THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 225 



both of the pear and apple, there is presented a great 

 difference in different varieties. Some invariably pro- 

 duce lateral branches the first season. The buds are so 

 perfectly developed, that when the second growth takes 

 place in mid-summer, they break, and form branches, in 

 some cases as much as a foot long, and in others only a 

 few inches. Then, among the varieties which do not thus 

 produce side branches in the second growth, there is a 

 great difference in the plumpness and prominence of the 

 buds. In some they are larger, and stand out boldly 

 from the wood on the whole length of the stem, appa- 

 rently ready to push under the least excitement. In 

 others they are small, lie flat to the wood, and have 

 every appearance of being difficult to excite into growth, 

 and especially those towards the base. It should always 

 be borne in mind that it is better to cut too low than not 

 low enough. The difficulty of cutting too low is, that the 

 shoots produced are nearly all of equal length, and a 

 certain number of them require to be checked to give 

 each one its proper dimensions. The difficulty of not 

 cutting low enough is, that where we should have 

 branches at the base, we have none, or, if any, they are 

 smaller, instead of larger, than those above them. The 

 remedy in this case is more difficult than the other. The 

 vigorous shoots at the summit must be checked, and even 

 the leading shoot, in order to throw back the sap into the 

 lower parts, to act upon the buds there. The error 

 which produces such a difficulty is very common, as we 

 know by experience, among persons not familiar with 

 the growth of young trees or the development of the 

 buds on their stems. It must be laid down as a general 

 rule that the more feeble the plant, and the smaller and 

 the more imperfectly developed the buds, the lower it is 

 necessary to cut. 



The condition of the roots, too, must be taken into 

 account; for where the roots are weak, broken, or injured, 



