THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 



227 



is on this account that a young tree, cut back in the nur- 

 sery, presents a much more perfect form, at the end of the 

 second year, than those that have f 



been transplanted. Some good cul- 

 tivators advise to defer the cut- 

 ting back for the formation of the 

 permanent branches until the plant 

 has stood one year after transplant- 

 ing ; but this course is attended 

 with many difficulties, and, on the 

 whole, it is better to cut back when 

 the tree is planted, even if we ob- 

 tain but a moderate growth; for 

 the older the buds are on the lower 

 part of the tree, the more obstinate 

 and unmanageable they are. If we 

 fail to accomplish our ends in the 

 first cutting, we can repeat it the 

 next year. 



Pruning the Branched Yearling. 

 Among trees of this kind, some 

 have branches a foot or more in 

 length, while in others they resem- 

 ble short, stiff spurs, two to four 

 inches long. These two characters 

 require different modes of treat- 

 ment. Where there are branches 

 of sufficient force, and properly 

 situated to form the first series of 

 main branches, they must be treat- 

 ed in the same manner as though 

 the tree were two years old. The 

 strongest and best situated are selected and pruned to with- 

 in four to six inches of their base, according to their vigor 

 and position; the lowest should not be more than six inches 

 from the stock. The small, feeble, superfluous ones are en- 



g. 108. 

 Yearling pear-tree with 

 branches, the pruning indi- 

 cated by the cross-lines. 



