tiourisliment afforded by tlie tree ; with frequent pinching-back of the 

 new branches, the wood can be hardened and better matured before 

 winter, and the leaves become thick and heavy, affording much frost- 

 protection 



The second practice of leaving a side branch on the tree to "draw sap" 

 is a safe method, and will sometimes save a tree if the buds fail to 

 grow ; but when budding is skillfully done there is no need of leaving 

 side branches. 



Girdling the branches above the buds after they have healed over 

 and the bands have been removed, while leaving the tops on until 

 after the first winter, is not practised widely, but has some ardent ad- 

 Tocates. The top when thus left continues to draw enough sap to keep 

 alive ,. and to ripen a crop of early and poor fruit. The removal of 

 such a top after the buds have made one year's growth is sometimes 

 difficult without injuring the new head The chief advantage for this 

 method is that the old top forms a covering for the new head, obviat- 

 ing the necessity of wrapping it for protection against frost. Trees 

 handled in this way have made a better record than adjoining trees 

 that had the tops cut off at the time when the bands- were removed from 

 the buds and were left unprotected during the first winter. . . 



The old-time method of cutting off the entire top of a tree so as to 

 bud upon sucker s is now considered a poor way, as a year of time is 

 thereby lost. 



Pruning and Shaping tkees. 



The tendency of young trees of Washington Navel and some other 

 ■varieties to assume a drooping habit when making a vigorous growth is 

 due to the fact that the soft shoots are unable to support the weight of 

 the large, heavy leaves. Mr. Reed writes : "It cannot be expected 

 that the soft, succulent shoots will grow upright when they are weighed 

 down with the great fat leaves that vigorous young Navel trees always 

 produce, but if they are pinched back they will so 'n begin to straigh- 

 •ten up. If this method is followed, a Washington Navel tree can be 

 made symmetrical and upright, I make it a point to visit every one of 

 my young trees several times during the season and pinch back shoots." 



Even trees that have been long in bearing will be benefited by 

 pinching back every branch that takes too vigorous an upward growth. 

 This pinching process is especially necessary with trees from one to five 

 years old. 



Pruning Bearing Trees. — The advantage of an upright tree over a 

 drooping one is considerable when it becomes loaded with fruit. The 

 crop is borne with less breakage of limbs, and not so much fruit is 

 injured with the winds. After they are in full bearing, there seems to 

 1)8 no pruning that will promote the healtta of the trees or improve the 

 crop, other than cutting out limbs that project abruptly from the side, 

 or those that make a sudden skyward growth, and the constant trim- 

 ming out of dead or stunted wood that is found on the inside of the 

 trees. 



If too close, the branches of a tree should be thinned out from the 

 inside until the sunlight has had free access. This does not make any 

 noticeable difference in the appearance of the tree, but makes it bear 

 iruit on the inside. Such fruit is safe from sunburn and frost, and 



