ORCHARDS. 99 



For this reason, no sprout should be suffered to remain in 

 or near the body of the sapling, which is not designed shall 

 stand when it has attained its full growth. The long life of 

 different orchards, soil and situation being equal, will depend 

 more on the above management than on any other circum- 

 stance. 



" In trimming an orchard, great patience and industry are 

 required, which will be amply rewarded at the harvest. You 

 must not only remove all the dead and dry branches, but ex- 

 tirpate every unnecessary twig and sucker, from each branch, 

 to its very extremity. 



" The more of this labor that is performed, if performed with 

 judgment, the more thrifty will the treebecome and the fruit will 

 not only be increased in quantity but much improved in quality. 



"When the tops of the branches of your apple trees begin 

 to die, (which will be much retarded by the above treatment) 

 they ought to be immediately regenerated, by giving what is 

 called a new top : This is done by cutting off a few feet of 

 their extremities, over the whole tree, except cherries, accor- 

 ding to Forsyth, so as to leave it in a proper form ; if the 

 trunk is yet tolerably sound, the new branches will grow 

 thriftily, and bear luxuriantly ; and, if you wish to vary your 

 fruit, the sprouts after one year's growth, and most frequently 

 the same year, will be fit for inoculating, which succeeds 

 equally well in the old as in the young trees, and with which 

 every farmer ought to be acquainted." 



As a general thing in ordinary practice, a careful pruning 

 to regulate the form and growth of standard trees is about all 

 that is necessary. 



Every fruit tree, says Downing, sJiould be alloived to take 

 its natural form, the whole efforts of the pruner going no 

 farther than to take out all weak and crowded branches. 



The pruning of large limbs should be avoided by taking 

 out the superfluous shoots while they are small and tender. 

 Mr. Coxe, in his useful work on American fruit trees, 

 says, " when orchard trees are much pruned, they are apt to 

 throw out numerous (superfluous) suckers from the boughs in 

 the following Summer ; these should be nibbed off when they 



