The Cultivation of the Fruit-Farm 133 



health. We stimulate men to propagate varieties 

 of fruit which emphasize, exaggerate, overdevelop 

 some quality or aspect of the plant at the cost of 

 atrophy of some other part, and usually of all as- 

 sociated parts. In other words, in fruit-growing we 

 are aiming at a very fine, possibly a very obscure, 

 mark on the bull's eye, and insisting that this is 

 our true center. We are particularizing, specializ- 

 ing, propagating leaf, stalk, or seed-pulp, at the 

 expense of the rest of the plant. We must there- 

 fore follow strictly a partictdar procedure, or we 

 shall fail of our particular purpose. 



In fruit-culture all is included in the care of the 

 plant. This care means the concentration of the 

 plant's energies upon the production of what we 

 want. We are tampering with the plant's balance 

 of powers. This we do by budding, grafting, 

 trimming, and feeding the plant. But in order to 

 make plant-food available we must keep the soil 

 drained. This we do by cultivating the surface. 

 There is only one rule in cultivation: Early and 

 often. 



Budding and grafting are expert work done at 

 the nursery, rarely on the farm. The fruit- 

 grower's work begins with trimming, or pruning, 

 as a means of concentrating the vitality of the 

 plant upon the production of such fruit as he 

 wants. The best orchard or vineyard or berry 

 patch always looks young, thrifty, strong in latent 

 vigor. The orchardist trims with a sharp knife 

 and a fine saw and never cuts off a large limb save 



