TERMINAL BUDS. 9 



allow a rather too abundant crop of fruit on the fruit-bvds, 

 while, at tlie same time, the weaker side should be raised 

 vertically, and not allowed to bear at all. Of course the tree 

 will not look so pretty in this way for the season, until the 

 winter pruning shall harmonize the whole ; and this is often 

 a reason for neglecting" this very useful plan. By pinching 

 off the green ends of branches some time before the others, 

 those first reduced in length are checked in tlieir growth, be- 

 cause they have not so many leaves from being shorter. 



In cases of great necessity, you may even cover over the 

 leaves of a strong branch with some light but impervious ma- 

 terial, for a week at a time. It should be no longer, taking 

 care to observe if the foliage becomes injured or not. Never- 

 theless, I do not recommend this method, which is more prac- 

 tised in France tlian in England. 



If it be wished to prolong any branch (no matter its vigor) 

 we must concentrate the whole power of the sap into one or 

 two buds by cutting down to them, taking care that these buds 

 are healthy, and, above all, placed exactly as the new exten- 

 sion is desired to be. Terminal buds are always more vigor- 

 ous tlian lateral buds, because the sap is conducted more 

 directly to tliem. To lengthen a branch, always remember to 

 cut well down to the bud selected for the new shoot, not, 

 however, so near as to weaken it, but near enough that noth- 

 ing useless be left beyond, l)ecause, during the drying up of 

 that part, the bud is checked, and the object is to advance its 

 growth. To obtain fruit-buds, on the contrary, every aim 

 must be directed to keeping them, for one or two years, as the 

 case may require, in a dormant state. To effect this, you 

 must divert the full current of the sap away from them, so 

 that it shall pass them by, but without completely drying 

 them up, which would be a great fault. A leaf bud or two 

 must, therefore, be suffered to extend beyond any flower bud, 

 i. e., one properly so called. The sap having passed vigor- 

 ously up the main conduits of the tree, and in the leaves hav- 

 ing been converted from sap into "proper juice," must be so 

 diverted from the flower buds as only to nourish tlieir fertility 



