so Lessons in Fruit Growing. 



(a) The leverage of wind upon the trunk, and the danger 

 of breaking down in storms are greater than in low-headed 

 trees. 



(b) The expense of gathering the fruit is greater. 



(c) The damage from windfalls is greater. 



(d) The expense of spraying and pruning is greater. 

 Very low-headed trees are also objectionable for the fol- 

 lowing reasons: 



(a) The difficulty of working the soil about thera is 

 greater than in high-headed trees. 



(b) The circulation of air among the branches is hin- 

 dered, which results in increased damage from fungous 



Low heading was formerly advocated as a means of pre- 

 venting sun-scald, but this can be better accomplished by 

 shading the trunk. 



As a rule, a head of medium height — four to five feet — 

 is preferable for standard trees. The dwarf varieties of the 

 plum and cherry may be headed somewhat lower. 



34. Principles of pruning: orchard trees. The general 

 principles of pruning are discussed in " Principles of Plant 

 €ulture," but a few points that apply especially to fruit 

 trees are here added. 



1. Before attempting to prune a fruit tree, the pruner 

 should acquaint himself with the fruiting habit of the spe- 

 cies: i. e., the parts of the tree that produce the flowers 

 and fruit. 



2. The pruning should be such as to encourage, as far as 

 possible, the normal development of the fruiting parts. 



3. Rapid growth and fruitfulness are generally opposed 

 to each other. The parts of the tree that grow fastest, 

 therefore, usually produce least fruit. 



