FRUIT GARDEN. 231 



straight or perpendicular shoots gave little and bad 

 fruit ; while those pushing at angles less than 45 de- 

 grees,* gave fruit abundantly and of a good quality : 

 and hence the rule, "for rigorously suppressing water- 

 shoots and gluttons, and for. encouraging side-shoots 

 growing horizontally" or nearly so, in relation to the 

 parent stem. An extension of the principle of this 

 rule was found to be usefully applied to side-shoots 

 themselves : and hence the practice " of heading 

 these down, so as to give to the direction of their future 

 growth new and artificial angles ;" for, by obstructing 

 the flow of the sap, and compelling it to travel more 

 slowly, you compel it also to throw out more blos- 

 soms, and, consequently, to give more fruit. 



To these remarks we subjoin a few others on this 

 head. 



1. Young trees, if of moderate growth, should be 

 pruned early in the spring ;f if of luxuriant growth, 

 later in the season. 



2. Established and bearing trees are best pruned 

 in the fall ; the operation, performed then, strength- 

 ens the tree, and tends to the production of blossom 

 buds. 



3 Superfluous and ill-placed buds may be rubbed 

 off at any time ; and no buds pushing after midsum- 

 mer should be spared. 



4. The number of shoots to be retained must be 

 limited by the nature of the tree, the size of the 



* Cours d'Agriculture, art. Courbure. 



f From some years' experience in summer pruning, say late 

 in June and early in July, we are disposed to give it a prefer- 

 ence over autumn or spring pruning. At either of the latter 

 periods the tree is divested of foliage, and the wounds are ex- 

 posed to the drying and corroding influence of the sun and winds ; 

 and the accustomed flow of sap in the spring induces the growth 

 of a multiplicity of new sprouts. At midsummer the wounds 

 are shielded by the foliage, the flow of sap is moderate, and the 

 caubium, or elaborated sap, which is then most abundant, soon 

 covers the lips of the wounds, and prevents disease and decay. 



