THE YOUNG ORCHARD 227 
borer to maim or kill the tree; it is for the in- 
terest of the owner that the tree should live. 
The conflict is irrepressible, and the weakest 
must go to the wall. The borer evil can be re- 
duced to a minimum by keeping the young trees 
banked three or four inches high with firm dirt 
or ashes; but borers must be followed with the 
wire, once they enter the bark. 
The sharp knife and the pruning-shears have 
other uses in the June orchard. Limbs and 
sprouts will come in irregular and improper 
places, and they should be nipped out early and 
thus save labor and mutilation later on. Sprouts 
that start from the eyes on the trunk can be re- 
moved by a downward stroke of the gloved hand. 
All intersecting or crossing boughs are removed 
by knife or scissors, and branches which are too 
luxuriant in growth are cut or pinched back. 
Careful guidance of the tree in June will avoid 
the necessity of severe correction later on. 
A man ought to plant an orchard, if for no 
other reason, that he may have the pleasure of 
caring for it, and for the companionship of the 
trees. This was the second year of growth for 
my orchard, and I was gratified by the evidences 
of thrift and vigor. Fine, spreading heads 
adorned the tops of the stubs of trees that 
had received such (apparently) cruel treatment 
eighteen months before. The growth of these 
two seasons convinced me that the four-year-old 
root and the three-year-old stem, if properly 
