PHILOSOPHY OF PRUNING. 257 



pear when well balanced, there is always danger of its 

 splitting down when heavily laden with fruit. This very 

 common error of our orchards used to be quaintly illus- 

 trated by a dear old friend on the prairies of Illinois, who 

 cited the advice of a Scotch jockey to whom he had ap- 

 plied for counsel in the purchase of a piece of horse-flesh. 

 " Ne'er buy a horse whose twa fore-legs cum oot frae ae 

 hole," said he, and Mr. W. Stewart applied the same prin- 

 ciple to his young fruit trees, by never allowing them to 

 have two equal leaders, branching from one point. It is 

 also important to have the lateral branches regularly dis- 

 tributed on different sides. 



The precise point or elevation point at which this head- 

 ing-back should be done, will depend very much upon 

 the object of the cultivator, and whether he desires to pro- 

 duce a high or a low head, a standard, half standard, or a 

 dwarf, or conical tree such as are often called pyramids. 

 He will study the wants and fancies of his customers in this 

 matter, but we of the West, have learned the importance 

 for us, at least, of trimming our trees down, and not trim- 

 ming them up, as is often done by those who anticipate 

 plowing and planting crops under the shade of their 

 orchards. The proper point for forming the branches to 

 make the head, will very much depend, however, upon the 

 habit of the variety ; whether it be drooping, spreading, 

 or upright. The former will require the branches to be 

 started at a higher point. The proper season for perform- 

 ing this kind of pruning is in the early spring, or after the 

 severe frosts of winter have passed ; and with some kinds 

 of orchard trees, it may be done at the time of trans 

 planting them, when they need a severe pruning. 



The second object of pruning being done with a view 



