SECATEURS VERSUS KNIFE 139 



bark has only assumed a dull grey appearance. 

 Thus, after the fashion adopted in the present Army 

 uniforms, the wounded look gayer than the healthy 

 ones. 



Two students dressed in mackintosh coats and 

 hats, as if they were about to sail a boat in a rough 

 sea, perform this task with foot-pumps. The 

 reason for their nautical equipment is that if the 

 spray falls upon them it is easily washed off. A 

 very still day is chosen, and, should a breeze 

 suddenly arise, they turn their backs to it so that 

 the wash is applied straight on to the tree and is 

 not blown the wrong way. All these small matters, 

 trifling in themselves, are important for the ultimate 

 success of the apple crop and also represent valuable 

 experience for young gardeners. 



Our fruit expert always uses secateurs in pre- 

 ference to a knife and I think he is right in this, 

 because, for one thing, it economises time. They 

 should last a week without requiring to be sharp- 

 ened, doing steady work each day, whereas if a 

 knife is used, it has to be sharpened every half-hour, 

 and this delays progress. There is a further draw- 

 back, for the jerking movement of the hand that 

 is necessary in using a knife is tiring to the eye and 

 it distracts attention from that improvement of the 

 general appearance and shape of the tree, upon 

 which all effort should be concentrated. 



In large orchards, where several varieties of 

 apples are grown and are often planted in mixed 

 groups, it is difficult, unless each tree be labelled, 

 to recognise one kind from another. As some 

 trees need vigorous pruning and others yield more 



