FIRST EDITION. XI 



When young trees are planted out from the 

 nursery, as soon as they begin to break in the 

 Spring, they are cut down to three or four eyes, ac- 

 cording to their strength, to furnish them with 

 bearing wood : if this were not done, they would 

 run up in long naked branches, and would not pro- 

 duce one quarter of the fruit which they do when 

 this operation is properly performed. The same 

 holds good in heading all kinds of old trees. 



An opinion prevails, particularly in those parts 

 where Apple-trees are cultivated to any consider- 

 able extent, that trees never bear well after heading 

 down, and that it frequently kills them. This may, 

 no doubt, happen when they are improperly headed 

 down all at once, by giving a sudden check to the 

 sap, the few weak shoots not having strength to 

 draw up what is supplied by the roots ; and more- 

 over not being capable of sheltering one another, 

 they are chilled by the cold, and so rendered, at 

 least, unproductive, if they are not totally killed. 

 But if heading were done gradually, that is, if every 

 other branch all over the tree were headed at a pro- 

 per length, cutting as near to those parts where the 

 shoots appear as possible, in the month of February 

 or March, or even as late as May, in the course of 

 the Summer they would throw out fine long shoots. 

 These should not be shortened the first year unless 

 it be necessary to shorten a few to fill up the head 

 of the tree with bearing wood, and that should be 

 done in the following Spring ; cutting them to six 

 or eight inches long, according to their strength. 



