41 



in regard to age, and refuse to produce liberally, can bring 

 them to a realizing sense of their duty by the process in 

 question 



Objections will be raised to the practice, undoubtedly, 

 as being unnatural and all that, but the same may be said 

 of many other pomologieal experiments, which have 

 resulted in success. 



Let us live, in a measure, for the present, and enjoy 

 the fruits of our labors as we go along, and not work and 

 wait through life for the benefit wholly of our grand- 

 children. 



Those who wish to try the experiment of girdling, and 

 are a little doubtful about its utility, and liability to harm 

 the trees for future usefulness, may begin on some of the 

 lower branches of the tree, which, if the operation should 

 not succeed to their satisfaction, need to be cut away in the 

 future. In that way no harm will have been done, if the 

 process turns out unfavorable. 



Another method of girdling, or which amounts to the 

 same thing in its results, is performed by ligating the body . 

 of the tree or branches, by winding tightly around the 

 part to be girdled, a few coils of copper or other wire so 

 tight that the return flow of sap will be effectually impe- 

 ded. By this last process the bark is not mutilated, but 

 where it is thoroughly done the effects are about the same. 

 Some pomologists recommend excessive fertilizing ; enrich- 

 ing the soil by cow-penning and by applying large quan- 

 tities of other rich manures during the winter months, con- 

 tending that in this way both fruit buds and wood growth 

 may be had at the same time, and the "bearing and off- 

 year" habits of trees dispensed with. 



The practice may be good, on very poor land, but fruit 

 produced by excessive fertilization, is generally coarse, 



