236 PLAIN AND PLEASANT TALK 



early bearer." But such as these — "not of a very vigorous 

 growth," " does not boar young," "the growth is slow but 

 healthy," " grows to a large size before producing fruit," — 

 are passed by. Many farmers judge of a tree as they 

 would timothy grass. A short-jointed, compact branch, is 

 '"'■ stunted ;''"' but a long, plump limb, like a w^ater shoot, or 

 a Lombardy poplar branch, is admired as a first-rate growth. 

 Some pears have but this single virtue : they make wood in 

 capital quantities, but very poor pears. Now our selection 

 must proceed on different principles if our orchards are to 

 be durable and healthy. We should mark for selection pears 

 described as — " of a compact habit," " growth slow and 

 healthy," " ripens its wood early and thoroughly." A tree 

 which runs far into the fall, and makes quantities of wood 

 more than it can thoroughly ripen, must be regarded as 

 Tinsafe and undesirable. 



There is another marked fault in selecting trees — a dispo- 

 sition to get long and handsome trees with smooth stems. 

 This principle of selection would be excellent when one 

 goes after a bean-pole, or a cane. A fruit-tree is not usually 

 cultivated for such uses. In the first place, it is not wise to 

 expose the trunk of a fruit-tree to the full sun of our sum- 

 mers. We have seen peach trees killed by opening the 

 head so much as to expose the main branches to the sun. 

 A low head, a short trunk should be sought. When land 

 is scarce, and orchards cultivated, high trimming is em- 

 ployed for the sake of convenience, not of the tree, but of 

 its owner. And in cool and humid climates, such evils do 

 not attend the practice, as with us. Beside picking long 

 shanked trees, one would suppose that a leaf below the 

 crotch would poison the tree from the assiduity with which 

 they are trimmed off. It ought to be laid down as a funda- 

 mental rule with us, that a tree is benefited not by the 

 amount of its wood., but by the extent of its leaf surface. 

 Every effort should be used to make the length of the wood 

 moderate, and the amount of its leaves abundant. The 



