PRUNING TE QUINCE. 67 
At « (fig. 45) are triple buds at a favorable age to easily 
rub off supernumeraries. At 6 they are so far developed 
as to need the knife to cut off the extras. Ate we have 
the vigorous shoots growing as desired. 
How muc! to cut back each year is a matter of judg- 
mont. Inashoot from one to two feet long, cut back 
about half the length. A growth of three to five feet 
may be reduced a little more than one-half. Treated in 
this way, the tree pushes vigorous side shoots, and makes 
a lower head, which is less affected by winds, is more 
convenient to keep in order, the fruit is easily gathered, 
and however heavy the crop, the branches are so stocky 
they never break. If a cone-shaped head is desired (and 
this is the ideal form of many), it can be secured by 
leaving the lower branches longest. The natural flow 
of sap to the upper branches will be diminished, and 
increased in the lower, and thus their growth will be 
proportionzlly increased. If the branches are nearer 
than four to six inches, eut out those worst situated, or 
least likely to be fruitful. A judicious thinning and 
shortening of crowded and irregular branches will promote 
both thrift and fruitfulness. When a shoot pushes so 
strongly as to attract to itself too much of the nutriment 
of the tree, pinch off the end, and repeat the operation 
till its buds push like those on the other shoots, till, by 
compelling an equal distribution of nutriment, all shoots 
grow in like proportions, if not equally. 
3. PRUNING TO Promote GrowrTH.—When a stunted 
tree is cut back judiciously, the remaining buds may be 
expected to grow with renewed vigor, because the forces 
of growth are concentrated on a smaller number of buds, 
The inner bark of a feeble tree is thinner, and the sap 
vessels smaller; the more concentrated growth thickens 
the bark and enlarges the sap vessels; and so there is a more 
ready flow of all the nourishing fluids, and a consequent 
increase of growth. In the laboratory of the leaves the 
