252 THE ECONOMY OF THE FARM. 



under fruit trees should not be stirred 1o a depth of 

 more than four inches. It is better to manure on the 

 surface. 



914. Pruning should begin while the tree is young, but 

 little being done at a time, and should be continued when 

 necessary to bring the tree into proper shape. If a young 

 tree is trimmed, the activity of the sap soon heals up the 

 wound. Not so an old tree. The best time to prune 

 fruit trees is late in the fall, or early in winter before the 

 sap has started, or in midsummer after it has thickened 

 so as not to flow rapidly. But pruning may be done at 

 any time during the year except March and April, when 

 it should be avoided both for fruit and ornamental trees. 



915. Apples and pears should be taken from the tree 

 before the ripening process has advanced far. A summer 

 pear fully ripened on the tree, is very inferior to one 

 ripened in a cool, dry place not exposed to the air. The 

 natural process of ripening on the tree appears to benefit 

 the seed merely, while woody fibre is rapidly formed in 

 the fruit, but if the fruit be taken off and laid away just 

 before beginning to ripen, sugar and juice are elaborated 

 instead. Pears otherwise inferior may thus be made juicy 

 and delicious. 



916. It is easy to have a constant supply of healthful 

 fruits through the season. The strawberry deserves more 

 general and careful attention than it receives. After the 

 crop has been picked in June and July, let the runners 

 spread, and give them a deep rich soil to strike into, 

 merely thinning out the weaker ones. In this way the 

 vines are easily renewed from year to year. 



917. The raspberry and the blackberry may stand 

 under trees, or along the sides of walls or fences. When 

 they have done bearing, the old fruit stalks should be cut 



