GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



CHAPTER I. 



NAMES, DESCRIPTIONS, AND OFFICES OF THE DIF- 

 FERENT PARTS OF FRUIT-TREES. 



General Remarks. A Tree is a living body, composed 

 of many parts, such as roots, branches, leaves, buds, blos- 

 soms, fruit, etc. All these have different offices to fulfil, 

 assume different forms and characters, and are known and 

 designated from one another by different names, when 

 subjected to the practical operations of culture. Without 

 some knowledge of the names and structure of these dif- 

 ferent parts, of the principles that guide their develop- 

 ment, their relative connection with, and influence upon 

 one another, tree culture cannot be, to any man, really 

 pleasant, intellectual, or successful ; but a misty, uncer- 

 tain, unintelligible routine of manual labor. 



The industry of our times is peculiarly distinguished 

 by the application of science the union of theory with 

 practice in every department ; and surely the votaries of 

 the garden, whose labors, of all others, should be intelli- 

 gent, will not allow themselves to fall behind, and per- 

 form their labors in the dark. 



Fully sensible of the importance of this preliminary 

 study, and confident that the minute and practical details 

 of culture cannot be well understood without it, I propose 

 here, before entering upon the main subject, to describe, 

 in as few and as plain words as possible, the structure, 

 character, connection, and respective offices of the various 

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