124 THE APPLE CULTURIST. 



ed from its first year's growth until it had developed into 

 a perfect tree that needs no pruning. The top, as may be 

 seen, is well filled up with bearing branches ; the form is 

 symmetrical, the head high, and the pruning has been such 

 that a person can climb about in the top, when gathering 

 the fruit, with little difficulty. This is only one model. Al- 

 though every apple-tree can not be expected to have a top 

 exactly like this, unless it is of the same variety, still those 

 that grow differently may be trained so that the form will 

 be quite as symmetrical as this. One great aim of the 

 pruner must be to have the middle of the top filled up with 

 bearing branches. Then he must avoid pruning in such a 

 manner as to have wide-spreading tops, with only a large 

 bush on the end of a long branch. 



When to Prune. One respected pomologist, in reply to 

 such an interrogation, will respond, "Whenever your knife 

 is sharp " implying that doing the work well is more im- 

 portant than the selection of any particular period. An- 

 other authority declares : " The season for pruning is usual- 

 ly midwinter, or at midsummer. It is, however, the prac- 

 tice to perform what is called the winter pruning early in 

 the autumn" An author who has penned about twenty 

 pages on pruning, is so diffuse and indefinite, that all a be- 

 ginner can gather is, " Prune in winter for wood, and in 

 summer for fruit." A. J. Downing, whose writings are re- 

 peatedly quoted as reliable authority on fruit, says : " We 

 should especially avoid pruning at that period in spring 

 when the buds are swelling and the sap is in full flow, as 

 the loss of sap by bleeding is very injurious to most trees, 

 and in some brings on a serious and incurable canker in the 

 limbs. Our experience has led us to believe that, practical- 

 ly, a fortnight before midsummer is by far the best season, 

 on the whole, for pruning in the Northern and Middle States. 

 "Wounds made at this season heal over freely and rapidly." 



