90 THE CULTIVATION OF THE 



fine fruit. Now if the disease is contagious, why did 

 they not all die in the latter case ; or in the former, 

 why should the difference in the soil make a difference 

 as to their length of life ? The above examples indicate 

 that the condition of the tree determines its suscepti- 

 bility to take the disease, and that the condition of the 

 soil often exerts a very great influence upon the strength 

 of the tree to resist or overcome the attack of fungous 

 growths. We believe this to be true of all trees or 

 plants that are subject to the attack of mildews, blights, 

 etc., that they are never attacked until they have in 

 some way become weakened. There are many cases of 

 isolated trees in Massachusetts, that have reached the 

 age of twenty years or more, under apparent conditions 

 of neglect, but upon close examination, it has been 

 found that their surroundings and the soil in which they 

 were planted was such as to produce just the right kind 

 of food, and that in just the right quantity to produce 

 the best growth. Whenever a tree dies in our orchard, 

 we plant a new one at once, and have never known the 

 second one to die, although some were planted eight or 

 ten years ago. 



The special treatment our trees have received in the 

 way of pruning, has been to cut all the new wood back, 

 about one-half each autumn or winter, and to thin out 

 some of the weak wood entirely. To overcome the tend- 

 ency of the trees to form long straggling branches, after 



