Those fine long shoots will grow into big branches; those little twigs with the points, as you call them, are fruit spurs, covered with blossom buds.

If I cut them out I should have no plums next year, but a bigger and a more barren tree.

No, my boy, I don't want to grow wood, but fruit.

Look here." I looked, and he cut out with clean, sharp strokes all those long shoots but one, carefully leaving the wood and bark smooth, while to me it seemed as if he were cutting half the tree away.
"You've left one, sir," I said.
"Yes, Grant, I've left one; and I'll show you why.

Do you see this old hard bough ?" I nodded.
"Well, this one has done its work, so I'm going to cut it out, and let this young shoot take its place." "But it has no fruit buds on it," I said quickly.
"No, Grant; but it will have next year; and that's one thing we gardeners always have to do with stone-fruit trees--keep cutting out the old wood and letting the young shoots take the old branches' place." "Why, sir ?" I asked.
"Because old branches bear small fruit, young branches bear large, and large fruit is worth more than twice as much as small.