94 CAUSES OF FRUITFULNESS. 



wound, they produce little effect, and if they are they are 

 difficult to heal. For these reasons, the operation is but 

 little employed."* 



4. Binding the branches downwards, by changing their 

 natural position, as well as causing a partial obstruction 

 where bent, promotes their fruitfulness. 



In all these modes, it must be remembered that the 

 desired result will not be produced at once, as the first year 

 is occupied in the formation of flower buds ; and the next 

 in their growth into fruit. ThJU delay, however, will not 

 take place, where the difficulty consists merely in the fruit 

 not setting, the buds being already formed. 



5. The influence of the sto^k, when it differs in nature 

 from the graft, is often of importance. The more widely 

 they differ, the greater will be the effect. Thus, when 

 pears grow upon pears, the effect is the same as when not 

 grafted at all. But pears on quinces are attended with an 

 increase of fertility. Hence the adoption of the quince 

 stock. 



These artificial modes of inducing fruitfulness are not to 

 be recommended for general practice, nor for orchard cul- 

 ture. It is true that trees will yield fruit sooner ; but heavy 

 crops from young growing trees are not often desirable. 

 Let them grow freely for a few years, and the amount ulti- 

 mately obtained will be the greater. Indeed, the period of 

 fruitfulness is often hastened by cultivation and retarded 

 by neglect. Except for the sake of experiment, the pre- 

 ceding modes are not to be applied until trees are large, 

 when good varieties will bear sufficiently without them. 



* " Many years ago. 5 ' says David Thomas, " I had a tree of the Mammoth 

 Sweeting, which had two principal branches. It comes into bearing very tardily, 

 and I became impatient to see the fruit I therefore drew my knife and cut through 

 the bark transversely, forcing open the bark by straining the knife sideway-, as I drew 

 it along an inch or so at a time; so that when the ring round the branch was com- 

 pleted, it had a z gzag appearance. Observe, that no bark was cut out, though the 

 wood was scraped. This operation was very effectual however. The next season 

 that branch bore plentifully, while the other branch remained as unproductive as 

 before. Tiie cutting never appeared to injure the branch." 



