78 PROFITABLE FRUIT-GROWING. 



Shortening the Branches. Examine the 

 trees closely, root and branch. They were planted 

 in well-prepared ground in the autumn. The long 

 young shoots of the badly rooted tree were not 

 cut back in the spring following, but left their whole 

 length. All the young roots could do was to imbibe 

 and send up just enough sap to enable small leaves 

 to form on the shoots. These neither increased in 

 length nor number, but fruit buds formed on them, 

 including one at the end as is shown on the naked 

 branch on the left, fig. 26, page 76. They formed 

 on the three other shoots similarly, but are not 

 shown. The following year they blossomed, and 

 set fruit towards the end of the branches, and 

 these being weak were dragged down as shown. 

 The crop exhausted the tree, and it was practically 

 ruined, the roots being totally inadequate to force 

 further growth The only way of restoring such a 

 tree would be to cut all the five branches boldly 

 back to within six inches of the main stem. But 

 look at the time lost ! the whole procedure of let- 

 ting both the roots and branches alone was a mis- 

 take, and the penalty an enfeebled and practically 

 useless tree. It does not matter about fruit weigh- 

 ing down the branches when trees are well-rooted, 

 and make shoots as well as produce fruit, but in 

 the case of young trees with few roots and weak 

 shoots, it is a misfortune. 



