow, and for which object the tree shouldnot be cut down lower than eighteen inches at the close of thefirst season. The pruning after the second yea
. The American fruit culturist. d. with the upper ones, which will be the strongest, and gradually descending as the season advancesto the lower ones, which should be left the longest in order togive them the most strength (Fig. 142). Six inches of nakedstem below the branches should be left, by rubbing off allshoots below; and if in a region liable to deep snows, thisspace should be a foot, to prevent splitting off the limbs bythe weight of the snow, and for which object the tree shouldnot be cut down lower than eighteen inches at the close of thefirst season. The pruning after the second years growth,consists in cutting down again the leader for a second crop ofside-shoots; and these side-shoots, and the new leader, are tobe treated precisely as those below were treated the year be-fore. At the same time, the last years side-shoots, on thelower part, are to be cut back (the longest at the bottom soas to give a pyramidal forrn), in order to insure the growth ofthe buds upon them. The new side-shoots thus caused may. ^VW\ PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING. be pinched off so as to convert them into fruit-spurs (accord-ing to the process described hereafter in this chapter), exceptone shoot left on each as a leader, and another, if needed, tofill up the space made by the widening limbs. The pyramidmay now be said to havebeen fairly formed; and itis only requisite to continueand prolong the same pro-cess for successive 143 represents a four-year pyramid three timespruned, each section beingshown at the figures i, 2, 3,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectfruitculture, bookyea
