MISTAKES Itf PRUNING, 



is partially dead and is struggling to maintain a 

 number of lifeless branches. In such a case it may 

 sometimes be renewed by vigorous pruning to 

 induce the formation of thrifty shoots to take the 

 place of the old branches. Limbs which are very 

 feeble or partly dead are a burden to a tree, rather 

 than a help, and had better be removed. Indeed, 

 it is not uncommon to find whole orchards which 

 are too far gone to be worth the effort to save 

 them, but generally heavy fertilizing and good 

 cultivation, together with the severe pruning of 

 such trees as are actually dying, will work a great 

 improvement. 



The principle of promoting vigor by excessive 

 pruning is illustrated by the renewal practice 

 adopted with currants and other bush fruits. 

 Stems which have become exhausted by age and 

 fruiting are cut away, to be replaced by new stems 

 to bear succeeding crops. This tendency to exhaust 

 themselves by fruiting is manifested in different 

 degrees in different kinds of plants, and the prac- 

 tice in pruning must correspond to the habit of the 

 plant in each case. With blackberries and rasp- 

 berries the canes are completely exhausted by one 

 crop and are renewed naturally each year. In 

 currants there is a tendency in this direction, and 

 good crops can only be secured by a renewal of 

 the bearing stems every few years. With goose- 



