66 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 



long. These spurs naturally proceed from branches 

 two, three, or four years old, and as these branches 

 increase in length, the fruit spurs increase in num- 

 ber, and they continue to be fruitful for several 

 years. Mr. Forsyth always leaves the branches 

 of three different years on the tree, and thus keeps 

 them in a constant bearing state ; whereas, if left 

 to nature, they would only produce a crop of fruit 

 once in two or three years. All old ragged spurs, 

 and useless snags and twigs, should be taken off 

 close to the trunk; no dead limbs should be suffer- 

 ed to remain, nor even thrifty branches that have 

 an irregular tendency, running inwards, and rubbing 

 against each other. Such branches as intersect or 

 cross each other, and thus occasion confusion in the 

 crown of the tree, ought to be removed, and all 

 others cleared of suckers to their very extremities ; 

 and indeed it will be necessary to prune out a good 

 proportion of the top branches, in order to spread 

 open the crown of the tree, to admit a free circu- 

 lation of air and the rays of the sun, which are es- 

 sentially necessary to mature and ripen the fruit. 

 Those superfluous lateral branches which grow 

 irregularly, and all dead wood, should be annually 

 extirpated, to give the proper bearing branches suffi- 

 cient room without injuring the beauty of the tree, 

 leaving the fruit branches as nearly equidistant as 

 possible. Such branches as have received any 

 material injury ought to be removed. If the tree 

 in its first or second sap tend to shoot abundance 

 of wood, the young shoots should be pinched off 

 while tender, but never cut while the sap is flow- 

 ing, because the tree, by cutting at that time, is 

 apt to run into wood, and the blossom buds liable 

 to be injured by being deprived of sap. Never 

 suffer a sucker to remain near the root, from one 

 year to another, nor by any means upon the body 

 or trunk, which is not intended to be permanent. 

 Those vigorous young shoots, which often spring 



