FRUIT PLANTATIONS AND THEIR CARE 35 



rapid than the broken roots can absorb water, and 

 the tree suffer, if not die. With apple, pear, plum, 

 and cherry from three to five branches should be 

 selected from those on the tree as it comes from 

 the nursery, to form the scaffold branches of the 

 future top. These should be situated alternately 

 along the trunk; never opposite each other, and 

 should be cut back to spurs 5 to 10 inches in length. 

 The others are removed entirely. Each of these 

 spurs will throw out several branches the first sea- 

 son, but the ends of the spurs will usually dry out 

 and begin to decay. 



" The second pruning is confined almost wholly 

 to the removal of the dead tips of these branches 

 or spurs. These are cut back to the base of the 

 first new branches, and if the wood shows no decay 

 the wound is left to heal. If, however, there are 

 any signs of decaying wood, the cut is made at the 

 base of the next branch and so on until solid wood 

 is found. Otherwise the decay will run back into 

 the main branches, or even to the trunk of the tree, 

 and eventually cause its death. Every branch that 

 does not mar the general form of the top is left on 

 the little tree during the second season to bear 

 leaves and manufacture plant food. 



" Root growth depends upon the leaves just as 

 much as branch and leaf growth depends upon the 

 roots, and the root system, weakened by trans- 

 planting, needs the stimulus of all the plant food 

 possible in order to renew the parts destroyed. 

 This renewed vigor immediately manifests itself 

 in growth of top, and the less the equilibrium be- 

 tween root and top is disturbed, the greater will 

 be the tendency to bear fruit so far as the pruning 

 factor alone is concerned. Subsequent pruning 

 should consist largely in thinning out the super- 



