THE STRAWBERRY GARDEN. 179 



vines were hanging luxuriously from the trellises. The 

 young fruit was just forming and the green and vigorous 

 shoots hung thick and tangled, or waved freely in the wind. 

 At the top of the trellis the vines were boldly climbing the 

 fence, and threatened to invade the neighboring gardens. 

 " This won't do." said the farmer. 

 "What? "said Kate. 



" Ye must pinch 'em. Ought to have been done before. 

 See " 



So saying, he with his fingers broke off a green shoot 

 about a foot long. 



" There. Ye must break, not cut, away the ends of the 

 shoots that have fruit on 'em, at the second leaf beyond 

 the last bunch. It keeps the vine from wasting its 

 strength on the wood instead of the fruit. ' ' 



The children did not quite understand it all, and their 

 instructor pointed out to them that the fruit was hanging 

 on green shoots that had grown out of the old stalk, or 

 cane. The two or three bunches hung close to the main 

 cane, and beyond them the shoot extended for a foot or 

 more. Were it suffered to grow as it pleased, the shoot 

 would extend to an inordinate length at the expense of the 

 crop. To prevent this waste of strength it was "pinched 

 off" at the second leaf beyond the last or outermost 

 bunch, and all further extension prevented. Growth would 

 not cease, and, instead of a long, thin, valueless shoot, they 



