188 THE APPLE CULTURIST. 



the tree spread evenly and thin around each bearing tree, 

 will greatly promote its fruitfulness. If the soil is light, 

 sandy, or mucky, apply a dressing of marl, or clay, say one 

 inch deep, as far as the branches extend. After this appli- 

 cation, spread a liberal dressing of ashes and lime. There 

 is little danger of applying too much. In late autumn, 

 spread half a wagon-load of rich barn-yard manure around 

 each tree. The next season, if the trees have been properly 

 trained, pruned and scraped, there will be thrice as much 

 fruit as if the land had been ploughed. 



Straightening leaning Trees. No fruit-tree will be so 

 productive when the entire top and body hav6 been blown 

 partially over, as it will when in an erect position. When 

 a tree leans, sprouts will almost always start from the up- 

 per side of the body, or branches, and grow perpendicular- 

 ly. By this means, the largest proportion of the sap will 

 flow into the erect stems, while the horizontal part of the 

 top receives only a limited supply of nourishment. When 

 it is desirable to straighten up a leaning fruit-tree, set a 

 post in the ground, say twenty feet from the tree, to which 

 a chain, or rope and pulleys, may be attached, and the tree 

 straightened up and secured with a strong wire, extending 

 from a stake in the ground to a strap around the main part 

 of the tree. In case a tree is large and well rooted, let the 

 earth be excavated on the upper side and a few of the 

 larger roots loosened, and the earth removed beneath them, 

 so that the top of the tree may be brought up with ease to 

 the desired position. There is no better time than early 

 spring-time to perform such jobs, as new roots will often 

 start out from those that have been severed, and continue 

 to grow till the end of the growing season. The guy-wires 

 will always hold trees in position, until the roots will keep 

 the top erect. If long branches grow too erect, it is easy 

 to wire them down to the proper position, when the wires 



